Inequality in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean: Gap analysis and overcoming strategies. Volume 2

In this book, those who search for an equitable and sustainable future will find a valuable collection of methodological proposals, case analyses and recommendations for varied aspects of development. This book is an indispensable tool for decision-makers, researchers, development professionals and anyone interested in inequality issues. When diving into its pages, readers will discover a comprehensive approach based on evidence and endorsed by the experience and knowledge of experts. The book addresses topics ranging from poverty and income inequality to social protection, agriculture, energy…

Inequality in Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean: Gap analysis and overcoming strategies. Volume 1

In this book, those who search for an equitable and sustainable future will find a valuable collection of methodological proposals, case analyses and recommendations for varied aspects of development. This book is an indispensable tool for decision-makers, researchers, development professionals and anyone interested in inequality issues. When diving into its pages, readers will discover a comprehensive approach based on evidence and endorsed by the experience and knowledge of experts. The book addresses topics ranging from poverty and income inequality to social protection, agriculture, energy…

Income distribution and wealth: new conceptual and methodological approaches. Summary

This study analyses how value from labour (intellectual and manual) and natural resources (which also provide value) is created (gross national product), allocated (national income), distributed (disposable income), used (expenses and savings) and accumulated (wealth) in society. Instead of measuring subjective welfare inequality (happiness) through consumption, this study analyses how the value created by labour and natural resources is distributed. The purpose is to study inequality in the distribution of the value created in the economy. Although capabilities and freedom are essential, this…

A regional basic income: towards the eradication of extreme poverty in Central America

Centroamérica sigue enfrentando niveles muy altos de pobreza e indigencia, siendo además la región más desigual del mundo. Por lo tanto, este ensayo propone la erradicación de la pobreza extrema en la región a través de la implementación de una transferencia monetaria universal e incondicional. Esta Renta Básica garantizaría la sobrevivencia a todo ciudadano, independientemente de su condición personal, familiar, u ocupacional. Simultáneamente, la propuesta fomentaría la redistribución de ingresos, avanzaría la educación, productividad futura y crecimiento, promovería la estabilidad macroeconó…

Income poverty and unsatisfied basic needs

Abstract This study consists of two substantive components that provide an overview of the different methodologies currently being applied to the measurement of multidimensional poverty for Mexico and Central America. In the first component a typology of different practical methodological concepts is organized according to how different methods deal with the two fundamental decisions in the measurement of poverty, identifying the poor and aggregating the groups into a single index value that is informative. The typology is able to encompass most different methods of multidimensio…

Analysis of selected millennium development goals in Nicaragua

This study presents an analysis of factors related to selected Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in education, health and water and sanitation in Nicaragua. Using available household survey data, complemented with selected supply side data, empirical econometric models of education enrolment, child mortality and the provision of water and sanitation are employed to examine the relationship of individual, household and municipal factors to the achievement of these MDGs. The MDG formulation also provides for a comparison of two different modelling methodologies, the standard logit estimation f…

Regional integration and public policy. Evaluation of the European experience and possible implications for Latin American integration

Growth, poverty and inequality in Central America

This study measures and analyses the household income growth performance of six countries in Central America between 1990 and 2004. Using national household surveys over the period, new empirical and methodological tools were employed to measure the growth in the incomes of the poor and provide an indication of some of the pertinent factors in the trends that occurred in the region. In particular the decomposition of the growth of poor incomes permitted an investigation of the relative contributions of economic growth and income redistribution. The results show that growth effects have been po…

Health benefits guarantees in Latin America: equity and quasi market restructuring at the beginning of the millennium

Health quasi-markets aim to introduce competition into the public sphere by separating functions in order to improve efficiency and quality. In different public-private mixes, according to the morphology of health systems, different regulations can govern insurance, financing, and provision of services. The objective is to link financing to productivity, coverage, performance, and accomplishment of goals. Specifying guarantees to provide services for determined beneficiaries implies the formation of a purchase function based on strategic criteria involves three financing decisions: whi…

Income inequality in Central America, Dominican Republic and Mexico: assessing the importance of individual and household characteristics

This study investigates the relationship between individual and household characteristics and income inequality in Central America, the Dominican Republic and Mexico from 1990 to 2002. A Theil decomposition exercise of individual and household income inequality is used to determine factors important for the level of inequality. In addition, the use of a novel semi-parametric simulation methodology from DiNardo, Fortin and Lemieux (1996) provides counterfactual income distributions of individuals and households to assess the importance of changes in their demographic, education and labo…

Handbook for estimating the socio-economic and environmental effects of disasters

La economía Cubana: reformas estructurales y desempeño en los noventa