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Latin America's Social Policy Challenge

Education, Social Insurance, Redistribution

Bibliographic Data

ID4029486
AuthorsSantiago Levy (Vice President for Sectors and Knowledge, Inter-American Development Bank, which is headquartered in Washington, DC.), Norbert Schady (Principal Economic Advisor for the Social Sector, Inter-American Development Bank, which is headquartered in Washington, DC.)
Year2013
Volume27
Issue2
Pages193-218
Publication date2013-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Economic Perspectives (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0895-3309 • E-ISSN: 1944-7965
PublisherAmerican Economic Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1257/jep.27.2.193
OpenAlexW2035098861
LanguageEN
Citations received64
References cited29

Long regarded as a region beset by macroeconomic instability, high inflation, and excessive poverty and inequality, Latin America has undergone a major transformation over the last 20 years. The region has seen improved macroeconomic management and substantial and sustained reductions in poverty and inequality. In this paper, we argue that social policy, including human capital and education, social insurance, and redistribution, need special attention if achievements of the last two decades are to be sustained and amplified. Starting in the mid 1990s, many governments in the region introduced a variety of programs, including noncontributory pensions and health insurance, and cash transfers targeted to the poor. Social spending in Latin America increased sharply. These policies have been widely praised, and we believe they have resulted in substantial improvements in the lives of the poor in the region. However, a more nuanced view shows some worrisome trends. Moving forward, we believe it is necessary to pay much closer attention to the quality of services, particularly in education; to the incentives generated by the interplay of some programs, particularly in the labor market; to a more balanced intertemporal distribution of benefits, particularly between young and old; and to sustainable sources of finance, particularly to the link between contributions and benefits

Cash transfers · Redistribution · Social insurance · Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement Analysis · Income, Poverty, and Inequality · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare

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Unique citing works64
Citations per year5,33
Citation span2014 - 2026 (13)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 64

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