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Quality of Life in Latin America and the Caribbean

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Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research

Abstract

Latin America and the Caribbean is a vast region with a population above 550 million and with an extension above 20 million square kilometers. It goes from the northern 32° parallel to the southern 56° parallel (not considering Antarctic territories). Many languages are spoken in the region, such as Spanish, Portuguese, French, English, Quechua, Guaraní, Náhuatl, Aymara, and others. As expected, it is a diverse region; there are significant intercountry differences, as well as substantial intracountry disparities. However, albeit it is vague, there is a general idea of the region as a single entity, and most people in the region can identify themselves as Latin-Americans and as Caribbean. This chapter does not aspire to be exhaustive, since it would be almost impossible to encompass all the relevant issues and all the significant research about quality of life in such a vast and diverse region. Hence, this chapter aims to provide a general overview of some relevant issues about quality of life in Latin America and the Caribbean. Section “The Region” discusses the delimitation of the region. Section “The Quality of Life Situation: Assessment Based on Objective Socioeconomic Indicators” provides a quantitative view of the main quality of life problems in the region. Section “The Quality of Life Situation: Assessment Based on Subjective Well-Being Indicators” follows a subjective well-being perspective to assess the region’s situation. Section “Some Relevant Issues About Latin-American Quality of Life” follows a more qualitative and historical perspective to explain some quality of life problems and to understand the factors that structurally threaten quality of life in the region; it is based on a survey of recent studies. Section “Conclusions” elaborates on the main conclusions.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There is a large group of territories in the geographical region that are under the administration of foreign countries, such as: Anguilla (United Kingdom), Netherlands Antilles (The Netherlands), Aruba (The Netherlands), British Virgin Islands (United Kingdom), United States Virgin Islands (United States), Montserrat (United Kingdom), Puerto Rico (United States), Cayman Islands (United Kingdom), Guadaloupe (France), Martinique (France), French Guyana (France), Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom), Bermudas (United Kingdom), Falkland Islands (United Kingdom), and South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands (United Kingdom).

  2. 2.

    Income and GDP are used as synonymous in this chapter.

  3. 3.

    Low social mobility in the region is the consequence of a combination of historical and institutional factors, for example: Inheritance plays an important role in economies based on family-owned firms. The economically poor do have fewer opportunities than the rich for accessing high-quality education and health services. Labor markets and economic opportunities are influenced by institutions that favor networks and family links. Furthermore, there is widespread discrimination on the basis of ethnic factors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. FLACSO-México & UPAEP, Mexico City, Mexico

    Mariano Rojas

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  1. Mariano Rojas
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Correspondence to Mariano Rojas .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Duke University, Hudson Hall 130, Durham, 27708, North Carolina, USA

    Kenneth C. Land

  2. , Faculty of Arts, Brandon University, 18th Street 270, Brandon, R7A 6A9, Manitoba, Canada

    Alex C. Michalos

  3. Pamlin College of Business, Dept. Marketing, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Pamplin Hall 2025, Blacksburg, 24061-0236, Virgin Islands, USA

    M. Joseph Sirgy

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Rojas, M. (2012). Quality of Life in Latin America and the Caribbean. In: Land, K., Michalos, A., Sirgy, M. (eds) Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-2421-1_24

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