Intergenerational Social Mobility Based on the Investments in Human Capital : Evidence of the Long-Term Results of PROSPERA in Health
Mexico's conditional cash transfer program, PROSPERA, has demonstrated short- and medium-term positive effects on health and education, including: increased children's height; decreased risky behaviors among adolescents, including the pos...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/380871568051845807/Intergenerational-Social-Mobility-Based-on-the-Investments-in-Human-Capital-Evidence-of-the-Long-Term-Results-of-PROSPERA-in-Health http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32375 |
| Summary: | Mexico's conditional cash transfer
program, PROSPERA, has demonstrated short- and medium-term
positive effects on health and education, including:
increased children's height; decreased risky behaviors
among adolescents, including the postponement of parenthood;
and increased years of schooling. This paper explores
whether these effects lasted in the long-term and translated
into positive changes in outcomes across generations. This
study uses the most recent PROSPERA Evaluation Survey (ENCEL
2017) and combines it with previous waves and with the 1997
Socioeconomic Characteristics Survey (ENCASEH). Using
intergenerational mobility analysis and quasi-experimental
methods, this study finds strong evidence of positive
absolute intergenerational mobility in height and years of
schooling. The findings show that, on average, male
offspring are 2.8 centimeters taller and have 5.3 more years
of schooling than their providers (usually their parents),
while female offspring are 4.1 centimeters taller and have
5.7 more years of schooling than their providers. These
intergenerational gains are relevant not only because they
reflect improvements in human capital, but also because
these improvements have a positive return to investment. The
study finds that a 1 percent increase in height is
associated with a 10.7 and 8.8 percent increases in hourly
wages for men and women, respectively. The analysis finds
that a one-year increase in schooling is associated with 3.4
and 4.8 percent increases in hourly wages for men and women,
respectively. These results show that PROSPERA has been
successful in helping children and youth build human capital
through better health and education, which has led to
positive returns in the labor market. |
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