Not since Italy's Mani pulite ("clean hands") investigations into political corruption has there been anything like it in Europe or the Americas. In Latin America, it is unprecedented. A sitting president is under indictment; a former president has been convicted, and dozens of lawmakers and their corporate allies have gone to jail. A few decades ago, Brazilians might have … [Read more...] about The Truth About Judicial Reform
Is Latin America Failing Its Workers?
The deaths of 17 workers building facilities for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, along with a lack of employment contracts and harsh working conditions at the sites, have made headlines recently. They have provoked denunciations by rights activists and drawn attention to labor abuses. But Russia is not alone in failing to protect its workers. Latin America also suffers real … [Read more...] about Is Latin America Failing Its Workers?
Slavery, Inequality and Crime
In 1851, two years before the official abolition of slavery in New Granada (now Colombia), authorities there conducted a census that was to provide the 19th century's most accurate picture of the slaveholding economy. This was a snapshot of sugar, cotton, and tobacco plantations, gold mines and numerous slaves. Today, in a testimony to the lingering effects of slavery, that … [Read more...] about Slavery, Inequality and Crime
When Children’s Skills Predict Their Adult Earnings
What are the critical factors that allow people to accumulate skills from childhood to adulthood? Providing the right answers to that vital question is key not only to ensuring individual well-being and prosperity. It also makes all the difference in nurturing generations that increase productivity, foster growth, and reduce poverty for Latin American and the Caribbean as a … [Read more...] about When Children’s Skills Predict Their Adult Earnings
Boosting Education in an Unpredictable Century
At college graduations this summer, commencement speakers will rally departing classes to pursue their dreams and unique paths through life. That may be inspiring. But getting a job is far harder today than it was when those commencement speakers went to college a few decades ago. More people have acquired higher education, competition is stiffer, and requirements for even … [Read more...] about Boosting Education in an Unpredictable Century