The Quality of Life in Latin American Cities

Over the past several years, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced macroeconomic growth and a decline in poverty. Despite these trends, inequality remains high, while individuals; perceptions of economic opportunities and inequality are negative. This presentation summarizes a set of case studies which aim to make a relevant contribution to debate on the measurement of quality of life, valuation of public services, and self-reported satisfaction with the quality of urban life in order to guide future public policy in the region. The results of the case studies suggest that security, democracy, inequality and exclusion are major factors in determining happiness among resident in Latin American cities, and concludes with some thoughts and recommendations for future research.