The world is not ‘flat’. Globalization is disequalizing, rewarding the already rich while leaving the poor behind, making rising inequality more, not less likely. There are three reasons. First, the economic gains generated by efficient global markets are not equally shared. Second, global...

After a decade of economic and political reforms that dramatically altered the structure of economies in Latin America, poverty and high inequality remain deeply entrenched. Integration into the global economy in the 1990s brought increased prosperity only to a small minority of households in...

This paper applies a new approach to the estimation of the impact of policy, both the levels and the changes, on wage differentials using a new high-quality data set on wage differentials by schooling level for 18 Latin American countries for the period 1977-1998. The results indicate that...

In this working paper I define inclusive growth as growth conducive to increasing the size and economic command of the middle class. I suggest a definition of the middle class based on absolute and relative measures of country-based income distributions, and present evidence of change in the...

Increasing integration has made the great challenge of reducing poverty and advancing human development more achievable than ever, and more dependent than ever on good global economic governance. In this paper I set out the economic logic for why good global economic governance matters for...

The effects of market and policy reforms on poverty and inequality in Latin America have been of considerable concern. The region continues to have relatively great income inequalities. Two different societies with the same income distribution may have different levels of social welfare because...

(Available only in Spanish) This work attempts to answer the question: How has trade and financial liberalization affected inequality and poverty in Latin America? To do this, we use a methodology to estimate the effect of economic liberalization on inequality and poverty, and apply it to a...

The evidence shows that government spending for health in many developing countries benefits the well-to-do more than the poor. However, a combination of favorable political forces and sound public policies can shift the focus of government expenditures toward the poor. Doing this is an...

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) Los efectos de las reformas de mercado y de políticas sobre la pobreza y la desigualdad en América Latina han sido motivo de considerable preocupación. La región sigue exhibiendo desigualdades de ingresos relativamente grandes. Dos sociedades...

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) En este trabajo se desarrolla y aplica un enfoque nuevo al cálculo de los efectos de las reformas económicas sobre las diferencias salarias, empleándose un nuevo conjunto de datos de alta calidad sobre las diferencias salariales por nivel de...