October 2024

Social pensions in the Americas: Recent developments

By International Social Security Association Ensuring adequate social security coverage for an ageing population is an important priority for governments and the global membership of the International Social Security Association (ISSA). Social pensions, also known as zero pillar or non-contributory pensions, complement contributory social insurance systems by providing a guaranteed source of income for people not adequately protected by other forms of social security. In doing so, they expand overall social protection and can be a powerful tool for combating...

September 2024

Improving Job Quality in Latin America: A Long Road Ahead

Job opportunities exist in Latin America and the Caribbean, but the quality of employment remains a significant challenge. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), urgent measures are needed to ensure workers can escape poverty and enjoy social protection. Latin America and the Caribbean face a persistent issue: while many people are employed, the quality of those jobs leaves much to be desired. According to the 2024 Better Jobs Index from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the region’s employment quality scores...

August 2024

Social pensions in the Americas: Recent developments

Ensuring adequate social security coverage for an ageing population is an important priority for governments and the global membership of the International Social Security Association (ISSA). Social pensions, also known as zero pillar or non-contributory pensions, complement contributory social insurance systems by providing a guaranteed source of income for people not adequately protected by other forms of social security. In doing so, they expand overall social protection and can be a powerful tool for combating old-age poverty, promoting social...

July 2024

Overcoming political short-termism in Latin America

Long before he became a leading theologian, Saint Augustine famously appealed to God: “Lord, grant me chastity and continence – but not yet.” It is an entreaty one can imagine governments in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) uttering. They know that their policymaking and planning must become more consistent and predictable. They recognize that their failure to implement lasting, credible reforms in areas ranging from taxation to pensions to education discourages investment and contributes to some of the world’s...

April 2024

Another brick on the Wall: On the Effects of Non-Contributory Pensions on Material and Subjective Well Being

By Rosangela Bando, Sebastian Galiani & Paul Gertler Public expenditures on non-contributory pensions are equivalent to at least 1 percent of GDP in several countries in Latin America and is expected to increase. We explore the effect of non-contributory pensions on the well-being of the beneficiary population by studying the Pensiones Alimentarias program established by law in Paraguay, which targets older adults living in poverty. Households with a beneficiary increased their level of consumption by 44 percent. The program improved...

December 2023

Social security developments and trends – Americas 2023

By International Social Security Association The new ISSA report Social security developments and trends – Americas 2023 gives readers an insight into the complexities of societal and social security developments in the region. It presents initiatives and innovations of governments and institutions to overcome challenges and strengthen social security systems, schemes and services. The report starts by taking a look at notable reforms across the region. While some reforms – such as developments in unemployment insurance and social pensions – are a direct...

Overview of social protection systems in Latin America and the Caribbean: Progress and setbacks in the face of the pandemic

By International Labour Organization The crisis triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak has exposed the gap that persists in the region to achieve comprehensive protection systems, based on a social protection floor which guarantees for universal access to health and economic security over the life cycle. Social protection coverage in Latin America evolved positively in the decade before the pandemic. Contributing members to the system increased by 14 per cent over the 2012-2019 period and the ratio of contributing workers to the employed population was 46.9...

Recent developments in social pensions in Latin America

By International Social Security Association Non-contributory pensions, also known as social pensions, are an important component of rights-based universal social protection systems. They allow extending pension coverage relatively rapidly to elderly persons who are not covered by contributory schemes. Usually financed by general revenues and providing relatively modest benefits, eligibility for social pensions is often conditional on low income or certain other criteria. The right to social protection, including old age income security, is enshrined in various national constitutions and legal...

November 2023

Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2022: Transforming education as a basis for sustainable development

By ECLAC Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2022 has four chapters. Chapter I presents the relevant macroeconomic background in terms of the evolution of per capita GDP, employment, household income distribution and the consumer price index, and looks at how income inequality and poverty have changed over the past two decades (2002–2021). The chapter also discusses changes that occurred in social stratification during the pandemic. Chapter II addresses the worrying silent crisis of education as another of the...

October 2023

Allianz Pension Report Latam special 2022

By Allianz Research Even before the pandemic, the pension systems of most Latin American countries ranked in the bottom third in international comparison of their long-term adequacy and sustainability in our last Global Pension Report. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a double blow with respect to pension systems’ adequacy: On the one hand, rocketing unemployment rates diminished the share of the labor force in formal employment that is covered by pension schemes; on the other hand, lower contributions to pension...