Coping with the “coffee crisis” in Central America

"This study examines the effect of a safety-net program on households' well-being and work activities during an economic downturn. It considers (1) how rural Nicaraguan households without the Red de Protección Social (RPS) program fared over the period 2000–02, and (2) whether households benefiting from the program were better able to protect household expenditures and other aspects of well-being than their control counterparts during the same period.... While not designed as a traditional safety net program, RPS has performed like one, protecting most those in greatest need. It provided a cushion for per capita expenditures and protected coffee laborers from working additional hours. It also safeguarded investment in children. Thus RPS played a significant role in helping poor, rural Nicaraguans weather the coffee crisis." From Text