Indigenous Peoples in Latin America: Economic Opportunities and Social Networks

28 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

Date Written: May 1, 2007

Abstract

Despite significant changes in poverty overall in Latin America, the proportion of indigenous peoples living in poverty did not change much from the early 1990s to the present. While earlier work focused on human development, much less has been done on the distribution and returns to income-generating assets and the effect these have on income generation strategies. The authors show that low income and low assets are mutually reinforcing. For instance, low education levels translate into low income, resulting in poor health and reduced schooling for future generations. Social networks affect the economic opportunities of individuals through two important channels - information and norms. However, the analysis shows that the networks available to indigenous peoples do not facilitate employment in nontraditional sectors.

Keywords: Population Policies, Rural Poverty Reduction, Anthropology, Economic Theory & Research, Investment and Investment Climate

Suggested Citation

Patrinos, Harry Anthony and Skoufias, Emmanuel and Lunde, Trine, Indigenous Peoples in Latin America: Economic Opportunities and Social Networks (May 1, 2007). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 4227, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=984619

Harry Anthony Patrinos (Contact Author)

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Emmanuel Skoufias

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Trine Lunde

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

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