Title: ECONOMETRIC MODEL TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF POVERTY IN LATIN AMERICA ACCORDING TO THE ECLAC POVERTY INDEX
Authors:
Alberto Merced Castro Valencia and Caribert Toussaint
Abstract:
This article develops a panel-data econometric framework to explain poverty dynamics in Latin America using poverty indicators and methodological criteria associated with the Eco- nomic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC/CEPAL). The study treats poverty as a multidimensional structural phenomenon linked to growth, inequality, labour- market segmentation, inflation, education and social expenditure. A quantitative, explana- tory and longitudinal design is proposed for a cross-country panel covering Latin American economies with comparable official data. The preferred specification combines country and time effects with robust inference. Because no validated dataset accompanies this draft, the numerical results reported are explicitly illustrative; they show plausible sign patterns in which higher GDP per capita, schooling and social expenditure reduce poverty, whereas inequality, unemployment, inflation and informality increase it. The article concludes with policy im- plications for social protection, fiscal capacity, labour formalisation and regional statistical harmonisation.
Keywords: Poverty Measurement; Multidimensional Poverty; ECLAC; CEPALSTAT; Latin America; Panel Data Econometrics.
PDF Download