Trust: the key to social cohesion and growth in Latin America and the Caribbean

Trust: The Key to Social Cohesion and Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (Executive Summary)

10.18235/0003911 ◽

2022 ◽

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Public Sector ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Good News ◽

Executive Summary ◽

Political Consequences ◽

Public Sector Reforms ◽

Private And Public ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Government Workers

Trust is the most pressing and yet least discussed problem confronting Latin America and the Caribbean. Whether in others, in government, or in firms, trust is lower in the region than anywhere else in the world. The economic and political consequences of mistrust ripple through society. It suppresses growth and innovation: investment, entrepreneurship, and employment all flourish when firms and government, workers and employers, banks and borrowers, and consumers and producers trust each other. Trust inside private and public sector organizations is essential for collaboration and innovation. Mistrust distorts democratic decision-making. It keeps citizens from demanding better public services and infrastructure, from joining with others to control corruption, and from making the collective sacrifices that leave everyone better off. The good news is that governments can increase citizen trust with clearer promises of what citizens can expect from them, public sector reforms that enable them to keep their promises, and institutional reforms that strengthen the commitments that citizens make to each other. This book guides decision-makers as they incorporate trust and social cohesion into the comprehensive reforms needed to address the region's most pernicious challenges.

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Strategies and Business Models for Improving Broadband Connectivity in Latin America and the Caribbean: Guidelines for the Planning, Investment, and Rollout of Broadband Networks

10.18235/0003263 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pau Puig Gabarró ◽

Antonio García Zaballos ◽

Enrique Iglesias Rodriguez ◽

Ana Sepúlveda ◽

Alex Wong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Public Sector ◽

Best Practices ◽

Business Models ◽

Government Officials ◽

Global Business ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Regulatory Climate ◽

Private And Public ◽

The Caribbean

Achieving universal and affordable digital connectivity is an essential goal for all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Although significant progress has been made to advance the state of connectivity for the countries in this region, there are still significant challenges ahead (both from the private and public sector perspectives): high financial and operating risks; energy supply issues; poor coordination among regulatory and policy making bodies; lack of public sector capacity and resources, and the absence of a conducive investment and regulatory climate that promotes investment and competitive principles. The objective of this report is to: first, make a compilation and analysis of global business and financial models, best practices, innovations and progresses around the topic of digital infrastructure, including middle and last mile connectivity; and second, serve as a guidance tool for policy makers, regulators, government officials as well as private sector and community leaders in LAC, to better assess alternatives for improving broadband connectivity, and tailor best practices and approaches to their own country's needs.

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The political consequences of electoral laws in Latin America and the Caribbean

Electoral Studies ◽

10.1016/0261-3794(93)90006-6 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 59-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Mark P. Jones

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

The Political ◽

Political Consequences ◽

Electoral Laws ◽

The Caribbean

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Managers’ perceptions of mental illness in Barbadian workplaces: an exploratory study

The Journal of Mental Health Training Education and Practice ◽

10.1108/jmhtep-09-2016-0047 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 161-172 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dwayne Devonish

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Public Sector ◽

Small Sample ◽

Content Type ◽

Mental Health And Illness ◽

Health And Illness ◽

Private And Public ◽

The Caribbean ◽

Public Sector Managers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perceptions of private and public sector managers in Barbados regarding the concepts of mental health and illness at work. It also explored their interactions and experiences with persons with mental illness at work and various forms of support and resources needed to improve the overall management of these persons within the organisational setting. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study used an exploratory research design based on two focus groups of private and public sector managers. Findings The findings revealed that both private and public sector managers understood the distinction between the concepts of mental health and mental illness. However, managers believed that high levels of stigma and discrimination exist in both private and public sector workplaces due to a lack of understanding of mental illness, cultural norms, and socialisation in Barbados regarding mental illness and negative stereotypes. However, workplace education and promotion, associated workplace policies, and employee assistance programmes (EAPs) were identified as key strategies for effectively addressing issues of mental health stigma and the management of persons with mental illness at work. Research limitations/implications Due to the qualitative approach used and small sample selected based on non-probability sampling, generalising the findings to larger populations is heavily cautioned. Practical implications Organisations in both private and public sectors should emphasise workplace mental health interventions such as mental health education and awareness, the development and implementation of supportive and flexible policies, and EAPs. These strategies are likely to help destigmatisation efforts and enhance managers’ understanding of mental health and the management of persons with mental illness. Originality/value This study provided a rich and in-depth understanding of mental health and illness from the perspective of private and public sector managers in a small developing country in the Caribbean. The Caribbean region possesses a dearth of empirical research concerning issues of mental health and illness at work.

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Natural Hazards Governance Practices and Key Natural Hazards in Latin America and the Caribbean

Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science ◽

10.1093/acrefore/9780199389407.013.228 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ivis García

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Natural Disasters ◽

Natural Hazards ◽

Technical Assistance ◽

Good Governance ◽

Volcanic Eruptions ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Governance Practices ◽

Private And Public ◽

The Caribbean

Along with sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean is among the geographic regions most exposed and vulnerable to the occurrence of disasters. The vulnerability is explained by geography and climate, but also by prevailing poverty and inequality. Year after year, multiple disasters such as landslides, hurricanes, floods, rains, droughts, storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis, among others, threaten the region. Natural disasters reveal the deficiencies of infrastructure and essential services. In particular, they highlight the lack of an institutional framework for effective governance with clearly defined goals of how to prevent, respond to, and reconstruct after a natural catastrophe. One of the priorities of governments in the region is to achieve resilience—that is, to strengthen the capacity to resist, adapt, and recover from the effects of natural disasters. To be able to accomplish this, governments need to prepare before a natural disaster strikes. Therefore, disaster risk management is critical. A fundamental element in the strategy of increasing resilience is good planning in general—that is, to reduce inequality, manage urbanization, and invest in necessary infrastructure such as energy, sewage, and water management. Because climate change increases the risk of disasters, it is generally understood that good governance practices can prevent further global warming. Governments might achieve this, for example, by investing in renewable energy and financing other environmentally friendly initiatives. Unfortunately, most current governance models in Latin America and the Caribbean are characterized by bureaucratic structures that are fragmented into different sectors and whose actors do not have much interaction between them. With technical assistance from organizations, such as the World Bank and the United Nations, stakeholders in Latin America and the Caribbean are learning how to develop plans that encourage the collaboration of multiple sectors (e.g., transportation, housing) and improve the working relationships between various institutions (e.g. local associations, NGOs, private and public organizations). To be adequately prepared for a disaster, it is necessary to establish a network of actors that can engage quickly in decision-making and coordinate effectively between local, regional, and national levels.

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Addressing the Fiscal Costs of Population Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Lessons from Advanced Countries

10.18235/0003242 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Carola Pessino ◽

Teresa Ter-Minassian

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Population Aging ◽

Health Spending ◽

Developed Countries ◽

The United States ◽

Institutional Reforms ◽

Continuous Increase ◽

Public Health Spending ◽

Latin America And Caribbean ◽

The Caribbean

This paper presents projections for 18 Latin America and Caribbean countries of pensions and health expenditures over the next 50 years, compares them to advanced countries, and calculates estimates of the fiscal gap due to aging. The exercise is crucial since life expectancy is increasing and fertility rates are declining in virtually all advanced countries and many developing countries, but more so in Latin America and the Caribbean. While the populations of many of the regions countries are still relatively young, they are aging more rapidly than those in more developed countries. The fiscal implications of these demographic trends are severe. The paper proposes policy and institutional reforms that could begin to be implemented immediately and that could help moderate these trends in light of relevant international experience to date. It suggests that LAC countries need to include an intertemporal numerical fiscal limit or rule to the continuous increase in aging spending while covering the needs of the more vulnerable. They should consider also complementing public pensions with voluntary contribution mechanisms supported by tax incentives, such as those used in Australia, New Zealand (Kiwi Saver), and the United States (401k). In addition, LAC countries face an urgent challenge in curbing the growth of health care costs, while improving the quality of care. Efforts should focus on improving both the allocative and the technical efficiency of public health spending.

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Building Social Cohesion in Latin America and the Caribbean

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.1546057 ◽

2004 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

César P. Bouillon ◽

Mayra Buvinic ◽

Carols M. Jarque

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

The Caribbean

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The Welfare State amid Crime: How Victimization and Perceptions of Insecurity Affect Social Policy Preferences in Latin America and the Caribbean

Politics & Society ◽

10.1177/0032329220940850 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 389-422

Author(s):

Melina Altamirano ◽

Sarah Berens ◽

Sandra Ley

Keyword(s):

Latin America ◽

Social Policy ◽

Latin American ◽

Policy Preferences ◽

Crime Victimization ◽

Welfare Provision ◽

Political Consequences ◽

Criminal Violence ◽

The Caribbean ◽

The Welfare State

Criminal violence is one of the most pressing problems in Latin America and the Caribbean, with profound political consequences. Its effects on social policy preferences, however, remain largely unexplored. This article argues that to understand such effects it is crucial to analyze victimization experiences and perceptions of insecurity as separate phenomena with distinct attitudinal consequences. Heightened perceptions of insecurity are associated with a reduced demand for public welfare provision, as such perceptions reflect a sense of the state’s failure to provide public security. At the same time, acknowledging the mounting costs and needs that direct experience with crime entails, victimization is expected to increase support for social policies, particularly for health services. Survey data from twenty-four Latin American and Caribbean countries for the period 2008–12 show that perceptions of insecurity indeed reduce support for the state’s role in welfare provision, whereas crime victimization strongly increases such preferences.

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