Do Options Exist ?: The Reform of Pension and Health Care Systems in Latin America(Pitt Latin American Series)

This timely volume brings together specialists on the reform of social security systems to analyze the similarities and differences of those health care and pension reforms that have taken place since the early 1990s and suggests possible gains through recent or contemplated revisions to those systems.

About the Author :
Maria Amparo Cruz Saco Oyague is the Lenore Tingle Howard Professor of Economics at Connecticut College. She is the author of several research articles in professional journals and books, most notably La macroeconomia de una economia abierta. She is also Carmelo Mesa-Lago is Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Economics and Latin American Studies at the University of Pittsburgh. He wrote, coordinated, and revised the translation of this book.

Review :
Mesa-Lago, who served as director of UCIS' Center for Latin American Studies for 17 years, is arguably the world' s leading scholar in Latin American social security policy. There are the scores of books he's written on the topic, including books from the University of Pittsburgh Press' Latin American Series. There are his numerous research fellowships. But the real proof is more prosaic: Mesa-Lago is sought out by European countries, by Asian countries, by the United States government, by the World Bank, for goodness' sake, just for his opinions and suggestions on pension reform. The sound and insightful analysis in this volume asssesses a variety of social security and health care schemes in Latin America, where policy issues have been joined in a particuarly compelling way. The strength of both the data and the argumentation, however, makes this book a rich source of authoritative guidance for the reform of pensions and health systems in many other countries. The problems addressed by the editors and their collaborators are either already in view elsewhere or are waiting to erupt while the next century is still young. Thus, the talented researchers who compose this team should find a growing number of policy makers and policy analysts in their intellectual debt and the years roll by. With a wealth of detail on a dozen major countries in Latin America, this edited volume demonstrates that there is no single path to reform of social protection. The editors' summary and recommendations remind those seeking simple solutions that each national experience precludes applying one-size-fits-all formulae. Globalization may push all governments toward slimmer safety nets, but incumbent stakeholders will resist, draw out, and attenuate moves toward greater equity and efficiency. This first time combining of pension and health-care analysis opens a door to a more complete vision of the process of reform that will be decades long in many countries. This work will continue to be a standard reference for years to come. Rich in empirical information, wide ranging across large and small Latin American countries, and firmly focused on the reform of pension and health care systems, this comprehensive book is likely to become the standard reference work on its subjects. To my knowledge, no other book accomplishes so much in these areas. Do Options Exist? represents a major contribution to the field. Scholars and policy-makers alike will find it an essential reference for many years to come on the topic of Latin American social security.