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Better pensions, better jobs: status and alternatives toward universal pension coverage in Latin America and the Caribbean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 August 2015

ANGEL MELGUIZO ,
MARIANO BOSCH  and
CARMEN PAGES
ANGEL MELGUIZO*
Affiliation:
OECD, Paris, France
MARIANO BOSCH
Affiliation:
Inter American Development Bank, Washington DC, USA
CARMEN PAGES
Affiliation:
Inter American Development Bank, Washington DC, USA
*
(e-mail: [email protected])
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Abstract

This article offers an overview of the current state of labor markets and pension coverage in a wide sample of Latin America and the Caribbean countries, and proposes a series of possible avenues toward universal coverage, not only as an instrument to fight poverty during old age, but also as part of an agenda for increasing formal employment and productivity growth. We conclude that despite perspectives of low economic growth and reduced fiscal space, the region is going through intense demographic and socio-economic changes, which increase the demand for better jobs and provide a real opportunity for initiating the bold reforms in pensions, labor, and taxes needed to achieve universal coverage.

Keywords

H55J08PensionsinformalityLatin AmericaCaribbean
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Pension Economics & Finance , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , April 2017 , pp. 121 - 143
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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