Poverty, inequality and ethnicity: a note to policy makers on Latin America

Abstract

This article reflects on the impact of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in tackling global poverty, and then discusses inequality, thereby drawing attention to poverty in regions of the world that on average are ‘less poor’ according to the ‘one-dollar-a-day’ poverty threshold. The focus moves to Latin America, where poverty and inequality are closely related to ethnicity and, in the face of declining assistance, argues for more, not less, commitment from policy makers to tackling poverty and the ‘ethnic gap’.