Social Protection in Latin America : Achievements and Limitations
Social protection systems in Latin America have been transformed in the past two decades. Until the 1980s, those who were not covered by the social security arrangements available primarily in the urban formal sector received little public assistan...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2012
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100510134942 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3792 |
| Summary: | Social protection systems in Latin
America have been transformed in the past two decades. Until
the 1980s, those who were not covered by the social security
arrangements available primarily in the urban formal sector
received little public assistance beyond universal subsidies
for some food or fuel purchases. Since the 1990s, the
introduction of non-contributory social insurance programs
(including "social pensions") and conditional cash
transfers has substantially extended the coverage and
improved the incidence of social assistance. However, the
organic growth of subsidized social assistance in parallel
to the older social insurance system, financed largely out
of taxes on formal sector employment, has led to a dual
system that is neither properly equitable nor efficient. The
twin challenges that now face social protection in Latin
America are to better integrate those two halves of the
system, and to develop programs that promote sustainable
self-reliance, by moving from "safety nets" to
"opportunity ropes." |
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