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.

A fierce debate rages over whether globalization reduces or increases poverty and inequality. The evidence doesn't always provide comfortable answers for either side. Read the full article in the Spring 2008 issue of Americas Quarterly.

100,000 Bolivians, many of them undocumented immigrants, live and work in São Paulo, re-creating a Bolivian community in the midst of Brazil's industrial capital. Read the full article in the Spring 2008 issue of Americas Quarterly.

The first step in designing effective programs to reduce poverty in the region is to figure out the real numbers. Unfortunately, that's harder than it looks, writes Sanjay G. Reddy. Read the full article in the Spring 2008 issue of Americas Quarterly.

With a new leader in Argentina and Venezuela’s Mercosur membership hanging like a question mark, South American presidents gathered in Montevideo December 18. The summit comes as the organization signs a trade pact with Israel, the bloc’s first free-trade agreement, and with troubles brewing among some partners.

In the Southern Cone and Antarctica, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called climate change "an emergency." But controversy continues over UN statements about biofuels as a threat to food production. A Viewpoints Americas article urges solutions to promote agricultural sustainability.