Mexico's "Piso Firme" Program
2016
This case study describes how a program to replace dirt floors with concrete became a national development initiative in Mexico. In 2000, the Mexican state of Coahuila launched “Piso Firme” (“Solid Floor”), a program to replace dirt floors with cement ones. An independent impact evaluation established the association between concrete flooring and improved child health, improved maternal well-being, and reduced poverty, which attracted national government funding and sustained political commitment to facilitate scale-up across the country. The case study provides an example of the benefits of strong impact evaluation for establishing the evidence base behind development programs and scaling up effective interventions.
This case study is part of Millions Saved: New Cases of Proven Success in Global Health, a collection of case studies produced by the Center for Global Development that profiles 18 remarkable cases in which large-scale efforts to improve health in low- and middle-income countries succeeded, and 4 examples of promising interventions that fell short of their health targets when scaled-up in real world conditions. The cases featured on the website are shortened versions of the respective book chapters in the print edition.
Source:
Glassman A, Temin M. Mexico’s “Piso Firme” Program. Millions Saved: New Cases of Proven Success in Global Health. Center for Global Development 2016. http://millionssaved.cgdev.org/case-studies/mexicos-piso-firme-program.