Trends in social policy in 21st-century Latin America

Juan Cruz Ferre

Chapter 2 in The Political Economy of Welfare in Latin America, 2026, pp 37-68 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: A quantitative analysis focusing on trends across 17 Latin American countries from 2000–2020 shows an important expansion in social policy. Four areas of social policy are assessed in longitudinal and comparative perspective: transfers, healthcare, education, and family policies. Conditional cash transfers (CCT) and non-contributory pensions (NCP) are the two main policy innovations that allowed countries in the region to expand social benefits. At the same time, these policies have introduced new layers of fragmentation to the welfare mix, without resolving—or even increasing—segmentation in social policy. As a result, two- or three-tier pension systems emerge. To the increased reliance on social assistance, there is an increased role of the market in the allocation and delivery of social services. This fragmentation not only undermines the possibility of delivering equitable social services and benefits in the present moment, but it also hinders progress toward universalism in the long run.

Keywords: Conditional cash transfers; Non-contributory pensions; Private pensions; Segmentation; Inequity; Layering (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035371334
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