This document focuses on four sectors where socio-cultural analysis is particularly critical for addressing issues of reducing poverty and exclusion. In the case of major infrastructure projects, the primary concern is to minimize or mitigate their impacts on local communities. For projects in...

The proposal by Levy (2008) whereby a universal social insurance (USI) scheme is guaranteed to all workers, regardless of formality status, aims at abolishing the current contributory social insurance system and financing social insurance through value-added taxes instead (henceforth, the social...

This paper describes the reforms aimed at simplifying the administrative procedures for labor registration and the payment of social security contributions that were carried out in Argentina in 2005 and 2007. Analysis of the legislation, as well as a survey conducted among accountants, reveals...

This paper examines how changes in the legislation governing health and pension benefits that took place between 2003 and 2008 in Colombia affected the informal and formal labor markets. In particular, this paper examines two major changes in the legislation. First, it looks at the effects of...

This paper studies the incentive effects of social security benefits on labor market informality following a policy reform in Uruguay. The reform extended health benefits to dependent children of private sector salaried workers, and thus altered the incentive structure of holding formal jobs...

Available evidence suggests that workers may have a low willingness or ability to pay for social security (via a reduction in their wage) and that this is particularly so for low-income workers. The end result is that social security contributions are borne by employers, effectively reducing the...

On the basis of available data, this paper compares public sector employment and pay in Latin America and the Caribbean. It highlights the methodological challenges of gathering and making valid comparisons on the basis of such data.

O Artigo "Políticas de saúde e blocos econômicos" trata da integração de sistemas de saúde dentro de blocos econômicos. Entretanto, a obra não é restrito aos temas de saúde. Tópicos como proteção ao imigrante intra-regional, e extra-regional também são abordados. Dentro do tópico...

América Latina e Caribe (ALC) reduziram sua desigualdade e sua pobreza e enfrentarão as próximas décadas com maior otimismo do que no passado. Conforme a região cresce, aparecem novos problemas que os responsáveis pela condução da política econômica devem enfrentar. Como oferecer...

"Women at Work: Challenges for Latin America" presents a series of empirical studies that use household survey data from Latin America to analyze trends in female labor force participation rates, the impact of trade liberalization on women's work, tendencies in gender wage differentials and...