We are starting a new project that will explore how to promote formalization in the mining sector, with particular attention to the case study of Peruvian gold. It should be an exciting opportunity to link academic research and policy impact. We have raised funds to hire a post-doc with experience in qualitative research, willingness to spend time in Peru and interest in policy discussions. Please either apply or invite others to apply! You can find more details here.
Thoughts and discussion on inequality and development in Latin America in English...y Español
Saturday, November 14, 2020
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
More on my new book
"A compelling case for the urgency of tackling inequality, in Latin America and the world, without falling into the temptation of a silver-bullet approach. Thanks to Diego's insightful book, we now have a better understanding of the policies, politics and history of Latin American inequality. This book will be useful to succeed in the battle against social injustice in the region." --Rebeca Grynspan, Ibero-American Secretary General
"This book, by one of the best experts on inequalities and social policies in Latin America... is a must read in an era of rising global inequality, which is only becoming worse with the COVID-19 pandemic" -- José Antonio Ocampo (Columbia University, former Under-Secretary General of the UN)
"This is an excellent work on the complexities of inequality in Latin America and the lessons we can learn from ideas, social movements, and policies developed in middle income countries to reduce income and wealth inequality. This very important book is a must-read both for scholars of development studies and Latin American politics as well as for practitioners seeking to reduce inequality in developing and developed economies." --Dr Néstor Castañeda, University College London
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
My upcoming book
My new book is coming out in December. I wrote it primarily during my year at the Kellogg Institute in Notre Dame and I am very thankful to them for the opportunity. The book uses the Latin American experience to warn against the economic, political and social costs of inequality in other parts of the world. It also discusses some of the ways in which Latin Americans have tried to fight inequality and some of the policies and institutions we need to develop in the future. Although I will discuss more about the book in future entries, I just wanted to share my excitement about the news... at a time when I am finding hard to get excited about many other things.
You can find the link to the book in Bloomsbury here.
Saturday, April 18, 2020
A progressive future... or an opportunity for the radical right?
Here just a couple of examples. First an article from the New Yorker about Bernie Sanders:
Thursday, April 16, 2020
Religious leaders against inequality
“The next wave coming is the economic one … We have a choice there as a nation and as a society and as a world. Do we take hold of our destiny and make sure the differences are mitigated, abolished where possible – or do we just let things happen, do we let the market rule, in which case there will be enormous suffering.”
Will religious leaders make a difference? Will the fight against inequality become more accepted thanks in religious circles? Surely people like Justin Welby and Pope Francis are trying... and let's only hope their followers are listening.
Monday, April 6, 2020
Sunday, April 5, 2020
The US: best illustration of the class difference during the crisis?
Saturday, April 4, 2020
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Returning in the times of the coronavirus
Yet I am not coming back to the blog to talk about the virus; as much as I would like to contribute to those debates, I do not have particular expertise on the subject. Instead, I hope to write more often now to: (a) remind us all of the costs of growing costs of inequality; (b) explore the likely impact of the current crisis in income concentration; and, to a lesser extent, (c) discuss the extent to which the global North - global South division is still useful and valid.
To begin, let me include here a few links demonstrating that the impact of the crisis on income distribution is likely to be rather harmful (these articles are from The Economist and the FT, but I will try to diversify more in the future):