Differentiated satisfaction response of beneficiaries of a food assistance social program in Mexico using structural equation models (SEM)

The main purpose of this research is to identify the characteristics and conditions determining the satisfaction response of the poor household beneficiaries from both urban and rural areas of Mexico´s social food assistance program “Programa de Apoyo Alimentario-Esquema Sin Hambre” (PAL-ESH, by their Spanish acronyms). A national survey was applied to 2,199 PAL-ESH recipients throughout the country in order to elaborate a PAL-ESH beneficiary satisfaction index using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results confirmed that the characteristics and conditions that determine food poverty in countryside and city are different, hence the beneficiaries´ satisfaction response, are also differentiated. This paper suggests the need to redesign this social program according to the characteristics of the target population on which they operate and provides evidence that justifies the need for new differentiated public policy instruments that recognize the various urban and regional socioeconomic characteristics of the recipients of public programs