Growth and income poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean: evidence from household surveys

Abstract

Este trabajo provee evidencia sobre crecimiento y pobreza en América Latina y el Caribe (LAC). Los resultados se obtienen de microdatos provenientes de encuestas de hogares para 18 países en la región desde los 1990s a principios de los 2000s. Durante este período, las economías en LAC experimentaron patrones heterogéneos de crecimiento y en la evolución de la pobreza. La mayor parte de los países muestran un desempeño precario en la reducción de la pobreza y una reducida cantidad de episodios de crecimiento pro-pobre positivo y significativo. growth and poverty changes. Most countries in the region had a rather meager performance in terms of poverty reduction. Episodes of positive, significant and unambiguously pro-poor income growth have been rare in Latin America.

This paper provides evidence on growth and income poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Results are obtained by processing microdata from household surveys of 18 LAC countries covering the 1990s and early 2000s. Over this period the LAC economies experienced very heterogeneous patterns of growth and poverty changes. Most countries in the region had a rather meager performance in terms of poverty reduction. Episodes of positive, significant and unambiguously pro-poor income growth have been rare in Latin America.