This paper compares for 13 Latin American countries the poverty and inequality impacts of cash transfer programs that … confined to the poor within each population group (that is, "poverty targeted" transfers). The analysis finds that both the … incidence of poverty and the depth of the poverty gap are important factors affecting the relative effectiveness of categorical …

incidence analysis suggests that increased spending on social assistance enhances the probability of moving out of poverty and … reduces the probability of moving into poverty. However, double difference estimates (based on a mimicked randomized … household welfare or reduce poverty. Double difference estimates point to a negative impact on welfare. Parametric estimates do …