This briefing, which is published under the Global Economy and Finance Programme’s ‘Rebuilding International Economic Cooperation’ project, highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating economic and social insecurity for more than 2 billion people employed in the informal sector, and adding to global inequality. A radical rethink of the nature of work and social insurance is needed.

Luis Arce claimed an early victory in the Bolivian presidential election on October 18. His rise to the presidency also means a return to MAS party leadership, raising questions of what another left-wing political era could mean for the country.

Democracy is often depicted as a means to peacefully resolve political conflict and socioeconomic discontent. But what happens when that essential safety valve of elections has been closed off?

There has been no better example of the political diversity in Latin America than the varying responses of governments to the coronavirus crisis.

The silence of the European and Latin American heads of state given the US’s plan in Venezuela raises questions about true international support in the new twist in a 14 month saga.