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Focus and coverage of Bolsa Família Program in the Pelotas 2004 birth cohort
Kelen H Schmidt1, Jeremy Labrecque2, Iná S Santos3
1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Nutrição em Saúde Pública. Faculdade de Saúde Pública. Universidade de São Paulo. São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
Insights
The Bolsa Família Program significantly increased coverage for families in the 2004 Pelotas cohort, reaching nearly 70% by 2010. However, program focus declined, with over half of beneficiaries not belonging to the intended low-income population.
Area of Science:
- Social policy analysis
- Public health program evaluation
- Socioeconomic impact studies
Background:
- The Bolsa Família Program is a key Brazilian conditional cash transfer program aimed at poverty reduction.
- Understanding program coverage and focus is crucial for assessing its effectiveness and equity.
- The 2004 Pelotas birth cohort provides a valuable longitudinal dataset for tracking socioeconomic changes and program participation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the focalization and coverage of the Bolsa Família Program.
- To analyze program accessibility among families with children in the 2004 Pelotas birth cohort.
- To assess changes in program targeting and reach between 2004 and 2010.
Main Methods:
- Integration of 2004 Pelotas birth cohort data with the Cadastro Único (CadÚnico) database.
- Estimation of program coverage (eligible beneficiaries receiving aid) and focus (proportion of eligible individuals among beneficiaries).
- Definition of eligibility based on per capita household income and inclusion in the poorest 20% by the National Economic Indicator (IEN).
Main Results:
- Bolsa Família participation among cohort families rose from 11% in 2004 to 34% in 2010.
- Program coverage increased significantly, reaching approximately 70% by 2010 based on income criteria.
- Program focus decreased substantially, falling below 40% in 2010, indicating a large proportion of non-eligible beneficiaries.
Conclusions:
- Bolsa Família Program coverage expanded considerably for families in the 2004 cohort by 2010.
- The program's focus diminished, suggesting a need for improved targeting mechanisms to ensure benefits reach the most vulnerable populations.
- Findings highlight the dynamic nature of program reach and the importance of ongoing evaluation for policy refinement.
Objective:
To describe the focalization and coverage of Bolsa Família Program among the families of children who are part of the 2004 Pelotas birth cohort (2004 cohort).
Methods:
The data used derives from the integration of information from the 2004 cohort and the Cadastro Único para Programas Sociais do Governo Federal (CadÚnico - Register for Social Programs of the Federal Government), in the 2004-2010 period. We estimated the program coverage (percentage of eligible people who receive the benefit) and its focus (proportion of eligible people among the beneficiaries). We used two criteria to define eligibility: the per capita household income reported in the cohort follow-ups and belonging to the 20% poorest families according to the National Economic Indicator (IEN), an asset index.
Results:
Between 2004 and 2010, the proportion of families in the cohort that received the benefit increased from 11% to 34%. We observed an increase in all wealth quintiles. In 2010, by income and wealth quintiles (IEN), 62%-72% of the families were beneficiaries among the 20% poorest people, 2%-5% among the 20% richest people, and about 30% of families of the intermediate quintile. According to household income (minus the benefit) 29% of families were eligible in 2004 and 16% in 2010. By the same criteria, the coverage of the program increased from 43% in 2004 to 71% in 2010. In the same period, by the wealth criterion (IEN), coverage increased from 29% to 63%. The focalization of the program decreased from 78% in 2004 to 32% in 2010 according to income, and remained constant (37%) according to the IEN.
Conclusions:
Among the families of the 2004 cohort, there was a significant increase in the program coverage, from its inception until 2010, when it was near 70%. The focus of the program was below 40% in 2010, indicating that more than half of the beneficiaries did not belong to the target population.
Objetivo:
Descrever a focalização e a cobertura do Programa Bolsa Família nas famílias de crianças que fazem parte da coorte de nascimentos de Pelotas, 2004 (coorte de 2004).
MéTodos:
Os dados utilizados derivam da integração de informações da coorte de 2004 e do Cadastro Único para Programas Sociais do Governo Federal, no período de 2004 a 2010. Estimamos a cobertura do programa (percentual de elegíveis que recebem bolsa) e seu foco (proporção de elegíveis entre os beneficiários). Utilizamos dois critérios para definir elegibilidade: a renda familiar per capita relatada nas avaliações da coorte e pertencer aos 20,0% mais pobres pela classificação do Indicador Econômico Nacional, um índice de bens.
Resultados:
Entre 2004 e 2010, a proporção de famílias beneficiárias da coorte passou de 11% para 34%. Houve aumento em todos os quintis de riqueza. Em 2010, por quintis de renda e Indicador Econômico Nacional, 62%-72% das famílias eram beneficiárias entre os 20% mais pobres, 2%-5% entre os 20% mais ricos, e cerca de 30% das famílias do quintil intermediário. Pelo critério de renda familiar, excluindo-se o valor do benefício do programa, 29% das famílias eram elegíveis em 2004 e 16% em 2010. Pelo mesmo critério, a cobertura do programa passou de 43% em 2004 para 71% em 2010. No mesmo período, pelo critério de riqueza (Indicador Econômico Nacional), a cobertura passou de 29% para 63%. A focalização do programa caiu de 78% em 2004 para 32% em 2010 de acordo com a renda e permaneceu constante (37%) de acordo com o Indicador Econômico Nacional.
ConclusõEs:
Entre as famílias da coorte de 2004, observa-se aumento importante da cobertura do programa, de seu início até 2010, quando ficou perto de 70%. O foco do programa ficou abaixo de 40% em 2010, indicando que mais da metade dos beneficiários não pertencem à população alvo.