Experts: As economy grows, income disparity in Latin America widens

Published: 2007-07-30

LIMA, Peru (CNS) -- A team of U.S. and Peruvian researchers was investigating glaciers in the remote Andes Mountains of central Peru when a two-day general strike in the region was called to protest government economic policies. As they tried to return to the city they were using as a base, the researchers were stopped by angry protesters, who on seeing their pickup truck mistook them for mining company employees and broke their windows with rocks. The incident was one of many around Peru in mid-July, as teachers, farmers and others took their discontent to the streets, especially in the country's southern highlands. Protesters' roadblocks halted traffic, interrupting food shipments to cities, and tourists were frustrated by demonstrations that blocked the route to some of the country's major attractions. Despite six years of steady economic growth, mainly from the export of minerals such as gold and copper, most Peruvians, especially those in rural areas, say they are not feeling the benefits. The same scenario is playing out around Latin America, the region of the world with the greatest income disparity.

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