Implication of Social Programs on Subjective Economic Well-Being: A Perspective on the Case of Junin, Peru

Abstract

Social programs emerge as a response of a government seeking to improve the welfare of its population living in extreme poverty; knowing the perception of beneficiaries will prove the efficiency of their application. In this article, we test the impact of social programs on the subjective economic well-being of families in the Junin region of Peru. The data were extracted from the results of the ENAHO (National Household Survey) between the years 2012 and 2019. For the empirical

strategy, we used a binary choice model, specifically a logistic regression. The find- ings show that the “Juntos” and “Pension 65” social programs do not generate a posi- tive impact on the subjective economic well-being of beneficiary families, making this analysis an outlier to what theory adduces. The management of public policies in the Peruvian case lacks information that does not allow us to know exactly what the needs and demands of the population are, or these are ignored by policymakers.