Over time, Latin American countries have experienced various growth spurts. For example, in 2004-05, the region achieved the highest biennial growth rate of the past 25 years. However, sustained growth has been elusive in the last quarter century, and has been accompanied by notorious economic and social inequalities.
Concerned by these twin failures, on September 1-2, 2005, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) convened a group of economists to review the state of the art in the fields of policy and development, with the aim of establishing the best available knowledge regarding sustainable development. The papers that were prepared for the seminar are presented in this book. The main issues of growth and equity are covered, followed by a review of recent development experiences. The relationship between economic and social polices is examined, with a critical look at their potential impact on growth and poverty, in order to identity how policy makers and societies can adopt pro-growth social policies. The last four chapters analyze two of the main targets from the Washington Consensus reforms: finance and trade. The chapters on finance focus on domestic capital markets and productive investment, along with management of capital accounts for a development-friendly financial environment. The chapters covering trade concentrate on the external environment faced by countries, the impact of trade composition on economies, and the effects of diversity and stability of exports on aggregate economic growth.The objective of these recommendations is to allow the countries of the region to achieve sustained growth and to simultaneously distribute more equitably the resulting benefits. This volume has been produced in the context of growing concern and interest in the prevailing inequality of Latin American societies. Economies with an average per-capita GDP of about one-fifth that of developed countries must tackle the challenge of equitable growth—given that this appears to be a requisite for reducing the development gap with richer economies. Hence, the book’s focus on growth-with-equity aims to contribute to such a debate and policy making process.
By Tony Beck and Cathy Nesmith
World Development, Vol. 29, No.1 January 2001
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=252803
Abstract:
This article examines the relation between poor women and men and common
property resources (cprs). It locates poor people's use of cprs within
a wider focus on sustainable livelihoods, which argues that development
initiatives need to build on people's assets and strengths, and identifies
cprs as a crucial element of poor people's coping and adaptive strategies.
The article considers evidence from India and West Africa with a particular
focus on poverty reduction, equity, gender and management issues. Development
agencies and governments which have re-focused their attention on poverty
in recent years will find that cprs provide an entry point to understanding
poor people's perceptions of poverty and for building on their capacities.
By Britha Mikkelsen
Sage Publications: 2005
Abstract:
Praise for the First Edition: `It is a guide of vital importance to
researchers, trainers and extension workers, especially those collaborating
with communities in developing countries' - European Journal of Development
Research `There is much of value here that even experienced development
workers might learn from.... Mikkelsen offers many insights that would
be valuable to any economist undertaking field work in development'
- The Australian Journal of Agricultural Economics `An enthusiastic,
vibrant supplement to methodology texts.... The formulation is concise,
comprehensive, yet substantial' - Business Line `Development researchers
will be grateful to Mikkelsen for her laudable job in competently assessing
their needs.... She provides an overview of the traditional and the
new techniques and tools for field study' - Deccan Herald This is the
completely revised version of the highly successful textbook first published
in 1995. This edition incorporates new lessons learned regarding the
merits and pitfalls of development work, including particpatory methods
and participatory development in practice. Methods for Development Work
and Research: - outlines significant trends in international development
co-operation with reference to change and continuity; - incorporates
critical perspectives on participation to allow practitioners to reflect
on the theoretical as well as the practical and ethical implications
of their work; - provides examples of participatory methods in use particularly
in macro-policy, budgeting and poverty reduction strategies; - provides
guidance on how to analyze qualitative data using indicators and IT
tools; - highlights the gender perspective in development work; elaborates
on a rights-based approach to development which is currently replacing
the conventional needs-based approach; - focuses in greater detail on
monitoring and evaluation; elaborates on ethics, methods and development
interventions; - addresses the important question of the problems of
encountering 'other' cultures. Based on feedback received in response
to the first edition and also the author's hands-on experience, this
revised version continues to offer valuable and practical guidance combined
with critical reflection on methods for development work and research.
Dr Britha Mikkelsen is a senior social science and research specialist
with COWI, Denmark, with wide experience in conceptualizing, conducting
and coordinating project and program evaluations and impact studies.
By Merilee S. Grindle (2004)
Governance 17 (4), 525–548.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0952-1895.2004.00256.x
Abstract:
The good governance agenda is unrealistically long and growing longer
over time. Among the multitude of governance reforms that "must be done"
to encourage development and reduce poverty, there is little guidance
about what's essential and what's not, what should come first and what
should follow, what can be achieved in the short term and what can only
be achieved over the longer term, what is feasible and what is not.
If more attention is given to sorting out these questions, "good enough
governance" may become a more realistic goal for many countries faced
with the goal of reducing poverty. Working toward good enough governance
means accepting a more nuanced understanding of the evolution of institutions
and government capabilities; being explicit about trade-offs and priorities
in a world in which all good things cannot be pursued at once; learning
about what's working rather than focusing solely on governance gaps;
taking the role of government in poverty alleviation seriously; and
grounding action in the contextual realities of each country.
By David Booth (2003)
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-7679.00203
Abstract:
PRSPs have achieved a useful mainstreaming of anti–poverty efforts in
national policy processes in Africa. However, the seven country experiences
synthesised in this article reveal differences as well as commonalities.
Whether or not vicious circles of patrimonial politics, state weakness
and ineffectual aid can be replaced with virtuous ones, based on greater
national ownership of anti–poverty effort, is still uncertain. PRSPs
add value to technocratic reforms in public management, by opening new
spaces for policy dialogue, but reforms remain vital, especially in
regard to the budget. Donors, also, need to take more risks and impose
some disciplines on themselves. The hypothesis that PRSP processes can
promote changes leading to more effective poverty reduction needs refinement,
but remains plausible on balance.
By: Michael Woolcock and Deepa Narayan
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank
http://wbro.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/2/225
Abstract:
In the 1990s the concept of social capital—defined here as the norms
and networks that enable people to act collectively—enjoyed a remarkable
rise to prominence across all the social science disciplines. The authors
trace the evolution of social capital research as it pertains to economic
development and identify four distinct approaches the research has taken:
communitarian, networks, institutional, and synergy. The evidence suggests
that of the four, the synergy view, with its emphasis on incorporating
different levels and dimensions of social capital and its recognition
of the positive and negative outcomes that social capital can generate,
has the greatest empirical support and lends itself best to comprehensive
and coherent policy prescriptions. The authors argue that a significant
virtue of the idea of and discourse on social capital is that it helps
to bridge orthodox divides among scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.
By Jim Gilling, Stephen Jones, Alex Duncan (2001)
Development Policy Review 19 (3), 303–319.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-7679.00136
Abstract: This article examines the relationship between sector-wide approaches (SWAps), sustainable livelihoods approaches (SLAs) and rural poverty reduction. The authors suggest that SLAs provide one means by which SWAps can focus more effectively on poverty reduction, whilst SWAps provide an entry point via which government and donor initiatives can be made supportive of the livelihoods of the poor. The article puts forward guidelines indicating the core issues upon which donors should focus to enhance the poverty impact of sector-wide approaches.
Nancy Birdsall, Juan Luis Londono
The American Economic Review, Vol. 87, No. 2, Papers and Proceedings
of the Hundred and Fourth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association
(May, 1997), pp. 32-37
Robert D. Ebel & Serdar Yilmaz
The World Bank
World Bank Institute
Economic Policy and Poverty Reduction Division
March 2002
By Klaus W. Deininger
Published 2003
World Bank Publications
Leer
abstracto
César Calderón & Luis Servén
Central Bank of Chile
Working Papers
N° 270
September 2004
Abstract:
This paper provides an empirical evaluation of the impact of infrastructure
development on economic growth and income distribution using a large
panel data set encompassing over 100 countries and spanning the years
1960-2000. The empirical strategy involves the estimation of simple
equations for GDP growth and conventional inequality measures, augmented
to include among the regressors infrastructure quantity and quality
indicators in addition to standard controls. To account for the potential
endogeneity of infrastructure (as well as that of other regressors),
we use a variety of GMM estimators based on both internal and external
instruments, and report results using both disaggregated and synthetic
measures of infrastructure quantity and quality. The two robust results
are: (i) growth is positively affected by the stock of infrastructure
assets, and (ii) income inequality declines with higher infrastructure
quantity and quality. A variety of specification tests suggest that
these results do capture the causal impact of the exogenous component
of infrastructure quantity and quality on growth and inequality. These
two results combined suggest that infrastructure development can be
highly effective to combat poverty. Furthermore, illustrative simulations
for Latin American countries suggest that these impacts are economically
quite significant, and highlight the growth acceleration and inequality
reduction that would result from increased availability and quality
of infrastructure.
Determinants and exit paths
By Alain de Janvry , Elisabeth Sadoulet
University of California at Berkeley and the World Bank, USA
Development Policy Review
Volume 18 Issue 1 Page 11-36, March 2000
Abstract:
While rural poverty in Latin America has declined over the last three
decades, success has been uneven across countries and rural poverty
remains huge. Reduction in the number of rural relative to urban poor
has been mainly the outcome of migration, not of successful rural development.
We show that rural incomes are explained by the asset position of households
and the characteristics of the context where assets are used. Given
heterogeneity in asset positions and contexts, many strategies to escape
poverty consequently exist. We identify four paths out of poverty: exit,
agricultural, pluriactive, and assistance. Successful rural development
to promote the agricultural and pluriactive paths requires a wholesale
new approach based on regional development, decentralization and participation.
Agricultural technology has a role to play in these two strategies.
In Latin America, however, the bulk of the benefits from technological
change has been captured through indirect effects via the price of food,
employment creation and contributions to aggregate growth.
By Lucia Hanmer, Felix Naschold
Development Policy Review 18 (1), 11–36. (2000)
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-7679.00098
Merilee S. Grindle (2004)
Governance 17 (4), 525–548.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.0952-1895.2004.00256.x
Roberto Patricio Korzeniewicz, William C. Smith
Latin American Research Review, Vol. 35, No. 3 (2000), pp. 7-54
By Nora Lustig
Economia, 2000
Abstract:
Between 1980 and 1998, Latin America and the Caribbean experienced more
than forty episodes in which gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 4
percent or more. Poverty increased sharply during these episodes. Despite
this, most countries in the region do not have appropriate instruments
to shield poor people (and the near-poor) from the brunt of macroeconomic
shocks. Improvising to protect the poor in the heat of a crisis is a
recurrent phenomenon. Furthermore, evidence shows that spending targeted
to the poor is procyclical—even more so than the rest of the budget.
That economic crises cause poverty to rise should not come as a surprise.
What has received less emphasis, however, is that crises can lock poor
people—and their children—in long-term poverty traps. During crises,
poor people can face an irreversible reduction of their assets, including
their human capital. Because economic crises are a classic case of an
aggregate shock, poor people cannot resort to self-insurance, informal
insurance, or the credit market to smooth consumption effectively. In
addition, poor people are not likely to be part of the formal social
insurance system because a large portion of them are self-employed or
they work as wage earners either for microenterprises and small firms
that cannot afford to participate in contributory systems or for ruthless
employers who refuse to contribute their share. Hysteresis caused by
the impact of crises on poor people’s assets and their imperfect ability
to protect themselves from aggregate shocks are two reasons why publicly
funded safety nets should be part of the socially responsible policy
response to a crisis. The potential distributive implications of macroeconomic
measures should be assessed to determine where these safety nets will
be most needed, and spending which targets the poor should be protected
from budget cuts to the largest possible extent.
By STEFANO PAGIOLA, AGUSTIN ARCENAS and GUNARS PLATAIS
The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA
World Development Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 237–253, 2005
Abstract: This paper examines the main ways in which Payments for Environmental Services (PES) might affect poverty. PES may reduce poverty mainly by making payments to poor natural resource managers in upper watersheds. The extent of the impact depends on how many PES participants are in fact poor, on the poor’s ability to participate, and on the amounts paid. Although PES programs are not designed for poverty reduction, there can be important synergies when program design is well thought out and local conditions are favorable. Possible adverse effects can occur where property rights are insecure or if PES programs encourage less labor-intensive practices.
By Naila Kabeer 2003
Abstract:
This book explores the issue of gender inequality through the lens of
the Millennium Development Goals, particularly the first one of halving
world poverty by 2015. The book aims to bring together arguments, findings
and lessons from the development literature which are relevant to the
achievement of these goals from the standpoint of gender equality. It
draws out the inter-connections between production and gender (and women's
critical role in straddling both) and their implications for poverty
eradication strategies and the achievement of human-centred economic
growth.
By Indermit Singh Gill, Truman Packard, Juan Yermo
World Bank Publications, 2005
By Maxine Molyneux
Development and Change, Vol 33 (2) 167-188 (2002)
Insitute of Social Studies
David Satterthwaite Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 590, Rethinking Sustainable Development (Nov., 2003), pp. 73-92
Abstract:
This article suggests that there is little evidence of urban poverty
being a significant contributor to environmental degradation but strong
evidence that urban environmental hazards are major contributors to
urban poverty. The article considers the link between poverty and different
categories of environmental hazards (biological pathogens, chemical
pollutants, and physical hazards). It then considers the links between
poverty and high use of nonrenewable resources, degradation of renewable
resources such as soil and fresh water, and high levels of biodegradable
and nonbiodegradable waste generation. This shows how environmental
degradation is more associated with the consumption patterns of middle-and
upper-income groups and the failure of governments to implement effective
environmental policies than with urban poverty. The article also highlights
how good governance is at the core of poverty reduction and how meeting
the environmental health needs of poorer groups need not imply greater
environmental degradation.
Con la presencia de los ministros de desarrollo social y altas autoridades del ámbito de las políticas sociales de la región, se llevó a cabo el 2do. Foro de Pensamiento Social Estratégico en Nueva York el 26 y 27 de noviembre . El discurso inaugural estuvo a cargo del Premio Nobel de Economía Joseph Stiglitz. Más información >>
"Latinoamérica: la clase media es clave" - Bernardo Kliksberg (.doc)
