Abstract

MARTINEZ, Oscar; SALGADO, Yasmin  and  MEIRELES, Monika. Social expenditure, austerity and fighting poverty: mexican experience. Economía UNAM [online]. 2019, vol.16, n.47, pp.66-92.  Epub June 30, 2020. ISSN 1665-952X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fe.24488143e.2019.47.463.

This paper analyzes the relationship between social spending and poverty in the Mexican experience, while identifying how much is the government expenditure and in what it has been spent, particularly for the period from 2000 to 2018. More specifically, it aims to determine the scope and effectiveness of social spending within the fight against poverty approach adopted by the country, framing such discussion around the austerity policies implemented in recent years. For this, three different types of government expenditure are reviewed: 1) the budget allocated to the social programs Oportunidades/Prospera; 2) the programmable expenditure in its functional classification of social development; and 3) the so-called spending to overcome poverty. The latter is contrasted with CONEVAL income poverty levels, allowing us to point out that, despite the effort made in terms of resources, even a large part of the population is in a situation of poverty. Thus, it reflects on the role of social spending as an indispensable requirement, although not a sufficient mechanism, in the construction of a national development strategy that puts at the center of the public debate the improvement of the living conditions of the population, the reduction of poverty and the enormous inequality.

Keywords : Economic Welfare; Welfare and Poverty; Measurement and Analysis of Poverty; Economic Development; D6; I3; I32; O1.

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