Colombia Familias en Acción
Colombian government / Inter-American Development Bank · Rural Colombia · 2001
Summary
Colombia's Familias en Acción provided one of the cleanest tests of the conditional cash transfer model outside Mexico. The municipality-level randomization allowed comparison of similar communities with and without the program. School enrollment, nutrition, and health check-up rates all improved substantially. Notably, the program had larger effects on younger children's nutrition than schooling—a finding that shaped the subsequent emphasis on the first 1,000 days (conception to age 2) in development programs. The study is regularly cited alongside PROGRESA as foundational evidence for CCT design.
Research question
"Does a conditional cash transfer program improve health and education outcomes for poor children in Colombia?"
Methodology
Intervention
Cash transfers conditional on school attendance and preventive health check-ups for families below the poverty line
Assignment
Randomized controlled trial (municipality)
Sample size
122 municipalities (57 treatment, 65 control); ~50,000 families
Primary outcome
School enrollment; child nutrition; health checkup attendance; consumption
Effect estimate
School enrollment (grades 1–3): +5 to +8 pp; child height-for-age: +0.16 SD (significant for under-2); consumption: +18%; health visits: +31 pp
Decision
Program expanded to cover all poor families nationally; nutritional supplement added based on results; replicated across Latin America
Result
Positive
School enrollment (grades 1–3): +5 to +8 pp; child height-for-age: +0.16 SD (significant for under-2); consumption: +18%; health visits: +31 pp
Evidence strength
Strong
Randomized trial, replicated across multiple sites or studies.
Replication status
Replicated
Institution
Colombian government / Inter-American Development Bank
Location
Rural Colombia
Year
2001
Policy area
International Development
Mechanism
Cash transfer