International Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean amid the COVID-19 Crisis: A Push for Digitalization?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verónica Frisancho ◽  
Eric Parrado
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Temporary Increase ◽  
International Remittances ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
Initial Drop ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Transfer Services

Remittances constitute a significant safety net for millions of households in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Consequently, changes in international transfers can be a crucial agent of transmission of the COVID-19 induced economic crisis from richer to poorer nations and from urban to rural areas. Relying on data on queries to the search engine Google between December 2018 and July 2021, this study looks at the evolution of demand for in-person versus digital international transfer services and evaluates if take-up rates of different types of service providers trace the initial drop and subsequent rebound of remittances. The recovery of remittances was accompanied by a modest and temporary increase in the interest in digital mechanisms for sending money to home countries, which is accompanied by lower demand for brick-and-mortar service providers.

Landscaping the Agritech Ecosystem for Smallholder Farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Panos Loukos ◽  
Leslie Arathoon
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
Digital Interventions ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Digital Agriculture ◽  
Digital Disruption

Agriculture is an important source of employment in Latin America and the Caribbean. In rural areas, some 54.6 per cent of the labour force is engaged in agricultural production. Although much of the region shares the same language and cultural heritage, the structure and scale of the agriculture sector varies significantly from country to country. Based on the review of 131 digital agriculture tools, this report, prepared by GSMA and IDB Lab, provides a market mapping and landscape analysis of the most prominent cases of digital disruption. It highlights some of the major trends observed in five digital agriculture use cases, identifies opportunities for digital interventions and concludes with recommendations for future engagement that could deliver long-term, sustainable economic and social benefits for smallholder farmers.

Nature-based Solutions in Latin America and the Caribbean: Regional Status and Priorities for Growth

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Ozment ◽  
Anelise Schumacher ◽  
Maggie Gonzalez ◽  
Emmie Oliver ◽  
Gabriela Morales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Landslide Risk ◽  
Urban Flooding ◽  
Investment Opportunity ◽  
River Flooding ◽  
Reef Restoration ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Shed Light

Nature-based solutions (NBS) can contribute to equitable and sustainable development across Latin America and the Caribbean and represent an important investment opportunity for national and subnational governments, infrastructure service providers, development banks, and corporations. Examining the status of NBS efforts and results within the region can shed light on what is required to drive more investment towards NBS projects. To chart a pathway forward, this brief provides a regional review of NBS projects, their status, and implications for investment. These NBS projects aim to address a variety of objectives, including securing water supply, improving water quality, reducing landslide risk, and helping to manage urban flooding, river flooding, or coastal flooding and erosion. The projects utilize a broad range of types of NBS, from forest management to coral reef restoration. This brief outlines the difficulties to scaling NBS adoption in the region and identifies strategies to address the challenges moving forward.

scholarly journals Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824401987106
Author(s):  
Marisa Bucheli ◽  
Maximo Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Intimate Partner Violence ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Partner Violence ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Partner Violence Against Women

We analyze individual and country factors that explain attitudes toward intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) in Latin America and the Caribbean. Most patterns at individual level are similar to the international ones: for example, approval of IPVAW is higher among women and people in rural areas or in disadvantaged socio-economic situations. The most novel contribution of our work is the study of the variables at country level: approval of IPVAW increases with poverty, fertility rate, and equal gender outcomes. It decreases with Internet access and, less robustly, with the time elapsed since the enactment of women’s suffrage.

scholarly journals SDG3-related inequalities in women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health: an SDG monitoring baseline for Latin America and the Caribbean using national cross-sectional surveys

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e047779
Author(s):  
Antonio Sanhueza ◽  
Liliana Carvajal-Vélez ◽  
Oscar J Mújica ◽  
Luis Paulo Vidaletti ◽  
Cesar G Victora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
National Level ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Nationally Representative

ObjectivesLatin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries have made important progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets related to health (SDG3) at the national level. However, vast within-country health inequalities remain. We present a baseline of health inequalities in the region, against which progress towards the SDGs can be monitored.SettingWe studied 21 countries in LAC using data from Demographic and Health Surveys and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey carried out from 2011 to 2016ParticipantsThe surveys collect nationally representative data on women and children using multistage sampling. In total, 288 207 women and 195 092 children made part of the surveys in the 21 countries.Outcome measuresFive health intervention indicators were studied, related to reproductive and maternal health, along with adolescent fertility and neonatal and under-five mortality rates. Inequalities in these indicators were assessed through absolute and relative measures.ResultsIn most countries, subnational geographical health gradients were observed for nearly all women, child, and adolescent (WCA) indicators. Coverage of key interventions was higher in urban areas and among the richest, compared with rural areas and poorer quintiles. Analyses by woman’s age showed that coverage was lower in adolescent girls than older women for family planning indicators. Pro-urban and pro-rich inequalities were also seen for mortality in most countries.ConclusionsRegional averages hide important health inequalities between countries, but national estimates hide still greater inequalities between subgroups of women, children and adolescents. To achieve the SDG3 targets and leave no one behind, it is essential to close health inequality gaps within as well as between countries.

scholarly journals Prevalence of Dementia Among the Elderly in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 482-482
Author(s):  
Fabiana Ribeiro ◽  
Ana Carolina Teixeira-Santos ◽  
Anja Leist
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Dementia Prevalence ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Prevalence Of Dementia

Abstract Background Over the last decades, life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean showed a rapid increase, which led to a significant increase in the number of people with dementia. Moreover, 9% of the population in this part of the world are aged 65 or older, and by 2050 this percentage is projected to at least double. For this reason, it is essential to estimate the prevalence of dementia in LAC countries with the aim to determine suitable actions to enhance the quality of life of those affected. Methods Database searches for articles were conducted September 2020 throughout Pubmed, Web of knowledge, Scopus, Lilacs, and SciELO. The inclusion criteria comprised population- or community-based studies, published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese, reporting data on the prevalence of dementia collected in LAC countries. The complete data search retrieved 1719 non-duplicates. Results A total of 58 studies met the high-quality inclusion criteria, published 1991-2020, including participants in the following countries: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Ecuador, Trinidad and Tobago, and Jamaica. The most common form of dementia studied was Alzheimer’s disease with prevalence ranging from 5.9% to 23.4%. Estimates differed by age, gender, and education, with oldest, women, and lower-educated adults living in rural areas presenting higher dementia prevalence. Conclusion This is the first study giving a comprehensive overview of dementia prevalence in LAC countries, which is relevant to estimate care needs and economic costs related to dementia treatment and care.

scholarly journals Breastfeeding and the nutritional transition in the Latin American and Caribbean Region: a success story?

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. S119-S127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Pérez-Escamilla
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Breastfeeding Duration ◽  
Caribbean Region ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
The Caribbean

The objectives of this paper are to examine recent breastfeeding duration trends in Latin America and the Caribbean to document: (a) rural-urban differentials, (b) differences in educational levels, and (c) changes in breastfeeding duration across time. Secondary data analyses were conducted with 23 Demographic and Health Surveys collected between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Results indicate that median breastfeeding duration is still greater in rural (as compared to urban) areas and among less (versus more) educated women, although these differentials are decreasing with time. In five of the six countries examined for secular trends, breastfeeding duration continues to increase in both rural and urban areas. Breastfeeding duration in urban and rural areas was strongly correlated within countries. Breastfeeding duration improved more among women with the highest and declined among those with the lowest levels of education. Results indicate that breastfeeding duration has increased in Latin America and the Caribbean at a time when the opposite was predicted, given the region's increased urbanization. Breastfeeding protection policies and promotion programs may explain part of the increase in breastfeeding duration.

scholarly journals The Impact of Policy Measures on Trade in Services in Latin America and the Caribbean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle Trachtenberg
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Bilateral Trade ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Trade Flows ◽  
Bilateral Trade Flows ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
The Impact

This paper uses data on policy measures affecting services operation and trade to document and estimate the impact of different types of policy measures on services exports and imports, with a focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. It finds that market-entry measures are important to both total services exports and imports in the region and bilateral trade flows with the United States, while measures relating to the operation of service providers are important for bilateral trade flows with the United States.

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