Preserving Latin American Regional Human Capital in the Midst of the Corona Crisis

42
DOI: 10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-10-133-141
E. Ermolieva (ermolieva@gmail.com),
Institute of Latin American Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, 21/16, B. Ordynka Str., Moscow, 115035, Russian Federation

Received 21.11.2020.

Abstract. International organizations are increasingly expressing deep concern about the danger posed by the SARS-Cov‑2 coronavirus pandemic, which could lead to the loss of the human potential accumulated in every region of the world. As the United Nations warned, global human development, measured as a combination of education, health and living standards, could decline the achievements in human capital in 2020. Latin America and the Caribbean has become a hotspot of the coronavirus COVID‑19 pandemic, because of region’s weak social protection and fragmented health systems. The article analyzes the impact of pandemic on education and health which are the main dimensions of human capital as T. Shutlz and G. Becker proved. Following the principle of comparative analysis research, the author wants to review the specific features of corona crisis, such new and non-standard situation in different states of Latin-Caribbean America. To achieve this goal, the author used the main tools of scientific analysis: empirical data were collected and analyzed regarding the situation in education and health systems in Latin America, and an attempt was made to draw analogies with the processes taking place in other regions and countries. The conclusion is that the pandemic is more than a health emergency; it is a systemic humanitarian crisis. Most of Latin American countries might face a real generational catastrophe that wastes mainly their youth human capital. The general social shocks caused by the COVID‑19 pandemic could signify a great reversal in the region human development.

Keywords: Latin America region, coronavirus pandemic, healthcare and education systems, human capital indicators


REFERENCES

1. Becker G.S. Investment in a Human Capital: A Theoretical Analysis. Part 2: Investment in Human Beings. Journal of Political Economy, University Chicago Press, 1962, vol. 70, no. 5, pp. 9-49. DOI: 10.1086/258724

2. Kapelyushnikov R.I. Modern Western Concepts of Labour Force Formation. Moscow, Nauka, 1981. 773 p. (In Russ.)

3. The History of Economic Theories. Khudokormov A.G., ed. Moscow, INFRA-M, 2007. 733 p. (In Russ.)

4. Medina Alvarado I.L. Desarrollo educativo, economico y social. Aportes de la teoria del capital humano en America Latina. Revista Caribena de Ciencias Sociales, Octubre, 2019. Available at: https://www.eumed.net/rev/caribe/2019/10/desarrollo-educativo-economico.html (accessed 13.09.2020).

5. The Global Human Capital Report 2017. Preparing People for the Future of Work. WEF. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-global-human-capital-report-2017 (accessed 15.09.2017).

6. The Human Capital Project. World Bank, Washington, DC, 2018. Available at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/30498 (accessed 15.09.2017).

7. The Human Capital Index 2020 Update: Human Capital in the Time of COVID‑19. World Bank. September 2020. Available at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/34432 (accessed 13.09.2020).

8. Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and Education: All Means All. Statistical Annex. UNESCO, Paris, 2020. 436 p.

9. World Development Indicators. World Bank. Available at: https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/ (accessed 05.10.2020).

10. COVID‑19 and Human Development: Assessing the Crisis, Envisioning the Recovery. UNDP, 2020. Available at: http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/covid-19_and_human_development_0.pdf (accessed 29.10.2020).

11. Health at a Glance. Latin America and the Caribbean, 2020. OECD/World Bank. 138 ð.

12. World Health Statistics, 2020. Monitoring Health for SDGs. World Health Organization. Available at: https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/332070 (accessed 15.10.2020).

13. Kotyrlo E.S. Human Development and Human Capital as Scientific Categories. Audit and Financial Analysis, 2011, no. 6, pp. 376-381. (In Russ.)

14. Budaev A.V. The Coronavirus Pandemic in the Latin America: Factor of the Rollback to the Past or a Drive for Development? Latin America, 2020, no. 9, pp. 6-23. (In Russ.)

15. WHO Coronavirus (COVID‑19) Dashboard Overview. Available at: https://covid19.who.int (accessed 29.06.2021).

16. Salud y economia: una convergencia necesaria para enfrentar el COVID‑19 y retomar la senda hacia el desarrollo sostenible en America Latina y el Caribe. CEPAL. Available at: https://www.cepal.org/es/publicaciones/45840-salud-economia-convergencia-necesaria-enfrentar-covid-19-retomar-la-senda (accessed 19.09.2020).

17. FAO, FIDA, OPS, WFP y UNICEF. Panorama de la seguridad alimentaria y nutricion en America Latina y el Caribe 2020. Santiago de Chile. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4060/cb2242es (accessed 19.09.2020).

18. D’yakova L. Social Policy in Latin American Countries in the Early 21st Century: Opportunities and Limits. Mirovaya ekonomika i mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya, 2020, vol. 64, no. 10, pp. 112-120. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2020-64-10-112-120

19. COVID‑19 in Latin America: A Humanitarian Crisis. Editorial. The Lancet, 2020 Nov. 7, vol. 396, iss. 10261. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32328-X

20. El impacto del COVID’19 en la educacion podria desperdiciar un gran potencial humano y revertir decadas de progreso. Available at: https://news.un.org/es/story/2020/08/1478302 (accessed 15.11.2020).

21. Garcia Jaramillo S. COVID‑19 y educacion primaria y secundaria: repercusiones de la crisis e implicaciones de politica publica para America Latina y el Caribe. PNUD LAC C19 PDS, no. 20, 2020. 38 p. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/lac/media/16851/file/CD19-PDS-Number19-UNICEF-Educacion-ES.pdf (accessed 18.09.2020).

22. Barria C. Coronavirus: 6 efectos de la “catastrofe generacional” en la educacion en America Latina provocada por la Covid‑19 (y 3 planes de emergencia para ayudar a mitigar la crisis). BBC, 14.09.2020. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-54097136 (accessed 13.07.2021).

23. Di Gropello M. ¿Que resultados nos dejan los ultimos resultados de PISA 2018 para America Latina? Available at: https://blogs.worldbank.org/es/latinamerica/que-lecciones-nos-dejan-los-ultimos-resultados-de-pisa-2018-para-america-latina (accessed 17.11.2020).

24. OECD et al. Latin American Economic Outlook 2020: Digital Transformation for Building Back Better. OECD Publishing, 2020. 156 p. DOI: 10.1787/e6e864fb-en

25. La educacion en tiempos de la pandemia de Covid‑19. Informe. CEPAL/UNESCO. Santiago de Chile, 20 de agosto 2020. 21 ð.

26. Zenkov A.R. Education in the Pandemic Time: What Does the Crisis Show? (In Russ.) Available at: https://www.imemo.ru/news/events/text/obrazovanie-v-usloviyah-pandemii-chto-pokazivaet-krizis (accessed 17.11.2020).

27. Covid‑19: tecnologias digitales y educacion superior. ¿Que opinan los docentes? BID, Nota CIMA # 21, junio 2020. Available at: https://publications.iadb.org/es/nota-cima-21-covid-19-tecnologias-digitales-y-educacion-superior-que-opinan-los-docentes (accessed 11.10.2020).

28. Docentes universitarios en pandemia: mayor estres y baja interaccion con los alumnos. Available at: https://politicadelsur.com/nota/61989/docentes-universitarios-en-pandemia-mayor-estres-y-baja-interaccion-con-los-alumnos/ (accessed 11.10.2020).

29. La pandemia saca a millones de estudiantes de las universidades de Latinoamerica. Available at: https://www.infobae.com/america/the-new-york-times/2020/09/06/la-pandemia-saca-a-millones-de-estudiantes-de-las-universidades-de-latinoamerica (accessed 14.07.2021).

30. Ermol’eva E.G. Major Problems and Pressing Needs of the Young in Latin America. Latin America, 2019, no. 1, pp. 12-27. (In Russ.)

31. Portes J. The Lasting Scars of the Covid‑19 Crisis: Channels and Impacts. Available at: https://voxeu.org/article/lasting-scars-covid-19-crisis (accessed 13.10.2020).

32. Yakovleva N.M., Yakovlev P.P. Latin America: The Road to Coronacrisis. Outlines of Global Transformations: Politics, Economics, Law, 2020, vol. 13, no. 5, pp. 73-93. (In Russ.) Available at: https://doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2020-13-5-5

33. Pais A. Coronavirus: 4 paises de America Latina que lograron aplicar estrategias exitosas de educacion a distancia ante la pandemia. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-52375867 (accessed 17.11.2020).

34. World Bank. COVID‑19 and Human Capital. Europe and Central Asia Economic Update, Fall 2020. (In Russ.) Available at: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/34518/211643RU.pdf (accessed 17.11.2020).

35. Countries where COVID‑19 has spread. Available at: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/countries-where-coronavirus-has-spread/ (accessed 15.07.2021).

36. Euro area unemployment at 8.3%. Eurostat News Release, 38/2021–6 April 2021. Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/11563007/3-06042021-AP-EN.pdf/15bf6b6d-2b36-cfb9-c833-d8efe89b881d?t=1617669574756 (accessed 20.03.2021).

37. Comparecencia del gobernador en la Comision para la Reconstruccion Social y Economica de Espana tras el Covid‑19 (Congreso de los Diputados). Available at: https://www.bde.es/bde/es/secciones/prensa/intervpub/Discursos_del_Go/comparecencia-del-gobernador-en-la-comision-para-la-reconstruccion-social-y-economica--de-espana-tras-el-covid-19--del-congreso-de-los-diputados.html (accessed 16.07.2021).

38. Young people neither in employment nor in education and training (NEET), by sex and age – quarterly data. Eurostat. Available at: https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=lfsi_neet_q&lang=en%5C (accessed 08.07.2021).


Registered in System SCIENCE INDEX

For citation:
Ermolieva E. Preserving Latin American Regional Human Capital in the Midst of the Corona Crisis. World Eñonomy and International Relations, 2021, vol. 65, no. 10, pp. 133-141. https://doi.org/10.20542/0131-2227-2021-65-10-133-141



Comments (0)

No comments

Add comment







Indexed

 

 

 

 

Dear authors! Please note that in the VAK List of peer-reviewed scientific journals, in which the main scientific results of dissertations for the degree of candidate and doctor of sciences should be published for the “MEMO Journal” the following specialties are recorded:
economic sciences:
5.2.5. World Economy.
5.2.1. Economic Theory
5.2.3. Regional and Branch Economics
political sciences:
5.5.4. International Relations
5.5.1. History and Theory of Politics
5.5.2. Political Institutions, Processes, Technologies

 

Current Issue
2025, vol. 69, No. 1
Topical Themes of the Issue:
  • Global Trends in Robotics
  • Legal Support of China’s Foreign Policy
  • Latin America in the Context of a Changing World Order
  • Is Legal Self-Restraint of Western Hegemony Possible?
Announcement

Dear authors of the journal!

Please note that the author's copies of the issues in which your texts are published are kept in the editorial office for no more than one year. After this period expires, the editorial office has the right to dispose of unclaimed copies at its own discretion.

 

Submit an Article
INVITATION FOR PUBLICATION
The Editorial Board invites authors to write analytical articles on the following topics:
  • changes in the processes of globalization in modern conditions
  • formation of the new world order
  • shifts in civilization at the stage of transition to a digital society

The editors are also interested in publishing synthesis articles / scientific reviews revealing the main trends in the development of certain regions of the world - Latin America, Africa, South Asia, etc.