Dossier: Paradoxical triangular development in the Americas

Abstract

This dossier shows the paradoxes and contradictions in human development in Latin America and the Caribbean, based on a review of its diverse dimensions and a triangular vision that invites us to value the role of a good State, a diverse market and an empowered civil society, as well as the operationalization of the values of freedom with high-quality democracy, equality with a State that deals effectively with social issues and the fraternity that ensures peaceful coexistence and respect for minorities.

From this perspective, Cuba shows the sustainability of its social and environmental development. Jamaica and Honduras are going through a serious citizen security crisis that shows the ineptitude of the State in societies in which tax collection and co-responsibility move away from each other. Colombia and Panama show their inequality, but at the same time their improvements in development indicators, their efforts to promote democracy and interculturality, as well as hope in peace processes and less corruption. Meanwhile, Ecuador shows progress, remaining challenges (it continues to be in the mid-range regarding development), and achievements in the fields of indigenous power and a vision of the world that seeks to permeate all policies with the idea of Good Living.

We thank the Chilean and international students of the development theories course, of the Masters in Latin American Social and Political Studies, Social Ethics and Human Development, and Government and Society from Alberto Hurtado University, for the contributions that we present below.