Comprehensive Care Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean

Javier Romero is an economist in the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Global Practice and the Latin America and the Caribbean Gender Innovation Lab (LACGIL). His work focuses on economic development, health, labor, and gender, where he uses experimental and quasi-experimental methods to guide policy making. Javier holds a PhD and MA in economics from Duke University and a BA in economics from Universidad de Piura.

Carlos Rodriguez-Castelan is the Practice Manager of the Poverty and Equity Global Practice in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Region at the World Bank. Over the past years he has led technical work and policy dialogue on causes and consequences of poverty and inequality, welfare effects of digital technologies, and distributional effects of economic reforms and private sector investments in the LAC and Africa regions. He is a Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), and a Research Fellow at Mexico’s National Research System (SNI). He holds a Master’s and a PhD in economics from Cornell University. Prior to joining the bank, Carlos was a postdoctoral fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution.

Karina Batthyány is the Executive Director of the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO). PhD in Sociology, Full Professor of the Department of Sociology of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of the Republic (Uruguay). Member of the Governing Board of the ISC (International Science Council). She is a member of the National Research System of Uruguay. She is the author of numerous publications on the topics of social welfare, gender, public policies, unpaid work and care. Among her publications, the books “Latin American views of care”, “Care policies” and “Let's talk about inequality” stand out.

Senior specialist in social protection at the World Bank since 2010, working mainly in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Additionally, it has provided technical assistance to governments in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, in matters related to the design and implementation of benefits and social services (emphasis on transfer programs, early childhood development, care systems, psychosocial care strategies, and management of social cases), and the development and improvement of the institutional framework of social protection systems at different levels of government. She has 20 years of experience in the design and implementation of social protection policies and programs at both the central and local levels of government in Chile. Before joining the World Bank, she served as Executive Secretary of the Intersectoral Social Protection System in Chile. She was in charge of the design and coordination of the implementation of “Chile Solidario” and “Chile Crece Contigo” and the Integrated Social Information System. She was also head of the Social Division of the Chilean Ministry of Planning, where she was responsible for the National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey (CASEN) and the design of social programs and policies.

Pamela Suero is an economist, researcher and technical specialist in social policies and inclusive development. With more than 18 years of professional experience at the national and international level, she has collaborated in different processes to strengthen the social protection policy in the Dominican Republic, as a consultant to UNDP and the World Bank. She currently works at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, as Sectoral Coordinator in the Directorate of Analysis of Poverty, Inequality and Democratic Culture. Her task is the technical coordination for the development of the National Care Policy, beginning with the pilot strategy of Care Communities, and it is in charge of unifying the efforts of the allied institutions that have assumed the commitment to promote this innovative policy as part of the new strategy to combat poverty and fair socioeconomic recovery of the Dominican Government.

Leonardo Obando has a law degree with a mention in Tax Law from the University of Costa Rica. Tax Specialist from the Technological Institute of Costa Rica. He has worked as a parliamentary advisor for approximately 6 years. Currently he is Advisor to the Minister of Human Development and Social Inclusion, which is also the Executive President of the Mixed Institute of Social Aid.