Public Policy Impact Assessment of the Special Program Uprooted: A Quantitative Application

Abstract

The long internal conflict in Colombia has led to the forced displacement and poverty of a large segment of the population that has also been victim of acts of violation of human rights and has consequently suffered detriment in their living conditions. In response, Colombian authorities have implemented public policies based on special programs, whose general purpose is to reduce the impact of uprooting, to alleviate poverty, and to rebuild the social fabric of these populations. In this context, this research, using Propensity Score Matching methods, evaluates and measures the impact on vulnerable population living in displacement and extreme poverty in the cities of Neiva, Bucaramanga, Sincelejo, and Montelíbano, beneficiary of the Special Program Uprooted, which is funded by Social Action and the European Union in order to “reduce the extreme vulnerability of displaced population and host communities in Colombia.”