Publication: When Prosperity is Not Shared : The Weak Links between Growth and Equity in the Dominican Republic
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Date
2014-01
ISSN
Published
2014-01
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
The Dominican Republic has low economic
mobility, with less than 2 percent of its people climbing to
a higher income group during the decade, compared to an
average 41 percent in the Latin America and Caribbean region
as a whole. Despite improving access to basic goods and
services such as water and education, coverage and quality
remain uneven, thus limiting the economic opportunities of
many disadvantaged people. This reflects their inability to
influence the system to their benefit, a manifestation of
weak political agency. This report uses a comprehensive
definition of "equity" which entails that citizens
must have equal access to opportunities, be able to live in
dignity, and have the autonomy and voice to participate
fully in their communities and decide on life plans that
they have reason to value. This report identifies three
broad goals for addressing the underlying causes of economic
inequity in the Dominican Republic: (1) promote equitable,
efficient, and sustainable fiscal policy; (2) build fair,
transparent, and efficient institutions that will improve
the provision and quality of public goods and services,
expand economic opportunities, increase upward mobility, and
better protect economically vulnerable Dominicans; and (3)
strengthen access of the poor to labor markets and increase
the demand for their labor, so as to make efficient use of
human capital and allow the poor to benefit from economic
growth. The analysis presented in this study analyzes
mobility within generations by measuring directional income
movement, that is, the net upward or downward movement in
individual incomes over time. Serious analytical efforts
should be devoted to understanding the apparent
disconnection between macro and micro data that hinders the
ability of national statistics to accurately reflect
macroeconomic and social progress.
Citation
“World Bank. 2014. When Prosperity is Not Shared : The Weak Links between Growth and Equity in the Dominican Republic; Cuando la prosperidad no es compartida : los vínculos débiles entre el crecimiento y la equidad en la República Dominicana. © Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/17826 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”