"This paper studies the causes and consequences of informality and applies the analysis to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. It starts with a discussion on the definition and measures of informality, as well as on the reasons why widespread informality should be of great concern. The...

Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- The roaring 2000's in Latin America and the Caribbean and the left behind -- Chronic poverty : concepts and measures -- Five facts about chronic poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean -- Drivers of chronic poverty -- From diagnosis to policies : design...

Poverty estimates usually lag behind two years, which makes it difficult to provide real-time poverty analysis to assess the impact of economic crisis and shocks among the less well-off, and subsequently limits policy responses. This paper takes advantage of up-to-date average economic welfare...