Bolivia

Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in South America. In addition, Bolivia is one of the most unequal countries in the world, despite being a country rich in mineral, gas, and oil resources. Great strides have been made in the last decade to tackle the worst aspects of poverty with a nascent welfare system that includes a number of conditional cash transfer programs. Understanding poverty in Bolivia requires recognition of the historical condition of colonialism suffered by the country under Spanish rule between the 16th and 17th centuries. The exploitation of silver from the Cerro Rico in Potosi dominated the economic plunder of the country at that time, according to Eduardo Galeano. This history continues to have implications for the way that poverty is ...