On Wednesday, December 15, the reinsurance giant Swiss Re released a new report, "Microinsurance: Risk Protection for 4 Billion People." The report describes the ways in which microinsurance differs from conventional insurance and how it can effectively help low-income households manage risk, especially through such products as health or agriculture microinsurance. Microinsurance also represents a huge growth opportunity for the insurance sector at large, with the potential to cover 4 billion people globally and generate $40 billion in income.

The report details some of the challenges the microinsurance industry faces, including developing an insurance-buying culture among low-income households, finding appropriate distribution channels and establishing a regulatory framework. It also points out that in those sectors where commercial microinsurance may not be completely viable--for example among extremely poor populations--government support through public-private partnerships may be necessary.

To read the full report, click here.

The Center for Global Affairs at NYU-SCPS and the AS/COA held a Fall 2010 Issue Launch of Americas Quarterly featuring a discussion on the challenges and advances in improving access to quality education in the Americas featuring experts, authors and policy makers from NYU, Columbia University, NGOs and the private sector.

Tonight, Brazilian music star Jair Oliveira will kick off a U.S. tour to promote Sambazz, his latest release that is a CD/book combination. Born in São Paulo and the son of famed Brazilian singer Jair Rodrigues, Oliveira first became famous for his co-starring role on the hit TV show and band Balão Mágico (“Magic Balloon”). Today, he is a successful composer, performer and producer whose work has earned him several Latin Grammy nominations and collaborations with other top Brazilian artists. The tracks of Sambazz vary in their sound, ranging from a bilingual bossa nova ballad to a danceable ode to soccer fans. The book accompanying the CD chronicles the album’s creation.

Oliveira’s U.S. tour begins tonight at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage in Washington, D.C. He will play two shows in New York on Saturday, November 13 at SOB’s in SoHo—and then continue on to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin. To learn more about Jair Oliveira, please visit his official website.

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
El Teatro at El Museo del Barrio
Admission: Free

Produced and directed by Eva Longoria Parker in partnership with the Pepsi Yo Sumo ("I Count"/ "I Add Up") initiative, this film highlights Latinos' accomplishments and their impact in shaping the future of the United States. Latinos Living the American Dream, which includes just a few of the 600 stories submitted by Latinos nationwide, is the culmination of Pepsi's Yo Sumo initiative, which encourages Latinos to go beyond being simply counted in the Census and share their thoughts on how they contribute to American progress.

Providing quality education for all is perhaps the defining challenge in the Americas today. Education affects social cohesion, political inclusion and competitiveness in a global economy. Yet the Americas, from the U.S. to the Southern Cone, are slipping in world rankings. What can be done to save them?

The Fall issue of Americas Quarterly—released on Thursday, October 28—explores the economics, politics, challenges, and advances in education in the Western Hemisphere. Articles address a range of issues: school performance and education policy, the difficulties of measuring student performance and quality, and the challenges and stories of innovation and change.

In our Ask the Experts section, New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, the Minister of Education of the Dominican Republic and others offer their insight on the top priority for reforming education. The new issue will also feature a pictorial tribute to eight outstanding teachers nominated by peers across the hemisphere.

The Fall AQ also features expert analysis on Argentina’s 2011 presidential election, the recovery of assets stolen by corrupt leaders, security challenges in Peru, organized crime in Guatemala, and the struggle over oil royalties in Brazil, among others.

Last week Americas Quarterly held a launch of its summer issue, Health Care: How Technology and Business are Expanding Access to Health Care.

•    How can mobile phones and other technology revolutionize health care delivery to reach underserved populations?
•    How can the public and private sectors use their comparative advantages to improve the overall quality and reach of health care in the region?
•    How is health care in Latin America likely to evolve in the next decade in terms of reaching excluded groups?

Panelists: Challenges for Health in Mexico

Fernando Alvarez del Rio, Head of the Unit for Economic Analysis, Secretariat
of Health, Mexico
Robert Simpson, Director of Latin America Public Affairs and Policy, Pfizer, Inc.
Christopher Sabatini, Editor-in-Chief, Americas Quarterly; Senior Director of Policy, Americas Society and Council of the Americas (Moderator)

Panelists: New Trends in Health Care

Walter Curioso, Specialist in Biomedical and Health Informatics, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Patricio Villareal, Co-Founder, Imagen Dental; Co-Founder, Alivio Capital
Gustavo Menéndez Bernales, Manager, Emerging Markets, Cisco Internet  Business Solutions Group
Jason Marczak, Senior Editor, Americas Quarterly; Director of Policy, Americas Society and Council of the Americas (Moderator)

*Summary is forthcoming.

This program was supported by the Ford Foundation and the Tinker Foundation.

Americas Quarterly custom course packets are now available for use in the classroom. Covering a wide range of topics, including the economy, security, immigration, and health care, AQ articles, interviews and data are an excellent resource for students learning about policy, politics and development in the Americas.

For more information, click here. For help designing your course packet, please contact Nina Agrawal at aqinfo@as-coa.org or 212-277-8390.

An article in the Sunday New York Times looks at the role of peace officers in pacifying Rio de Janeiro's favelas. Read "In Rough Slum, Brazil's Police Try Soft Approach" by Alexei Barrionuevo.

For more on Rio's new police tactics, read a recent  (Spring 2010) AQ Ask The Experts response from Rio de Janeiro Governer Sérgio Cabral on how communities and policymakers can best protect citizens and take back communities. Also, in that issue, William Bratton and William Andrews propose a new strategy for reducing crime in Latin America.

In May 2010, AQ launched its Spring issue on Transnational Crime and Security in Rio de Janeiro with Governer Cabral as the keynote speaker. He was joined by a panel of security experts from the private sector, government, and civil society. Read the program summary.

The Instituto Mídia Étnica (Ethnic Media Institute) recently began producing “Panafricas: A Perpetual Return to our Motherland,” a six-part documentary series on the shared history of Afro-Brazilians and Africans. The series will showcase the ways in which African culture came to shape Brazilian culture—for example, its language, religious customs, music, and gastronomy. In addition, it will depict how Afro-Brazilian culture in turn impacted African communities following the return of ex-slaves to their lands of origin.

The multi-series documentary will be produced over two years, beginning in the fall of 2010. Each documentary will focus on one region within Africa. Dr. Carlos Moore, an Afro-Cuban ethnologist, historian and international relations scholar, will supervise the project and serve as the films’ narrator. Eventually, the documentaries will be aired on public television and distributed to schools and cultural institutions for educational purposes.

Instituto Mídia Étnica, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, was founded in 2005 by a group of young media professionals hoping to use communications media to combat racial stereotypes and effect social change. It partners with local, national and international organizations; engages in advertising campaigns; and hosts radio and video workshops to bring communications technology to poor communities in Brazil. For more information, visit www.midiaetnica.org.

Americas Quarterly held a panel discussion at the Latin American Studies Association's Annual Conference Policy Dialogue in Toronto, Canada.

When: Thursday, October 7, 2010
6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

Where: Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
Conference Room B
123 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Map of location