Latin America is marked by high and persistent inequality in income, schooling, and land ownership. In such an unequal environment, the powerful are likely to dominate politics and push for policies that protect their privileges rather than foster competition and growth. As a result, changes in...

We argue that survey-based median household consumption expenditure (or income) per capita be incorporated into standard development indicators, as a simple, robust, and durable indicator of typical individual material well-being in a country. Using household survey data available for low- and...

We identify a group of people in Latin America that are not poor but not middle class either—namely “strugglers” in households with daily income per capita between $4 and $10 (at constant 2005 PPP). This group will account for about a third of the region’s population over the next...

Jobs in exporting industries tend to pay higher wages than comparable jobs in firms focused on the domestic market. In Ethiopia, where the government has pursued an ambitious industrialization agenda, systematic data on wages in industrial parks has been scarce. This note provides an overview of...

We consider economic development of sub-Saharan Africa from the perspective of slow convergence of productivity, both across sectors and firms within sectors. Why have .productivity enclaves., islands of high productivity in a sea of smaller low-productiv

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a challenge for Ethiopia’s ambitious industrialization agenda focused on export-oriented light manufacturing. This note summarizes results from a survey of firms in Ethiopia’s industrial parks. The data suggests that over the past months, the...

Latin American experts demonstrate how market-friendly measures in key policy areas can promote greater equity and efficiency. By identifying win-win strategies, the authors challenge the conventional wisdom that there is always a tradeoff between these two objectives. This volume shows how...

The authors of this volume analyze the policies that led to East Asia's economic success, including those affecting human resources, savings, the financial sector, trade and institutions, and examine the lessons these policies carry for Latin America. The genesis of this book was an...