Living in the shadow of the world's largest economy has not worked out well for Latin America's poor. Three hundred million can't meet their basic needs and they live in some of the most unequal countries in the world. But is there a change under way? Is the continent coping with globalization? How is big business changing the lives of the poor and what is the impact of more than twenty million Hispanics working in the US? Is massive democratic change in Bolivia the key, or new property rights for the poor in Peru? Can wages be raised from US$2 a day to 8?
This BBC World series talks to workers, farmers and the heads of corporations, award-winning writers and thinkers in an attempt to understand ‘The Other America’. The series is composed of 5 documentaries of 20-25 minutes each, produced in collaboration with Rockhopper Productions and SNV Netherlands Development Organization. Check showing days and times on the BBC World website. The first 4 episodes of the series are available for viewing below. We will add the remaining episode as it becomes available.
The first episode goes to Bolivia to examine the democratic revolution under President Evo Morales and his attempts to lift the country out of historic poverty.
The second episode looks at the theories of the famous Peruvian economist, Hernando de Soto. Can property rights on shanty town houses really provide a way out of poverty?
The third episode looks at the extent to which tourism can have a major impact on the economic lives of the poor, with insights from the industry in Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru to try to understand the potential of each one to change the lives of the poorest.
The fourth episode, titled Trade not Aid, discusses the role of business in fostering economic opportunities in the region. One way through which companies can be part of the solution is through inclusive business, that is, sustainable business initiatives that involve low-income communities along a company’s value chain – as employees, entrepreneurs, suppliers, distributors, retailers, customers, or sources of innovation in financially viable ways. The 20-minute episode features examples of inclusive business models being implemented by Dole (bananas) and CEMEX (cement), Perhusa (coffee).
The fifth and final episode follows workers into the US in search of the American Dream, in addition to offering an insight into the homes of Colombian farmers who are part of one of the world's most successful cooperatives, the national federation of coffee growers.
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