Inter-American Dialogue - How Poor and Unequal is Latin America and the Caribbean?
Jeff Puryear worked in the Latin America and Caribbean Programs from 1973 to 1990.
Poverty and inequality have decreased recently in much of Latin America—the result of strong growth and innovative social programs. The United Nations estimates that the number of poor dropped by nearly 17 percent between 2002 and 2007—a significant achievement for the region’s governments.1 Inequality has also declined a bit, particularly in the region’s largest countries. Clearly, good policy can pay off…[read more]