Impact of the Juntos Program on early childhood nutrition

A vast body of literature suggests that investments made in the early stages of the life cycle have long-term implications for accumulated human capital, which in turn is reflected in individuals’ performance in the labor market. This study explores the impact of the Juntos conditional cash transfer program on the nutritional status of children under 5 years of age. To this end, two methodologies are applied: (a) household matching based on observable characteristics and matched double-difference; (b) estimates with district- and maternal-level fixed effects. The results suggest that the program may have reduced the incidence of extreme chronic malnutrition. Furthermore, conditional on enrollment in the program, positive effects are observed depending on the duration of exposure to the program for children born into households with relatively well-educated mothers. (Audio: Department of Economic Publications)