Youth Economic Opportunities and Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean: Unpacking the Relationship and Exploring Solutions

Espacio Público, an independent Chilean think tank, with the support and collaboration of IDRC and the IADB, has coordinated a research project on youth education and labor decisions in 9 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. This data sheds light on the relationship between violence, education and labor opportunities in countries with high levels of “hard” violence (gangs, murders, drugs, etc.) such as El Salvador, and countries where “symbolic” violence prevails (discrimination) such as in Chile. How do different forms of violence impact on youth trajectories? Which are the mechanisms by which both, violence and opportunities affect each other? How has this negative equilibrium between high violence/low opportunities been effectively addressed?