From Buzzwords to Reality: The History, Evolution and Performance of Avancemos Conditional Cash Transfer Program in Costa Rica

Conditional cash transfers (CCT) constitute the apex for much of the most important buzzwords that serve as the basis of current international discussions in social policy and welfare. Indeed, these policies mix themes about empowerment through human capital investment, national ownership, accountability, poverty-targeting and political participation, thereby offering considerable promises for implementation. The question of this research was to know how do these promises performed in reality. For that it addressed Avancemos, a CCT established in Costa Rica, a country that offered a strong domestic social policy community and an established welfare state on which these ideas, especially ownership, political participation and coherence with prior social policies would logically thrive. Reality however has been very different from what appeared to be in the first place, given the context of reform in social policy that the country is undergoing and the nature and interests of political elites driving the policy process.