The Targeting of Government Programs in Chile: A Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment

The government of Chile has been using for many years a system for the targeting of many of its income transfers and other social programs. The system is based on the ficha CAS, a two page form that households must fill if they wish to apply for benefits. Each household is attributed a score on the basis of the ficha CAS, and this score is used to determine eligibility not only for income transfers (e.g., pension assistance and family allowances), but also for water subsidies, access to social housing, and childcare centers. At the local level, municipalities also use the form for the targeting of their own programs and safety nets. Almost a third of all Chilean households have been filling the form. Taken as whole, the programs which are targeted using the ficha CAS play a major role not only in the alleviation of poverty, but also in its prevention by enabling vulnerable households to receive or not state and municipal support. This paper provides an assessment of the ficha CAS system using both quantitative and qualitative methods of investigation.