Abstract Economic progress in Latin America over the last decade has been undeniable: solid growth rates, macroeconomic stability and fiscal discipline were detained only temporarily by the international financial crisis that began in 2008. 1 The region has made significant progress in its poverty reduction strategy, with poverty rates decreasing from 48 per cent to 29 per cent between 1990 and 2011, and extreme poverty dropping from 23 per cent to 11 per cent (ECLAC, 2013). However, income inequality, despite falling, remains