The Mexican government started, in 1998, a large welfare program, called Progresa, targeted at rural Mexico. The program consisted of three components, education, health and nutrition and has received a considerable amount of attention, both in the academic and public policy debate. The program has been copied in several countries in Latin America. Several researchers at the Centre are involved in various research projects on Progresa. These include a project on the evaluation of the schooling subsidy, a project on schooling decisions within the household, a project on intra-household allocation. Some Centre members are involved in the design of the evaluation of the expansion of Oportunidades, the program that the Mexican government is launching in urban areas as an expansion of Progresa.