This database includes officil information and indicators about the institutional framework of social policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. It consists of legal and regulatory frameworks, organizational structures, management tools, and fiscal resources mobilized in the social policy sphere.

The main objective of this initiative is to promote and contribute to the strengthening of social institutions, with a view of building universal social protection systems in Latin America and the Caribbean with sufficient levels of social investment.

This database has been developed by the Social Development Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) within the framework of the project "Strengthening Institutions for a Sustainable and Universal Social Protection Program - Promoting the Implementation of The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2016-2018", under the Cooperation Program between ECLAC and the Government of Germany (BMZ-GIZ). This project seeks to generate studies, methodological tools and accompanying processes of dialogue and reform that facilitate and foster the emergence of broad social pacts between various actors (government, civil society and private sector), as well as reforms aimed at strengthening the institutional framework of social protection policies and programmes, including policies and caretaker systems. Data has been obtained from official country documents unless other sources are cited.

For citations, please refer to "Social Development Division of ECLAC’s Institutional Framework Database for Social Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean”. Please send comments and suggestions to the following email address: desarrollosocial@cepal.org.