<p>Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) – a Latin American innovation – have now gained fame around the world for their effectiveness in promoting human development, fighting poverty and reducing inequality. CCTs are social programmes that provide families with direct cash transfers, as well as other support, such as nutritional supplements and educational assistance, in exchange for complying with certain health- and education- promoting behaviours, such as sending children for medical check-ups and attending school regularly. Like most social programmes, though, CCTs are vulnerable to corruption and misuse of funds, such as local public officials or leaders manipulating beneficiary selection or using the transfers to curry political support. In Latin America, oversight initiatives have been developed, through which beneficiaries get engaged to oversee the appropriate delivery of the programme.</p>
<p>The following selected publications illustrate and analyse a variety of experiences in which citizen participation is improving oversight of CCT programmes in the Latin American context.</p>