Foreword

The Latin American and Caribbean region has come to a crossroads. Significant strides have been made in reducing poverty and unemployment, and steps have been taken to improve income distribution, albeit with varying rates of progress from one country to another, reflecting their marked heterogeneity. Democratic systems have become consolidated in countries which, until a few years ago, had been devastated by civil war or in the grip of dictatorial regimes. Greater macroeconomic stability has been achieved, the public debt has been reined in and countercyclical policies have been deployed to mitigate the impact of external crises, both enrolment in and progression through education have risen and access to social safety nets has broadened.

Related Subject(s): Economic and Social Development