ABSTRACT
At a number of points in the book, we have mentioned or briefly discussed the issues of poverty and inequality in Latin America. Poverty has an obvious connection to the region. Only a small group of countries in the region have any realistic hope of joining the ranks of the high-income countries in the near future. Most of the countries of the region are middle-income countries. While Latin America is relatively well-off by global standards, poverty for hundreds of millions of people is still a daily fact of life. Income inequality exacerbates this problem. The average income data for the region masks the reality that income in Latin America is the most unevenly distributed among the world ’ s regions. In the first two sections of the chapter, we consider the data and consequences of poverty and inequality in the region. In the third part of the chapter, the more commonly understood causes of poverty and inequality in Latin America are covered. A final section covers the list of public policy changes that have been used and are evolving to address these issues in the region.
