Hello and welcome, or should I say, Ola and bienvenitos, or maybe Ola and Benvindo.

Because all this week on Business Daily from the BBC World Service, we're looking at Latin America,

both the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries.

From the highlands of Peru to the Brazilian rainforest, it's a fabulous

region, blessed with vibrant cultures, talented people and incredible natural resources.

In Latin America, we have the geography, the people, the creativity, the power, the

capability, their normal desire. And what we want is basically to thrive, to be better to prosper.

And yet it hasn't prospered, at least not as much as it should have done.

It's been held back by deep-rooted inequality, bureaucracy, low productivity, corruption, violence,

and governments that often seem to be working for themselves rather than their people.

This region does not take off. It will not be able to take off until they tackle the problem of

inequality, the problem with distribution of wealth, and the problem of governments. Who are the

governments working for? I'm Gideon Long, and this week I want to take you on a tour of the region.

I lived and worked in Latin America for over 15 years, and I love the place, the people,

the music, the landscapes. But it can be exasperating. I saw businesses grappling with red tape,

huge gaps between rich and poor, and people struggling to make a living.

My costs have tripled overall. The costs are terrible, and the price of electricity

and gas is tripled.

We'll be looking at what's held the region back, comparing its economies with those of East

Asia and going to Brazil,

the region's economic giant. We'll also be looking at some of the region's success stories,

from food production to renewable energy. So buckle up and prepare for a ride through the

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