Social Investment and Education Policies

The study did not claim that policies caused the observed reductions in inequality. Ecuador's 2008 Constitution declared the country plurinational and intercultural. The 2006 Ten-Year Education Plan supported inclusive bilingual education and reduced financial barriers. Affirmative action policies required at least 10% student representation from Afro-Ecuadorian, Montubio, and Indigenous groups. TB transmission in comparable urban Latin American settings is described as driven by socioeconomic inequality and health system limitations. Homelessness significantly increased mortality risk. Subsidised or absent health insurance significantly increased mortality risk. Most cohort members were in the lowest socioeconomic strata.