Honors Theses (Romance Languages)

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Exploring the Impact of Neoliberal Economic Development on Poverty in Costa Rica: What Went Wrong?
(2006-05) Lubliner, Paul Brandon
Neoliberal economic development has in many ways hindered poverty reduction in Latin America. Costa Rica is a prime example of this. As one of the least poor countries in the region, Costa Rica might be seen as evidence of the success of neoliberal economic development. However, such a perception is generally misleading. In Costa Rica, neoliberal economic policies leave many people poor through uneven growth. In fact, the most significant neoliberal economic reforms in this country are on balance aggravating poverty levels. Ultimately, however, in its attempts to reduce poverty in an atmosphere of increasing neoliberal globalization, Costa Rica should continue to liberalize select aspects of its economy while strengthening social services for the poor and vulnerable. At the same time, the state should try to link these disadvantaged people into fruitful niches of the international and domestic economies while simultaneously increasing their social and political participation in development. Ultimately, in order for economic development to complement poverty reduction, the state, as a democratic entity, should have more rather than less control over the economy than is currently the case.