Reassessing social policies in Latin America: Growth, middle classes and social rights

This paper examines the analytical bases of social policy in Latin America, as illustrated by empirical data. It finds that the dominant approach is based on the following premises: (i) economic growth is the primary mechanism for poverty reduction; (ii) social expenditure should focus mainly on the ?really poor?; (iii) private-sector provision of education, health and pension services should be encouraged; and (iv) emergency social protection programmes are needed to deal with macroeconomic crises and natural disasters. The article then identifies areas in which social policy can be renewed, such as income distribution, attention to the middle class as a target of social policies, possibilities for the poor and middle classes to accumulate capital, and the economic and social rights of the population.