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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Tag: Latin America

Poverty Rate in Latin America

UN: Latin American poverty rate lowest in 3 decades, with 1 million fewer poor in 2012, Associated Press, November 27, 2012, Washington Post: “The number of people living in poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean has dropped to its lowest level in three decades due to higher wages, the UN’s regional economic body said on Tuesday. Despite lower poverty levels overall, 167 million people in the region are still considered poor. That’s one million fewer than in 2011, and it represents about 29 percent of the region’s population. Of those, 66 million people remain stuck in extreme poverty, the same as last year…”

Poverty Rate – Latin America

Latin America poverty level lowest in 20 years, says UN, November 30, 2011, BBC News: “Poverty in Latin America is at its lowest level for 20 years, the UN’s regional economic body, Eclac, says. From 1990 to 2010, the rate fell from 48.4% to 31.4%, which means 177 million people currently live in poverty. Eclac says the main reason for the reduction in poverty and inequality is the rise in household incomes. But progress is hindered by the big gaps between productive and better paid sectors and work that is poorly paid and of low productivity, Eclac says…”

Poverty Alleviation – Brazil

Brazil’s new plan to beat poverty, By Taylor Barnes and Sara Llana Miller, July 7, 2011, Christian Science Monitor: “With a monthly stipend that she receives from the Brazilian government, Clemilda dos Santos can now keep the refrigerator stocked for her 10 kids, but life for the family is still precarious. At the top of a red clay hill in Japeri, the town with the lowest human development index in the state of Rio, the one-bedroom home she shares with her whole family still floods with rainwater. Her kids need winter coats. In the past decade, Brazil has been touted for lifting 25 million people out of poverty, thanks to macroeconomic stability, high commodities prices, and a much hailed social program called Bolsa Familia that gives families monthly cash for families that adhere to conditions such as keeping kids in classrooms. But as the nation continues to rise – it became majority middle class in 2008, according to the Rio-based Getúlio Vargas Foundation – leaders say they are determined to do more, arguing that packed homes and uncloaked children have no place in today’s economic landscape…”