The Implications Of Demographic Changes On Intergenerational Relations and Social Policies. The Case Of Mexico City

Demographic changes have been experienced by societies all over the world. Senior people experience social exclusion, poverty and cumulative disadvantages. Now, Mexican population is ageing rapidly and this situation is a challenge for the government at both the federal and local level. At the local level, in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico with a population over 9.5 million, there were registered changes in the government policies in recent years. In Mexico City, the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) came to power in 1997, implementing the social policy based on the principle of universality. In that context, two major programs of direct money transfers began, i.e. The Senior Subsidies Program (Programa de Adultos Mayores) and the PrepaSí Subsidy Program. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of beneficiaries of the Senior Subsidies Program has nearly doubled, from 250,000 in 2001 to 480,000 in 2011 and for 2013 the same limit, 480,000, remains. Theoretically, all Mexicans living in Mexico City aged 68 or more receive financial transfers, which is equivalent to 85USD. However, in Mexico there are at least 600 000 adults over 68 years, so 120,000 adults do not receive aid. The other program is the money transfer for public high school students in Mexico City, the PrepaSí Subsidy Program. Actually, a total of 210,000 teenagers receive money transfers that are equivalent to 30, 40 and 50USD depending on their school academic performance. The question is, how to design new old-age and youth social policies, different from those of money transfers that result to be costly for the local government, which will respond the demographic changes and improve the well-being of the elderly and the youth? The hypothesis is that money transfers are insufficient to fight poverty among the elderly and among the youth in Mexico City.