As 2019 draws to a close, Latin America and the Caribbean faces at least four big challenges. First, growth this year is well below potential. Second, potential growth is low. Third, the region remains subject to large shocks. And fourth, despite recent gains, inequality remains high and aspirations are outstripping the meagre outlook, contributing to protests across the region … [Read more...] about Towards Inclusive Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean
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Moving Towards Growth and Greater Inclusion in One of the World’s Most Unequal Regions
By Julián Messina, Norbert Schady, and Joana Silva Meager economic growth and high inequality are the twin curses of Latin America. But inclusive growth that fights those curses by encompassing everyone, including marginalized and vulnerable populations, is possible. It just requires the right policies. We know, of course, that this is easier said than done. Economic … [Read more...] about Moving Towards Growth and Greater Inclusion in One of the World’s Most Unequal Regions
Gender Inequality in Latin America: The Long Road Ahead
Progress for women in Latin America and the Caribbean over the last few decades has been impressive. Many women now take center stage in the arts, business, music, politics, science and the sports world. Laws equally protect women, and the increase in their labor force participation has been rapid, rising 17 percentage points in the 25 years between 1990-2015 to more than … [Read more...] about Gender Inequality in Latin America: The Long Road Ahead
Did Changes Among Firms Reduce Wage Inequality in Latin America?
For a long time, economists believed that inequality in the labor market could be explained fundamentally by differences in skills. Workers who were highly educated, experienced and skilled tended to be rewarded better by the labor market than workers who weren't. Firms were essentially irrelevant in this paradigm. Workers were rewarded for their productivity: It didn't matter … [Read more...] about Did Changes Among Firms Reduce Wage Inequality in Latin America?
What Brazil Can Teach About Fighting Inflation
For much of the 1980s and early 1990s, Latin America and the Caribbean was in the throes of hyperinflation. In 1990, for example, 16 of 20 countries in the region had inflation rates above 20%, while in 2018 only three of those countries had inflation above 8%, according to IMF figures. The main ingredients to that success were fiscal reforms, debt negotiations that allowed … [Read more...] about What Brazil Can Teach About Fighting Inflation