Politics, Business & Culture in the Americas
science

Invasive New U.S. Visa Rules Hurt Americans Too

When the Zika virus arrived in Florida in 2016 after wreaking havoc in Latin America, Governor Rick Scott gave state universities $25 million to research how to combat the virus’ transmission, how to develop a potential vaccine, and how to treat those infected. Teams of scientists – Americans, Brazilians, Venezuelans, Colombians and Haitians – worked … Read more

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How Guatemala Is Tackling Its Social Issues

One year ago, Americas Quarterly’s 2013 Social Inclusion Index gave Guatemala the lowest total score of all countries evaluated, with a total of 14.8 points out of a possible 100.  The index ranked 16 countries, including the United States and 15 countries from Latin America.  The comments in the evaluation for Guatemala indicated that “Poverty … Read more

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The Protests in Venezuela Should Not be Overlooked

Over the last week, Brazil’s protests have captured headlines worldwide.  But Brazil is not the only South American country engulfed in protests.  Since early June, Venezuela has been witnessing a series of protests involving the university sector.  As with the public demonstrations in Brazil, the protests in Venezuela are a sign of deep political problems.  … Read more

WARSCHAUER

The Digital Divide and Social Inclusion

In a world where technology has delivered changes unimaginable even 10 years ago, as well as created sharp divides, it’s only logical that many would see computer proficiency as a fundamental learning skill. Today, quality education requires broad access to information and content, a medium for communication, and tools for analyzing data—all things that computers … Read more

The Effects of Skin Color in the Americas

Throughout Latin America, countries have long sought to claim immunity from the racial and ethnic divisions that plague the rest of the world. But that is changing as several countries—including Bolivia, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru—have begun to recognize the diverse nature of their societies and constitutionally declare themselves as multicultural. Most national censuses in … Read more

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Dilma’s Education Dilemma

More than anything, Brazil’s continued economic growth depends on a well-educated workforce. While Brazil is one of the three fastest-improving countries in terms of student test scores among the 65 countries that take part in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, educational reform is still a top priority. Despite the advances, Brazil suffers … Read more

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