Manage HR Magazine | Monday, January 31, 2022
Latin America, being the most affected by the Covid’19 pandemic, is in desperate need for bringing forward a new generation of leaders to renew its political class
FREMONT, CA: According to the World Bank, Latin America is the region that is most affected by the coronavirus's combined human and economic devastation. Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, is one of the world's most renowned pandemic denialists. While Bolsonaro's poor management of the pandemic explains a lot of Brazil's suffering, it isn't the whole reason. Other countries in Latin America have fared considerably worse. The top five countries in a global ranking of excess deaths since the start of the pandemic, compiled by the Financial Times, are Peru, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Mexico. Their presidents' responses have not always been perfect, particularly in Nicaragua, but the issues transcend far beyond the leadership.
Stay ahead of the industry with exclusive feature stories on the top companies, expert insights and the latest news delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe today.
The pandemic has brought to light a long-standing problem in Latin America that is a lack of efficient state capacity. When governments pull the levers that should operate the health, law and order, or welfare systems, all too frequently nothing happens. Last year, Peru and Argentina imposed long curfews and provided significant welfare payments to individuals unable to work. Enforcement was uneven, resulting in devastated economies and an increase in diseases. Despite having one of the world's fastest vaccination programmes, the government of Chile is fighting a second wave of the virus; the cause is a premature relaxation of limitations, as well as less efficient Chinese vaccinations.
As a result, Latin America runs the risk of reverting to old political habits that have already cost it dearly such as rampant right and left populism, laced with authoritarianism and tainted by corruption. If the region is not to fall behind the rest of the developing world, it must first renew its political class, bringing forward a new generation of leaders who understand how to build national consensus around sustainable, inclusive growth in fairer societies powered by globally competitive economies. That appears to be a long way off at the moment.
More in News