PROGRAMAS BOLSA FAMÍLIA DO BRASIL E OPORTUNIDADES DO MÉXICO: A INFLUÊNCIA DOS CRITÉRIOS DE ELEGIBILIDADE NAS SUAS RESPECTIVAS EFETIVIDADES

The conditional cash transfer programs Bolsa Familia and Oportunidades were designed in Brazil and Mexico, respectively, to combat poverty and extreme poverty. Because they are focused, the question arises for both cases: to what extent would the eligibility mechanisms employed in the programs and their respective data collection processes compromise the achievement of good targeting effectiveness? The research had as general objective to understand such interference and, specifically, to analyze the way in which the registration of families occurs and also to evaluate the mechanisms of verification of the eligibility in the coverage of the programs and in the possibility of leaks. To carry out this research, the comparative method was adopted from data collected through bibliographic and documentary study, assuming descriptive and exploratory character. The analysis of the data indicated that both programs lack budgetary expansion and have problems with targeting, which result in resource leaks. In order to reduce these leaks, Brazil and Mexico should improve their registration; promote efficient and impartial external evaluation systems; and improve cross-checking of data on formal sources of income.