Sarah Barber|Paul Gertler
The impact of Mexico’s conditional cash transfer programme, <i>Oportunidades</i>, on birthweight
University of California, Berkeley|University of California, Berkeley
evaluate impact oportunidades largescale conditional cash transfer programme mexico birthweight programme provides cash transfers lowincome rural households mexico conditional accepting nutritional supplements health education health carethe primary analyses used retrospective reports 840 women poor rural communities participating effectiveness study randomly assigned incorporation programme 1998 1999 across seven mexican states pregnant women participating households received nutrition supplements health care accepted cash transfers using multivariate instrumental variable analyses estimated impact programme birthweight grams low birthweight 2500 g receipt prenatal care number prenatal visitsoportunidades beneficiary status associated 1273 g higher birthweight among participating women 46 percentage point reduction low birthweightthe oportunidades conditional cash transfer programme improved birthweight outcomes finding relevant countries implementing conditional cash transfer programmes