This paper compares the consolidated experience of conditional cash transfers in Latin
America with a variety of models of cash transfers in middle- and low-income countries in
sub-Saharan Africa. We review the recent literature with the aim to highlight the
underlying political economy factors that have underpinned the emergence and scaling-up
of various kinds of social protection strategies in the two regions. From this review, some
implications and policy suggestions are drawn regarding the opportunities and challenges
for cash transfers in the future.
JEL code: I38, O54, O55
Anti-poverty policy, Latin America, Africa, Comparative studies