Abstract

This article presents a realist synthesis on Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs implemented in EU countries. A key issue about the design of welfare measures delivered at the local level is identifying implementation mechanisms and coordination models among different government levels and policy sectors. Our review addressed this issue to explore how and in which institutional contexts, and through which mechanisms, better performance is expected in CCT programs. We have identified some cross-cutting mechanisms that, associated with particular targets and contexts, might explain the CCT programs’ performance in the area of welfare-to-work strategies and poverty reduction