Clark Honors College

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Assessing the Needs of the Poor: The Case of Veracruz
(University of Oregon, 2023) Acevedo, Kathy; Beck, Erin; Shoop, Casey; Aguilera, Michael
"From a socioeconomic standpoint Panama is a well-developed country that is socially, economically, and politically stable however, the reality is that poverty and inequality continue to persist and affect the lives of Panamanians. Social protection programs were created by the Panamanian government to alleviate issues affecting impoverished communities but there is limited research regarding the lived experiences and perceptions of people whom social services are supposed to be serving. This thesis seeks to address that gap by using Veracruz as a case study which is one of the most impoverished towns in Panama to explore the experiences of the poor regarding the effectiveness of these programs that are aimed at them. This study took a qualitative approach and a total of 10 individuals from Veracruz were interviewed. The results of this study revealed that community members of Veracruz experienced various social challenges that impede them from meeting their most basic needs and that social protection programs make little difference in their lives. This thesis concludes with a series of recommendations that should be considered to alleviate the most pressing issues facing Panamanians at the national and local levels. "