In 2008, a turf war erupted between the Tijuana and Sinaloa drug cartels, leaving tortured and murdered bodies strewn across the landscape near Mexico's border with the United States. As kidnapping surged and homicides surpassed 800 in Tijuana, souvenir and clothing shops shuttered, and restaurants and bars emptied out. The heart of the city—a former mecca for day-trippers and … [Read more...] about Crime Groups Destroy Economic Diversity
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Preventing Crime with Construction Projects
Can infrastructure programs both create employment and prevent crime? The question is not an easy one. Latin America and the Caribbean—like many other regions—has invested in municipal infrastructure to improve the well-being of its citizens. It has built theaters, recreation centers and sports arenas, paved roads, provided new lighting and better sewerage. It has used such … [Read more...] about Preventing Crime with Construction Projects
Crime and Violence: An Expensive Problem
The costs of Latin America’s alarming levels of crime and violence go far beyond even the suffering of the direct victims. They have very real economic, as well as social, repercussions. In Uruguay, crime-related costs absorb 3.2 percent of GDP, diverting critical resources from more productive economic priorities. In Mexico, violence increases unemployment, closes businesses, … [Read more...] about Crime and Violence: An Expensive Problem