The report appraises the impact ofeconomic development, or lack thereof, on the welfare of theColombian population, and the poor in particular, over thelast two decades, and, identifies priority areas for publicpolicy action, vis-e-vis the most vulnerable groups. Thewelfare assessment covers three key areas - income, accessto social services, and personal security, while it alsocompares welfare indicators between urban, and rural areas,and across other regional partitions. Questions are raisedon the depths of poverty, and, on the Government'sresponsiveness to the incidence of poverty. Findings suggestthat despite substantial long-term progress, a recentsetback fostered an extreme urban poverty, and, althoughduring the period social indicators reflect positive socialdevelopment trends, homicide and domestic violence for thepoor, and property crime for the non-poor have escalated tounprecedented rates, where the burden of crime isdisproportionately borne by poor women. This violencedisrupts the market economy, imposing a considerablepsychological cost on those who are not directly victimizedas well. Government actions nonetheless, show huge publicexpenditure efforts in social sectors, but with mixedresults; therefore, the study addresses the imperative needfor high economic growth to reverse poverty, through socialprograms prioritizing on childcare, health, and basicinfrastructure. Likewise, an environment of increasingeconomic insecurity calls for valuable policy instruments,namely, safety-net programs, to enhance social protection.
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