Lack of trust between individuals and between individuals and institutions is a chronic problem in Latin America and Caribbean and often linked to inequality. After all, in a region that ranks among the most unequal in the world, it is natural to distrust political elites who seem to coopt government and ensure that policies favor the wealthy over the poor. Moreover, when … [Read more...] about How Perceptions of Inequality Affect Trust in Latin America and the Caribbean
Social Issues
How Climate Change Worsens Poverty and Inequality
Over the coming decades, climate change and natural disasters have the potential to undo much of the progress made in lifting households out of poverty over prior decades. By one estimate, climate change could push 100 million people across the globe into poverty within the next 10 years. By the end of the century, the ratio of GDP per capita … [Read more...] about How Climate Change Worsens Poverty and Inequality
Vaccinating Kids Against the Learning Loss of School Closures
Like millions of mothers around Latin America, Liliana Domador was forced to juggle a job, with the raising of and even teaching of her child as the Covid-19 pandemic closed down schools and afflicted the greatest interruption of in-class education in the region's history. So Domador, a 34-year-old Peruvian mother, was delighted when … [Read more...] about Vaccinating Kids Against the Learning Loss of School Closures
Can Antibody Tests Help Save Millions of Doses of Vaccine?
In the middle of March, when the pandemic was still in its early phases in most countries, the director of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, very clearly stated what would be the key element in the fight against the pandemic: “Test, test, test.” Almost a year later, with the impressive progress in developing vaccines against COVID-19, part of … [Read more...] about Can Antibody Tests Help Save Millions of Doses of Vaccine?
How Residential Segregation Fuels Inequality, and What Can Be Done about It
The widespread inequalities of economic opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean are a major concern for policymakers throughout the region. These inequalities are, in no small part, spatial. Where you live and where you work matters—often substantially—for your opportunities in life. Research is rapidly improving our understanding of … [Read more...] about How Residential Segregation Fuels Inequality, and What Can Be Done about It