Latin America and the Caribbean Poverty and Labor Brief, August 2012

Latin America and the Caribbean Poverty and Labor Brief, August 2012 PDF

Author: World Bank

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 49

ISBN-13: 0821397702

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For the last decade, economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has sharply accelerated, pushing poverty and inequality to historic lows in the most unequal region in the world. In 2012, as the world\2019s ongoing economic problems make optimistic predictions less certain and threaten to undermine gains against poverty and inequality, it is critical to understand the structural forces that have promoted recent positive social outcomes. This report explores how women in the region have played a critical role in achieving the poverty declines of the last decade, with their labor market participation rates growing 15 percent from 2000 to 2010. It further considers how future progress will require increased female economic power and more effective policies to promote it. If female labor income had remained the same during this period, holding all else constant, extreme poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean would have been 30 percent higher in 2010. In other words, 17.7 percent of the population in the region would have been below the extreme poverty rate, compared to the actual 14.6 percent. The report suggests focusing public policy on three priorities: expanding female labor market opportunities; improving female agency which - while important in its own right - has important potential benefits for equality of economic opportunities and assets, and supporting the growing number of poor single female-headed households. Along with these suggested policy priorities, strong monitoring and evaluation systems should be included to every extent possible.

LAC Poverty and Labor Brief, February 2014

LAC Poverty and Labor Brief, February 2014 PDF

Author: World Bank World Bank

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2014-04-22

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 1464802912

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In 2012, the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region continued its successful drive to reduce poverty and build the middle class. Poverty reduction was accompanied by strong income growth of the bottom 40 percent of the population, the World Bank’s indicator of shared prosperity. However, the recent economic slowdown and stagnation in inequality decline suggest that future social gains may be more difficult to achieve. Given the modest prospects ahead, the region’s poverty reduction strategy needs to focus on restoring growth and preserving macroeconomic stability, while reinforcing the ability of less advantaged groups to participate in and contribute to growth. This report assesses two relevant policy areas: equity of fiscal policy and equal access to basic goods and services for children that open the opportunity for them to lead lives of their choosing. Drawing on results from the Commitment to Equity project, the report shows that fiscal policy remains an underused instrument in terms of level and incidence of taxation and spending. The Human Opportunity Index underscores that opportunities are expanding for children in the region, but large gaps remain in access and quality.

LAC Poverty and Labor Brief, June 2015

LAC Poverty and Labor Brief, June 2015 PDF

Author: Weltbank

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 1464806853

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While LAC continues its progress towards becoming a middle-class region, in 2013 poverty reduction was slower than in previous years. The bottom 40 percent of the population has also seen decelerating income growth since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. Driving the lower gains in shared prosperity and poverty reduction is the region's slowing economic growth. Similarly, after more than a decade of steady decline, inequality has been stagnant since 2010 and remains high. Given the crucial role of labor earnings in poverty and inequality reduction, this report analyzes more deeply LAC's labor markets and its implications for the region's social gains going forward. It shows that the region's push to increase its human capital has yielded dividends; increases in the educational attainment of the labor force are evident across the region. Nonetheless, the substantial growth in wages observed during the last decade was not accompanied by significant changes in the labor market: agriculture and low-productivity, informal service employment continued to be key sources of income for the poor in LAC. Instead, most of the gains were seen in countries that benefitted from the commodity boom of the last decade. As the commodity boom fades and growth wanes, there is a risk that the social gains achieved in the century's first decade will erode.

Social Panorama of Latin America 2020

Social Panorama of Latin America 2020 PDF

Author: United Nations Publications

Publisher: UN

Published: 2021-07-29

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789211220698

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This publication examines the social impact of an unprecedented crisis. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have spread to all areas of human life, altering the way we interact, crippling economies and bringing about profound changes in societies. The pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated the major structural gaps in the region, and it is clear that the costs of inequality have become unsustainable and that it is necessary to rebuild with equality and sustainability, aiming for the creation of a true welfare state, long overdue in the region.

Shared Prosperity and Poverty Eradication in Latin America and the Caribbean

Shared Prosperity and Poverty Eradication in Latin America and the Caribbean PDF

Author: Louise Cord

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2015-06-18

Total Pages: 355

ISBN-13: 1464803587

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Over the last decade Latin America and the Caribbean region has achieved important progress towards the World Bank Group's goals of eradicating extreme poverty and boosting income growth of the bottom 40 percent, propelled by remarkable economic growth and falling income inequality. Despite this impressive performance, social progress has not been uniform over this period, and certain countries, subregions and even socioeconomic groups participated less in the growth process. As of today, more than 75 million people still live in extreme poverty in the region (using $2.50/day/capita), half of them in Brazil and Mexico, and extreme poverty rates top 40 percent in Guatemala and reach nearly 60 percent in Haiti. This means that extreme poverty is still an important issue in both low- and middle-income countries in the region. As growth wanes and progress in reducing the still high levels of inequality in the region slows, it will be more important than ever for governments to focus policies on inclusive growth. The book includes an overview that highlights progress towards the goals of poverty eradication and shared prosperity between 2003 and 2012, unpacks recent gains at the household level using an income-based asset model, and examines some of the policy levers used to affect social outcomes in the region. It draws on 13 country studies, eight of which are featured in this volume: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. The other case studies include: Bolivia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Honduras, which will be included in the web version of the book.

From Crisis to Catastrophe

From Crisis to Catastrophe PDF

Author: Mignon Duffy

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 2023-05-12

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 1978828586

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The COVID pandemic has shaken the material and social foundations of the world more than any event in recent history and has highlighted and exacerbated a longstanding crisis of care. While these challenges may be freshly visible to the public, they are not new. Over the last three decades, a growing body of care scholarship has documented the inadequacy of the social organization of care around the world, and the effect of the devaluation of care on workers, families, and communities. In this volume, a diverse group of care scholars bring their expertise to bear on this recent crisis. In doing so, they consider the ways in which the existing social organization of care in different countries around the globe amplified or mitigated the impact of COVID. They also explore the global pandemic's impact on the conditions of care and its role in exacerbating deeply rooted gender, race, migration, disability, and other forms of inequality.

Has Latin American Inequality Changed Direction?

Has Latin American Inequality Changed Direction? PDF

Author: Luis Bértola

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2017-01-25

Total Pages: 419

ISBN-13: 3319446215

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This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book brings together a range of ideas and theories to arrive at a deeper understanding of inequality in Latin America and its complex realities. To so, it addresses questions such as: What are the origins of inequality in Latin America? How can we create societies that are more equal in terms of income distribution, gender equality and opportunities? How can we remedy the social divide that is making Latin America one of the most unequal regions on earth? What are the roles played by market forces, institutions and ideology in terms of inequality? In this book, a group of global experts gathered by the Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean (INTAL), part of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), show readers how various types of inequality, such as economical, educational, racial and gender inequality have been practiced in countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico and many others through the centuries. Presenting new ideas, new evidence, and new methods, the book subsequently analyzes how to move forward with second-generation reforms that lay the foundations for more egalitarian societies. As such, it offers a valuable and insightful guide for development economists, historians and Latin American specialists alike, as well as students, educators, policymakers and all citizens with an interest in development, inequality and the Latin American region.

Transnational Organized Crime in Central America and the Caribbean

Transnational Organized Crime in Central America and the Caribbean PDF

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789211303162

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This report is one of several studies conducted by UNODC on organized crime threats around the world. These studies describe what is known about the mechanics of contraband trafficking - the what, who, how, and how much of illicit flows - and discuss their potential impact on governance and development. Their primary role is diagnostic, but they also explore the implications of these findings for policy. Publisher's note.