Do conditional cash transfers (CCTs) lead to increased participation in multiple political activities in Latin America? If CCTs contribute to broad political participation, how do CCTs increase participation in a wide variety of political activities? I argue that CCTs boost political participation through resource effects, and that both the cash transfers and the conditionalities play an important role in shaping political activity among beneficiaries. Using an original data set from Mexico and existing survey data from nine Latin American countries, I analyze the relationship between CCTs and political participation and examine the hypothesized pathway. The results support my argument.

Several studies find that low food security has negative effects on academic performance in higher education in the U.S., but the samples for these studies often have low percentages of Hispanic students. Consequently, it remains unclear if food security affects academic performance in predominantly Hispanic settings. Our study aims to analyze whether food security affects academic performance at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Using original survey data collected on 2020 students enrolled at a large research-intensive HSI and cumulative logit models, we assess whether food security influences concentration and graduation delays among students at an HSI in the U.S.–Mexico border region. Our findings strongly suggest that low food security reduces concentration and increases delays for graduation at the HSI. The results have important implications for HSI leaders who want to improve student success, and we offer recommendations for future programs and investments to build student food security at HSIs. Because food security is a strong social determinant of health, the study is closely related to the topic of addressing social determinants of health to improve Hispanic health outcomes. When universities take action to build food security among HSI students, they simultaneously make an investment to improve Hispanic health outcomes.

Background: Recent studies reveal that the loss of social programs—including Medicaid and SNAP—has negative health impacts among former beneficiaries. Most studies examine these effects using national- or state-level surveys, so it remains unclear if the findings hold across local contexts. This paper examines whether Medicaid unwinding and SNAP loss affects physical and mental health in El Paso County, Texas, where cuts were implemented in 2023. Data and Methods: Data consists of an original representative panel survey from El Paso County, conducted over two rounds in 2022 and 2023 (N=673). Using statistical analyses controlling for demographic variables, we analyze the association between Medicaid/SNAP program loss and health outcomes. Results: Findings indicate that those who experienced the loss of benefits for a social policy program had worse mental health and physical health outcomes between rounds. The findings on program loss and physical health are more attenuated across model specifications. Discussion: Social policy retrenchment has an immediate effect on mental health, while the physical health effects are likely lagged over time and a medium-term consequence of decreased healthcare utilization. These results have major implications for health and social policy implementation in predominantly Mexican American communities in an age of social policy retrenchment.