Pioneering Social Change: A Comparative Analysis of Brazil and Mexico's Conditional Cash Transfers

This communication examines the development of Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs, particularly focusing on Brazil and Mexico's pioneering efforts. By exploring the challenges and ambiguities that arise when formulating and implementing these innovative anti-poverty policies, we highlight three key areas of ambiguity: axiological (value-based), partisan, and electoral. Using qualitative methods, including interviews, public records, and media analysis, the research uncovers how advocacy coalitions around human capital, basic income, and food security, along with the pursuit of electoral gains, shaped the creation of programs like Brazil's Bolsa Família and Mexico's Progresa-Oportunidades-Prospera (POP). The findings offer new insights into the complex processes behind social policy development, contributing to the broader understanding of institutional change in social welfare systems.