SOCIAL POLICIES IN LATIN AMERICA

Abstract

This article critically analyzes social policies in Latin America and the Caribbean in a post-pandemic context marked by persistent inequalities, structural vulnerabilities, and mounting pressures on social protection systems. The research problem is to understand to what extent policies such as income transfers (with emphasis on Bolsa Família), public health, education, social assistance, social security, food security (including public procurement and the strengthening of family farming), and social housing have contributed to reconfiguring the State as an effective guarantor of rights and to expanding social protection. The study aims to examine the transformations, contradictions, and contemporary trends of these policies, while fostering academic and public debate about their relevance for human and social development and for the promotion of human rights. Methodologically, this is a qualitative, theoretical-bibliographic and documentary study, guided by a historical-critical approach grounded in Behring and Boschetti (2011), drawing on specialized literature and institutional reports, especially Cepal (2025) recent diagnosis. The findings indicate that, despite advances in recent decades, particularly the expansion of cash transfers and non-contributory components, the region continues to face high levels of poverty, low income, and food insecurity, as well as heterogeneity in coverage and social spending. The article concludes that moving beyond fragmented and targeted initiatives and advancing toward universal, comprehensive, sustainable, and resilient social protection systems is a necessary condition to turn the 2030 Agenda into concrete guarantees of well-being, citizenship, and human rights.