Why is inequality so high in Latin America? An interview with Francisco H. G. Ferreira

Have cash transfer programmes been successful in reducing poverty in Latin America? What does the region’s large “informal” sector mean for the adoption of universal policies (healthcare, childcare, basic income) to reduce inequality? Why is capital so highly concentrated – and to what extent is this shaped by historical legacies? And can Brazil balance economic development with protection of the Amazon rainforest? In this wide-ranging interview, Francisco H. G. Ferreira (Amartya Sen Professor of Inequality Studies at LSE and Director of the International Inequalities Institute) discusses these questions – and much more – in a stock-take of the state of inequality across Latin America. Asking the questions is Pranab Bardhan (Emeritus Professor at UC Berkeley).