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Policy expansion in compressed time: Assessing the speed, breadth and sufficiency of post-COVID-19 social protection measures in 10 Latin American countries

September 2020|ECLAC Series » Social Policy
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Policy expansion in compressed time: Assessing the speed, breadth and sufficiency of post-COVID-19 social protection measures in 10 Latin American countries

Author: Blofield, Merike - Giambruno, Cecilia - Filgueira, Fernando Editorial: ECLAC Date: September 2020 ECLAC symbol: LC/TS.2020/112

Description

The document analyzes the social protection responses of ten Latin American countries since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March 2020. The first section outlines the social context at the time the pandemic hit, case selection of the ten countries examined, and data on existing social protections. The second section provides an overview of income protection responses in response to COVID-19, in the ten countries, assessing speed, breadth and sufficiency. The third section provides detailed country responses in paired comparisons: Argentina and Chile; Peru and the Plurinational State of Bolivia; Brazil and Mexico; Colombia and Ecuador; and Uruguay and Costa Rica. The fourth section provides a conclusion, and tentative lessons for the medium term.

Table of contents

Summary .-- Introduction .-- I. The pre-pandemic social context .-- II Government social protection responses in Latin America during the pandemic: An overview of speed, breadth and sufficiency .-- III. Paths to post-COVID social protection: country responses. A. Argentina and Chile. B. Peru and the Plurinational State of Bolivia. C. Brazil and Mexico. D. Colombia and Ecuador. E. Uruguay and Costa Rica .-- IV. Moving forward: conclusions and lessons for the medium term.