Targeted monetary transfer programs such as Brazil's Bolsa Família represent bold new alternatives in the field of poverty alleviation. Do they work as well as their advocates claim? Read the entire article in the Spring 2008 issue of Americas Quarterly.

Some of the region's most progressive laws have been passed in Argentina and Mexico, but the struggle for gay rights in Latin America is an uphill climb.

Brazil leads the hemisphere in IPOs, but the region as a whole lags far behind other emerging markets.

Universal welfare programs are returning to the social policy mix in the hemisphere. By their very nature, limited social assistance policies have limited impact, writes José Antonio Ocampo. Read the full text of the article in the Spring 2008 issue of Americas Quarterly, released April 24.

Recent research suggests that exclusion represents a severe drag on the region's economic growth and stability. Tackling high inequality and low social mobility is fundamental to getting economies on a sure footing, writes Guillermo Perry. Read the full article in the Spring 2008 issue of Americas Quarterly.

Ignacio Labaqui reviews  Dante Avaro's assessment of income inequality in Latin America and his proposed policy that reduces such inequality without compromising economic growth.

Alexandra Délano reviews Jorge Castañeda's lucid account of the political debates over U.S.-Mexico immigration as well as an overview of recent Mexican migration flows.