A Decade Of Social Development In Latin America 1990 1999

The final decade of twentieth century was momentous for Latin America, as it witnessed sweeping changes with regard to previous trends in the region. Most important were the revival of economic growth and the reduction of poverty. Another significant phenomenon was impact of international crises on Latin American countries. This book analyzes what happened between 1990 and 1999 and revisits issues of interest to ECLAC, using the same approach that has characterized the Social Panorama of Latin America. Analysis begins with a look at poverty, income distribution, employment, occupational stratification, the role of education, the intergenerational transmission of opportunities for achieving well-being and the contribution of social spending to the improvement of the population's standard of living and at interrelationships between these dimensions and economic growth. It also uses opinion polls carried out in many of the countries to describe the Latin American population's subjective reactions changes in the 1990s--Publisher's description.

This book explores the scope of reforms and changes in the social protection systems in Latin America that have started at the beginning of the 21st century. It describes how and to what extent changes in social protection systems and social policies have occurred in the region in recent decades. Taking a comparative approach, the volume identifies the triggers for the transformations and how such pressures are received by the welfare regime, or a specific policy sector, to finally yield a given type of reform. The analysis is characterized by the presence of certain factors that explain the development of social protection systems in Latin America, such as economic growth, the consolidation of democratic political regimes, and the region’s Left Turns. The book also examines to what extent common challenges and processes induced by international institutions have led to convergence among countries or welfare regimes, or whether each maintains its own identity.

The social situation in Latin America in the late 1990s was influenced by the slowdown and greater volatility of economic growth. Despite the economic recovery seen in 2000, the effects of the contraction were felt in many countries of the region. Thus, although progress was made in improving the Latin American population's living conditions the number of poor people has grown. This phenomenon has compounded by the persistent inequality of income distribution in the region and by the performance of the labour market, which has generally been unable to absorb the labour force into the formal economy. The result has been increasing informality and unemployment, which has in turn been exacerbated by the recent economic slowdown. The 2000-2001 edition of the Social Panorama devotes special attention to poverty trends and rates in the late 1990s, inequality in income distribution, the employment and unemployment situation, the countries' progress in raising social expenditure and the redistributive effects of such increases. It provides new poverty estimates for the countries of the region based on household surveys conducted around 1999.

This work provides insights into broad political and social issues associated with free trade in the Western Hemisphere, and recognises that economic development generates social changes that cannot be anticipated.

This year's edition of the Economic survey of Latin America and the Caribbean,the fifty-seventh in this series, is divided into two parts. The first analyses the main features of the regional economy, while the second examines the situation in the individual countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The full statistical appendix is published in electronic format for ease of data processing.

This year's edition of the Economic survey of Latin America and the Caribbean,the fifty-seventh in this series, is divided into two parts. The first analyses the main features of the regional economy, while the second examines the situation in the individual countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. The full statistical appendix is published in electronic format for ease of data processing.

In 2010 the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) proposed a comprehensive development strategy entitled Time for equality: closing gaps, opening trails. This edition of Social Panorama takes a more in-depth look at the chain that produces and reproduces social gaps; it addresses other spheres as well. It focuses on how structural heterogeneity (productivity gaps in the national economies), labour segmentation and gaps in social protection are linked along the chain. Demographic factors such as fertility differentiated by education and income level are discussed, as are more specific patterns of risk and exclusion like those impacting young people in the Caribbean.

The publication surveys the main economic events and developments of 2006 and the first half of 2007 in the light of the region’s recent economic performance. The fifty-ninth edition of the survey is aimed to provide further inputs for the economic debates concerning means of promoting a rapid, sustainable growth process capable of creating conditions conducive to an improvement in the living conditions in the region. It also describes various aspects of the regions economic growth dynamics. The tables provided in the statistical appendix provide ready access to data for recent years and facilitate the creation of spreadsheets. The edition is supplemented by a CD-ROM.