Data sources and methods for evaluating conditional cash transfers and mobility.

[Richard92]

I'm a graduate student in public policy focusing on development economics, and I'm trying to narrow down my thesis topic, which will analyze the effectiveness of specific social policies in addressing the multidimensional aspects of global inequality. I'm particularly interested in conditional cash transfer programs and their long-term impacts on intergenerational mobility, but I'm struggling to find robust, longitudinal data that isolates the policy effects from broader macroeconomic trends. For researchers or practitioners in this field, what are the current methodological challenges and most promising data sources for evaluating such policies? I'm also keen to understand the prevailing academic debate on whether targeted social policies can meaningfully reduce structural inequality without concurrent reforms in areas like trade, intellectual property, or global financial governance.