Pilferage from Mail Remains Significant Problem in Emerging Countries

One of the developmental barriers faced by emerging economies is the unreliability of local mail. For example, a team led by Marco Castillo of George Mason University discovered that more than 18% of envelopes sent from the United States to households in Lima, Peru, didn’t arrive at their destinations, and envelopes containing money were 50% more likely to be “lost” than others. “Clearly, those who handle the mail are looking for clues that might suggest that an envelope holds something of value,” the researchers say.