Poverty, Inequality and New Technologies in Latin America

Abstract

Poverty and inequality represent two enormous challenges for the countries of Latin America. In 2002, about 220 million people (44% of Latin Americans) were poor, and the average incomes of the richest 20% of the population were between 10 (Uruguay) and 44 times (Bolivia) higher than the average incomes of the poorest 20% (ECLAC, 2004). In an age where ICT is bringing about profound changes to societies, it is thus relevant to analyze whether these technologies can contribute to poverty reduction, and what the impact on inequality may be.