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Declining Poverty in Latin America? A Critical Analysis of New Estimates by International Institutions

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  • Helwege, Ann
  • Birch, Melissa B.L.

Abstract

Indicators of progress in overcoming poverty in Latin America have been heralded recently by international institutions. Yet a closer look at data from the World Bank and the United Nations reveals contradictions that are not easily resolved by reference to the underlying methodologies. This paper provides an introduction to how poverty is measured, what the data indicate about trends in poverty, and reasons to tread cautiously in interpreting it as evidence of progress or stagnation. While significant progress has been achieved in a few large countries, the poorest countries are still very poor, and some countries have even seen increases in their poverty rates despite economic growth.

Suggested Citation

  • Helwege, Ann & Birch, Melissa B.L., 2007. "Declining Poverty in Latin America? A Critical Analysis of New Estimates by International Institutions," Working Papers 37279, Tufts University, Global Development and Environment Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:tugdwp:37279
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.37279
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Darryl McLeod & Nora Lustig, 2010. "Inequality and Poverty under Latin America's New Left Regimes," Fordham Economics Discussion Paper Series dp2010-13, Fordham University, Department of Economics.
    2. Thorkil Casse & Stig Jensen, 2009. "Do We Understand the Linkages between Economic Growth, Poverty Targets and Poverty Reduction?," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(122), pages 539-553, December.
    3. Bateman, Milford, 2013. "The age of microfinance: Destroying Latin American economies from the bottom up," Working Papers 39, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).
    4. Azevedo, Joao Pedro & Davalos, Maria Eugenia & Diaz-Bonilla, Carolina & Atuesta, Bernardo & Castaneda, Raul Andres, 2013. "Fifteen years of inequality in Latin America : how have labor markets helped ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6384, The World Bank.
    5. Ronn Pineo, 2014. "The Free Market Experiment in Latin America," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 30(2), pages 169-194, June.

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