of these programs were conceived to target the poor. Yet, our analysis also revealed a very low incidence amongst the vulnerable within the few social programs that have a productive orientation in Mexico like _Opciones Productivas_ and _Crédito a la Palabra_ . If the vulnerable have higher endowments of human capital, they should be receiving support to develop their job skills at work as a means to improve their wage prospects as well as training and working capital through credit to thrive.

Beyond the limited extent to which vulnerable households in Mexico are covered by public transfers, it is important to note that such transfers are not designed to protect the vulnerable population from potential risks. So the question remains as to what extent other social policies respond to risk-driven vulnerability. The evidence in this respect is mixed and more limited: The extended health coverage granted for the uninsured through _Seguro Popular_ [“Popular Insurance”] should help to avoid out-ofpocket expenditures and thus impoverishment due to healthcare payments. This program has improved coverage significantly among the poor and vulnerable: In 2012, two-thirds of the vulnerable were covered by this scheme—the expansion of the non-contributory pension scheme has been also significant. Unemployment insurance in Mexico is still under design and political discussion. Many of the vulnerable are likely to work in the informal sector (more than half of the salaried workers reported no benefits and a third reported no contract), which is one of the main elements to be addressed in the design of a potential unemployment insurance. While the vulnerable are mainly located in urban areas and engaged in wage activities, many remain in agriculture and may experience poverty if they face weather risks without having access to insurance and credit. The main public weather insurance schemes contained in Mexican Catastrophe Climate Contingency Insurance Program ( _CADENA)_ are likely to comprise many vulnerable families given their eligibility criteria. The little available evidence coming from surveys of _CADENA_ beneficiary censuses in 2009 and 2012 corroborate this perception, but we are still missing a comprehensive picture on the incidence of weather insurance across economic groups in Mexico. Finally, targeted cash-transfer programs like _Oportunidades_ also hold some potential to ameliorate risk-driven vulnerability, but their incidence among this group is fairly limited (by design). The transition of this scheme to PROSPERA would, of course, go in the direction of making smart investment in the target poor population so that they escape poverty and improve their potential.

How to tackle the relative absence of social policies focused on the vulnerable? If programs outside the Ministry of Social Development are already servicing the vulnerable one can adopt an inertial approach (i.e. leave things as they stand), and continue assuming that social programs should only take care of the poorest segments of the population. Most of the programs analyzed here come from a module of social programs, commissioned by the Ministry of Social Development - SEDESOL, embedded into the ENIGH. We therefore could not assess the potential coverage of programs outside Social Development tapping into the vulnerable population. For instance, those focused on labor and financial markets, if they exist. However, if other programs outside the Ministry of Social Development are not servicing the vulnerable, it is clear that this sector is widely neglected in policymaking. One relevant aspect to mention is that coverage indicators used in this document were up 29