Cash-transfer programs

“Bolsa Família” is one of the most significant cash-transfer program in Brazil. Its success is evident. Every ongoing presidential candidate put it as a priority in its government plan and every one of them trie to convince the public that the idea came from its mind first. The main goal of this program is to get children into school and pay their parents for its education. As a result, figures born out of that imbalance is decreasing and many more children are keeping on with their studies.

Benefits received from this program is different when comparing urban and rural areas. In urban areas there are more opportunities of jobs (informal or formal ones). In addition, it is true that it is much more expensive to live in the city than in crop fields. For that reason, sometimes, parents in urban areas don’t have motivation enough to enroll their children at “Bolsa família”. Their kids increase more their cash bringing money from street than receiving it from the program. In rural areas, on the contrary, it is worth enrolling children. While they study, kids are able to help at the harvest, because they can have up to 15% of absence from school.

Although the program’s benefit related to the economic bias, we still have social problems. After children grow up and finish their primary studies, it is being observed that they are finding it hard to get into the market. More qualification is required by them. They are unable to carry on their studies because their parents still need them help to increase the family income.

On the whole, we can assume that successful cash-transfer programs are indispensable for the economic progress, but they can’t be seen as a unique solution. It turns out to be important to have a plan for those kids who leave the school to wage more years of study. Not only years of study must be observed, but quality of education as well. That is the only way to create productivity and creative citizens who can fulfill the market needs. Their family would be grateful for that.