Over the last three decades, Chile has stood out by achieving the highest income per capita in Latin America and the Caribbean, in addition to the highest ranking on the Human Development Index in line with average levels of OECD member countries. Chile has also led progress related to the Sustainable Development Goals, ranking 30th worldwide. Despite these advances, Chile … [Read more...] about Where Are the Opportunities for Chile to Resume a Growth Path?
Labor Market Gender Gaps in the Time of COVID in Latin America and the Caribbean
For nearly two decades between 1990 and 2018, women in Latin America and the Caribbean made substantial progress in reducing the large gender gap in the labor market. As female employment levels surged, and unemployment rates fell, labor force participation rates among women rose a full 25% and wage differentials dropped. To be sure, this progress … [Read more...] about Labor Market Gender Gaps in the Time of COVID in Latin America and the Caribbean
Liquidity or Capital? How Access to Credit Helps Rural Producers in Mexico
Accessing credit is often a challenge for small and medium businesses. Lack of credit is an even greater problem for rural producers in developing countries, where it represents a critical roadblock to growth and economic opportunities. In a new study, we look at the effects of increasing access to credit through a loan program for small and medium-sized agricultural … [Read more...] about Liquidity or Capital? How Access to Credit Helps Rural Producers in Mexico
The Pandemic Is Increasing Inequality in Latin America
Inequality in Latin America has increased during the pandemic. That is our conclusion in a forthcoming study in which we noted that 2020 saw a reverse in the trend toward poverty reduction and greater equality that started 20 years ago. The study is based on data generated through employment and household surveys conducted over the past three decades. For 2020, information … [Read more...] about The Pandemic Is Increasing Inequality in Latin America
A crisis like no other: Why informal work did not spike under COVID-19
Before Peru was struck by COVID-19, Diana Quispe* was a part-time hairdresser based in the outskirts of Lima, who served customers in their homes in one of the city’s wealthier districts. She was an informal sector worker, like almost 80% of workers in Peru and over 50% across Latin America, with no health insurance or paid sick leave. But when the government announced … [Read more...] about A crisis like no other: Why informal work did not spike under COVID-19