Social Exclusion and Populism Are Challenges Latin America Must Face, Experts Say

03/16/2018 - 10h57

Latin America's 2018 calendar is packed with elections and the region will have to address a series of challenges to democracy, such as populism, social exclusion and a lack of trust in countries' institutions.

That was the theme that was discussed on the final day of the World Economic Forum on Latin America, which took place in São Paulo on Thursday (the 15th).

"There's this notion that things have deteriorated and this scenario means that people are willing to vote for outsiders, including some candidates with frightening strategies", said Alejandro Ramírez, the CEO of Cinépolis, a Mexican movie theater company.

According to the businessman, despite the region's progress over the last decade and the improvement of indicators such as life expectancy, infant mortality and poverty reduction, research reveals that Latin Americans have a pessimistic view of the future.

Mr. Ramírez suggests that this is related to the fact that the perception of violence is on the rise and that policies aimed at tackling violence and drug trafficking have failed.

"Confidence in politics and democracy is very low and that should worry us," said Andrés Velasco, a professor at Columbia University and a former Chilean finance minister.

At the beginning of the event, the economist pointed out that politicians and entrepreneurs are among the least-admired professions in the region: a view that further deteriorates confidence in democratic institutions.

At the end of the forum, participants discussed how new leaders can help give rise to a positive climate in the region.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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