Social Spending in Mexico: Needs, Priorities and Reforms

By Swarnali A Hannan, Juan Pablo Cuesta Aguirre, David Bartolini

October 18, 2021

Preview Citation

Format: Chicago

Swarnali A Hannan, Juan Pablo Cuesta Aguirre, and David Bartolini. Social Spending in Mexico: Needs, Priorities and Reforms, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2021) accessed December 26, 2024

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

Poverty in Mexico was high before the COVID-19 pandemic and has been exacerbated by the pandemic, with significant variation across states. Education losses from the pandemic are likely to be large and worsen pre-existing disparities; unless mitigated soon, they could contribute to heightened scarring over the medium term. Using state-level and cross-country comparisons, this paper reviews key social programs as well as priorities in education and health. It finds that higher spending and improved design of social programs (e.g., better targeting) would reduce socioeconomic gaps, mitigate scarring risks, and foster inclusive growth.

Subject: COVID-19, Education, Health, Income, National accounts, Poverty

Keywords: Caribbean, COVID-19, Education, Government program, Health, Income, Losses from the pandemic, Pre-existing disparity, Scarring effect, Scarring risk, Social programs, Sustainable development goals

Publication Details

Pages:

38
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2021/244
Stock No:

WPIEA2021244
ISBN:

9781513599618
ISSN:

1018-5941

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