Is there a magic bullet for eliminating poverty? A new form of fighting poverty is sweeping the developing world.

Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) give poor families money on condition that they spend it on their children’s health and education. This two part series investigates CCTs in social welfare, and tests the claim that it could help world’s poorest people escape the worst effects of the global recession. The series begins with a Report on the example of Colombia's own Conditional Credit Transfer scheme, "Familias en Acción" and continues with a brief panel discussion on the benefits and problems of this specific programme.