People’s experiences of conditional welfare support: the case of Prospera in Mexico

[摘要] This thesis is an investigation into the lived experiences of people in poverty. Through the voices of beneficiaries of a conditional cash transfer programme in Mexico, it aims to explain the relationship between neoliberalism, social policy and poverty. To that end, it develops the mechanisms that connect the material hardships with the relational and symbolical experiences of poverty. The findings of this thesis evidence the specific forms in which conditioning government support on proving personal worth pushes people further away from society; from their control over their living conditions and ultimately from their power to lead a life of their own choosing. The results of this thesis evidence the reproduction of inequalities and the trapping of people living in worse off political, economic and symbolic conditions in poverty. The voices and experiences of research participants attest to the injuries of a “one-size-fits-all” approach to poverty alleviation.

[发布机构] University:University of Birmingham;Department:School of Social Policy, Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

[关键词] H Social Sciences;H Social Sciences (General)