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p. 11 of 15 BACK | NEXT Executive Summary I. An Analytical Framework II. Regional Experiences A. Africa B. Asia and Pacific C. Central and Eastern Europe, the Baltic States, and the CIS D. Latin America and the Caribbean E. Regional Summary III. Policy Actions to Help Poor People Gain from Globalized Markets

Global Poverty Reduction 2001 : II. Regional Experiences

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E. Regional Summary

49. The experience of the various regions shows the working of the linkages between trade and poverty reduction highlighted in the first chapter. In Africa, trade liberalization has not always spurred an investment and growth response because of constraints in regulations, infrastructure, and education levels. In many Asian countries, trade has helped reduce poverty through a strong impact on growth. In the transition countries of the former Soviet Union, governance and regulatory factors greatly limited the process of transition to new competitive activities and lost jobs were not replaced, at great costs in terms of unemployment and increases in poverty. In Latin America this link is not as well established; changes in the relative demand for skilled and unskilled labor have contributed to an increase in the returns to skilled labor relative to those to unskilled labor. In some countries, such as Mexico, this has contributed to wider income inequality and decreased the poverty-reducing impact of growth. The next chapter discusses policy actions that increase the potential to gain from globalized markets for poor people and poor countries.

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