bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Institutionalizing Monitoring of Rural Water Services in Latin America: Lessons from El Salvador, Honduras and Paraguay
Authors: Smits Stef , Uytewaal Erma , Sturzenegger Germán
Published: March 2024

In the last two years, various countries in Latin America have begun monitoring rural water supply service delivery, largely driven by two objectives: 1) to establish rural water inventories for investment planning, and 2) to better target post construction support. For such monitoring systems not to face sustainability challenges, clear institutional and financial arrangements must be established. The International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Spanish Cooperation Agency for International Development (AECID) have been supporting the design and implementation of such monitoring systems in El Salvador, Honduras and Paraguay. In coordination with local sector agencies, a methodology to define an institutional framework for monitoring was developed and tested. This paper provides an overview of the approach, including examples and cost estimates from the three countries.
Approach Paper: Country Program Evaluation: Barbados (2010-2013)
Authors: Marto Ricardo , Fryer Michelle , Conroy Hector , Scholl Lynn , Stone Leslie F.
Published: March 2024

This approach paper summarizes the scope, methodological approach and main evaluation questions for the proposed assessment of the Bank's program with the Government of Barbados during the 2010-2013 period.
Evaluation of IDB Action Plan for Private Sector Development in C&D Countries
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This paper (RE-319) presents the evaluation of the Action Plan in support of private sector development in C&D Countries performed by the Office of Evaluation and Oversight. In this context, considering that the strategies for private sector development in C&D countries have been recently implemented and only approved for three countries, this evaluation will focus on the Action Plan's implementation, by verifying whether the Action Plan achieved its objectives to enhance the quality, quantity and coordination of the activities of the IDB Group in support of private sector development in C&D countries. Based on a desk-analysis of the IDB's documentation related to the Action Plan, the evaluation follows several sequential steps.
Review of IDB Support to Secondary Education: Improving Access Quality and Institutions, 1995-2012
Authors: Raupp Magda , Fryer Michelle , Arbeláez Juliana , Noboa-Hidalgo Grace , Sadeghi Patricia , Huppi Monika , Cruz Fano Alejandro , Stone Leslie F. , Székely Miguel , Quijano Ursula
Published: March 2024

This evaluation seeks to determine the extent to which the Bank supported equitable access to secondary education, improvements in secondary education quality, and reforms of education institutions to improve management capacity. In addition, it describes the approaches taken and examines the results obtained. The evaluation found that as the Bank's overall education financing for the Region increases, so does its role in supporting education policy reforms that will affect access, efficiency, and learning outcomes. The Bank has the potential to make significant contributions to improving secondary education outcomes for all students. However, educational disadvantage is deeper and more complex than the disparity in the numbers of schools with libraries, the conditions of the school building, or the availability of computers. More attention needs to be given to what work that is, what strategies have been shown to improve student retention, completion, and achievement. Political dynamics need to be understood and taken into account in loan design, while at the same time recognizing that those dynamics also determine in part the role of the Bank (as discussed in detail in Chapter VI) and the extent to which inputs are used productively. In many LAC countries it is imperative to continue enhancing the management of the educational system at all levels, especially in the areas of results-based management, assessment, and monitoring and evaluation.
Approach Paper: OVE Annual Report
Authors: Soldano Miguel , Bouillon César P. , Ramirez-Goldin Ana , Beltrán Víctor , Crespo Anna Risi Vianna , Martin Rivero Lucia , Ruiz Mayra , Vellani Saleema , Guerrero Alejandro
Published: March 2024

This paper describes OVE's approach to the preparation of its 2014 AnnualReport. As discussed in OVE's Proposed 2014-2015 Work Program and Budget (RE-462), OVE's annual reports will describe routine OVE activities, summarize keyevaluation findings and recommendations in the context of development issues of special interest for the Bank and the region, and report on the system for tracking Management's implementation of OVE recommendations. OVE will summarize 2013 and 2014 evaluations in the context of IDB's two institutional mandates: to help reduce poverty and inequality and to promote sustainable growth in the region.
Country Program Evaluation: Chile (2011-2013)
Authors: Tetreault Alayna , Sembler Jose Ignacio , Huppi Monika , Guerrero Alejandro
Published: March 2024

This Country Program Evaluation (CPE) with Chile covers the 2011-2013 period and is the third occasion on which the Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) has evaluated the Bank's program with the country. The previous evaluations covered the periods 1995- 2005 (document RE-320) and 2006-2010 (document RE-380-1). The current country strategy (document GN-2642-1) was approved in December 2011 and is for a period (2011-2014) that does not coincide with the country¿s political cycle. The administration of President Piñera was in office from March 2010 to March 2014. IDB Management expects to submit a new country strategy to the Board of Executive Directors in August 2014. The evaluation is structured into four chapters, plus annexes. Chapter I analyzes the general context in the country. Chapter II provides a general analysis of the Bank's program in 2011-2013, with particular reference to the relevance of the country strategy, and an analysis of the program actually implemented. Chapter III provides a sector-based analysis of the implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability of the operations and of the progress achieved towards the Bank's proposed strategic objectives. Chapter IV presents conclusions and recommendations.
Country Program Evaluation: Honduras 2011-2014
Authors: Soldano Miguel , Tetreault Alayna , Alonso Pablo , Pires Jose Claudio Linhares , Willoughby Christopher , Vellani Saleema , Azuara Herrera Oliver
Published: March 2024

This Country Program Evaluation (CPE) with Honduras covers the period between January 2011 and April 2014 and is the fourth occasion on which the Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) has evaluated the Bank's program with the country. Previous evaluations covered the periods 1990-2000 (document RE-263), 2001-2006 (document RE-328), and 2007-2010 (document RE-390). Under the Protocol for Country Program Evaluation (document RE-348-3), the main goal of a CPE is to "provide information on Bank performance at the country level that is credible and useful, and that enables the incorporation of lessons and recommendations that can be used to improve the development effectiveness of the Bank's overall strategy and program of country assistance."The current country strategy (document GN-2645) was approved in November 2011 and does not coincide with the country's political cycle. President Porfirio Lobo's administration was in office from January 2010 to January 2014. IDB Management expects to submit a new country strategy to the Board of Executive Directors in December 2014. The evaluation is structured into four chapters, plus an annex. Chapter I analyzes the general context of the country. Chapter II provides a general analysis of the Bank's program between January 2011 and April 2014, with particular attention devoted to the relevance of the country strategy and an analysis of the program actually implemented. Chapter III provides a sector-based analysis of the implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability of operations and of progress made toward the Bank's proposed strategic objectives. Chapter IV presents conclusions and recommendations.
Approach Paper: Evaluation of PROCIDADES
Authors: Martin Lucia , Crespo Anna Risi Vianna , Puerta Juan Manuel
Published: March 2024

Since the creation of the facility, 22 projects for over US$500 million have been approved, and about half of the approved amounts have been either disbursed or cancelled. Therefore, the time is now ripe for taking stock of the PROCIDADES facility. In doing so, OVE's independent evaluation will not only validate the findings of the self-evaluation, but it will also address some new questions not raised there. For instance, the evaluation will look at the strategies to generate demand from the municipalities, the cost and benefits for the bank, and the importance of political cycles for the effectiveness of the projects. In general, the evaluation exercise has two overarching objectives: to assess PROCIDADES as a lending facility and evaluate the extent to which it achieved its objectives; and to analyze, to the extent possible, the impact on the municipalities benefiting from the program.
Country Program Evaluation: Jamaica 2009-2014
Authors: Marto Ricardo , Buitrago Paola , Schijman Agustina , Freeman Peter , Khadr Ali , Huppi Monika , Florimon Andrea
Published: March 2024

This document presents an evaluation by the Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) of the Country Program of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB, or the Bank) with Jamaica over the period 2009-2014. It is OVE's third independent assessment of the Bank's program in Jamaica. Past evaluations covered the periods 1990-2002 (RE-310, October 2005) and 2003-2008 (RE-365, June 2010).According to the Bank's Protocol for Country Program Evaluations (CPEs) (RE-348-3), the main function of a CPE is "to provide information on Bank performance at the country level that is credible and useful, and that enables the incorporation of lessons and recommendations that can be used to improve the development effectiveness of the Bank's overall strategy and program of country assistance." Like other CPEs, this evaluation examines Bank support to the country, with the dual purpose of strengthening accountability and facilitating learning. The assessment in the CPE covers a portfolio that includes all the operations approved between 2009 and July 2014, together with those approved previously but implemented during this period. The details of the portfolio are provided in the annexes to this document. In preparing this document, OVE interviewed some 130 people, including the Bank's main counterparts among the Jamaican authorities, project execution units, members of civil society and the private sector, representatives of multilateral agencies with presence in Jamaica, the Bank's General Manager for the Caribbean Region Department, the Bank's current and former Representatives in Jamaica, and IDB staff at the Bank's Country Office and at Headquarters. The mission also visited the sites of IDB-supported projects to assess implementation progress and challenges.
Approach Paper: Country Program Evaluation: Bolivia (2011-2015)
Authors: Gonzalez Diez Verónica M. , Corrales Maria Elena , Maciel Odette , Molina Adriana , Quintanilla Oscar , Guerrero Alejandro , Azuara Herrera Oliver
Published: March 2024

This document describes the scope and methodology for the Bank's CountryProgram Evaluation (CPE) with the Government of Bolivia for the 2011-2015 period. The evaluation methodology will include quantitative analysis, based on statistical information and administrative data from projects, and qualitative analysis based on case studies. OVE will prepare technical notes for each of the sectors (infrastructure, social, governance) that will be used as inputs for the evaluation of the IDB's program in the country.
Approach Paper: Country Program Evaluation: Uruguay 2010-2015
Authors: Hernández María José , Linares Ana María , Britton Kathryn , Tetreault Alayna , Beltrán Víctor , Schijman Agustina , Sembler Jose Ignacio , Palomino Alejandro , Scholl Lynn , Ramirez Santiago , Guerrero Alejandro , Fevre Chloe
Published: March 2024

As part of its 2015 annual work plan, the Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) is preparing a country program evaluation (CPE) with Uruguay for the period 2010-2015. This approach paper defines the scope of the evaluation. This CPE is the third occasion on which OVE has evaluated the Bank's country program with Uruguay. The previous evaluations covered the periods 1991-2004 (document RE-312) and 2005-2009 (document RE-389). This CPE seeks to analyze the Bank's relationship with the country, taking an independent view and assessing in particular the program¿s relevance and effectiveness, including both financial and nonfinancial products offered by the Bank during the period under analysis. The evaluation will place special emphasis on analyzing the Bank's business model and its implications in an upper-middle-income country like Uruguay, in a context of higher economic growth and greater access to international markets. This evaluation is intended as an input for the new country strategy document that the Bank is preparing.
First Independent Evaluation of the Expanded Project Supervision Report Exercise
Authors: Aquino Sixto , Pires Jose Claudio Linhares
Published: March 2024

This document evaluates the first exercise of the Expanded Project Supervision Reports (XPSR) elaborated by PRI in 2006. The XPSR exercise was done in order to comply with the Good Practice Standards (GPS) of the Evaluation Cooperation Group of the Multilateral Development Banks (ECG-MDB). This document also reports on OVE's validation of the project performance ratings, findings and lessons learned that were identified in the XPSR exercise conducted by PRI.This report presents the main findings and conclusions from the evaluation exercise.
Approach Paper: Comparative Evaluation of Three Green Lending Projects
Authors: Suarez David , Ramirez-Goldin Ana , Puerta Juan Manuel , Morales Carlos
Published: March 2024

This paper outlines an in-depth evaluation of three private sector green lending projects of the Bank. It complements the broader Evaluation of IDB Group's Work through Financial Intermediaries being done concurrently, which will review the broader portfolio of credit lines approved by all of the public and private sector windows of the Bank.
Fourth Independent Evaluation of SCF's Expanded Project Supervision Report Exercise
Authors: Lodato Simon , Pires Jose Claudio Linhares , Gray Cheryl
Published: March 2024

This report presents OVE's independent validation of the Expanded Project Supervision Reports fourth exercise (XPSRs), prepared by the Structured and Corporate Finance Department (SCF). The Evaluation Cooperation Group (ECG)'s guidelines require the preparation of the XPSR in the same year they reached Early Operating Maturity (EOM). SCF is still in noncompliance with this requirement since the current exercise validated the XPSRs of projects that reached EOM in 2010. These 15 projects represent US$1.37 billion among Loans and Guarantees, supporting total project costs of about US$4.65 billion. Most of the self-evaluated projects (67%) are from nonfinancial markets. Five self-evaluated projects are from financial markets. Four projects were prepaid.Each project is evaluated on four dimensions: Development Outcome, Profitability, Additionality and Work Quality. The Development Outcome dimension assesses project performance in four areas: Business Performance, Economic Development, Environmental and Social Effects and Private Sector Development. The Profitability dimension measures the project's gross profit contribution to IDB. The Additionality dimension assesses whether the project adds value regarding financial, Environmental, corporate governance and regulatory issues. Finally, the Work Quality dimension assesses the Bank's work performance in three areas: Screening, Appraisal and Structuring; Monitoring and Supervision Quality and Role and Contribution to IDB. This report presents the main findings and conclusions from the evaluation exercise. Some specific financial, business or proprietary information has been edited, in compliance with the Bank's Access to Information Policy.
Integrated Value Chain Risk Management
Authors: Ketterer Juan Antonio , Calatayud Agustina
Published: March 2024

A widespread view in the private sector is that the lack of access to finance significantly limits the entry into and the performance of value chains. Access to finance is expensive, scarce, and short term in countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and it hampers firms' investment and the financial management required to gain entry and remain as participants in a value chain. The lack of access to finance is a consequence of a series of market failures that form the basis for public policy intervention. The region's development banks and specialized agencies have thus designed programs to ease access to value chains and improve their performance. This paper suggests that the public sector could have a more effective role in enhancing value chain access and performance by embracing an integrated risk management approach to value chains. This approach will assist thepublic sector identify the various threats to which value chains are exposed, estimate the probability of occurrence and severity of such risks, and ensure risk prevention and mitigation through the use of a cost-effective combination of financial and nonfinancial instruments.
Methods to Anticipate Skills Demand
Authors: González-Velosa Carolina , Rucci Graciana
Published: March 2024

In Latin America and the Caribbean and in more advanced economies there is evidence that suggests an imbalance between the skills of the workforce and the skills demanded by the productive sector. If this skills mismatch is large and persistent it leads to significant economic and social costs: economies cannot use their human capital efficiently and many individuals cannot access good quality jobs. Correcting these imbalances is not easy; a number of frictions that are prevalent in the labor and education markets limit the capacity of households and education providers to provide skills in line with the requirements of the private sector. In light of this, governments around the world have developed tools that intend to anticipate skills demand in the labor market in order to inform the decision making of households, businesses, training providers and policy makers. A wide variety of tools have been developed, ranging from quantitative econometric models to more qualitative methods such as roundtables and focus groups. This report provides a description of the existing methodologies; an analysis of their objectives, strengths and weaknesses; and a description with illustrative examples. The report stresses the fact that an effective system to anticipate skills demand usually combines a variety of methods and surmounts challenges that are not only technical but also institutional. Systems to anticipate skills demand should not only focus on generating quality data but also on building processes to ensure that the information is effectively used in decision making.
OVE Annual Report 2015: Technical Note: Design and Use of Policy-Based Loans at the IDB
Authors: Hernández María José , Britton Kathryn , Alonso Pablo , Ramirez-Goldin Ana , Beltrán Víctor , Schijman Agustina , Sembler Jose Ignacio , Khadr Ali , Di Tata Juan Carlos , Mendieta Umaña Maria Paula , Gray Cheryl , Rodríguez Jorge
Published: March 2024

This technical note was prepared by IDB's Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) as an input for OVE's 2015 Annual Report. The paper takes an integral look at IDB policy-based lending, a key instrument that has featured in individual OVE evaluations, including Country Program Evaluations and comparative project evaluations. Several previous Bank and OVE studies have reviewed this instrument, but no comprehensive analysis on its design and use has been undertaken. By providing such an analysis, this paper sheds light on the instrument's strengths and weaknesses, and provides an input for the forthcoming broad review of Bank instruments to be conducted by the Office of Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness (SPD).
Approach Paper: Country Program Evaluation: Peru 2012-2016
Authors: Haarsager Ulrike , Corrales Maria Elena , González Ángela , Valdés Conroy Héctor , Palomino Alejandro , Molina Adriana , Di Tata Juan Carlos , Mendieta Umaña Maria Paula , Azuara Herrera Oliver
Published: March 2024

As part of its 2016 work plan, the Office of Evaluation and Oversight ispreparing the Country Program Evaluation (CPE) for Peru for the period from June 2012 to June 2016. This document sets out the approach, scope, and methodology for the CPE. This will be the first CPE to include operations approved by the InterAmerican Investment Corporation (IIC). Since the merge-out of the Structured and Corporate Financing Department (SCF), the Opportunities for the Majority Sector (OMJ), and the IIC in January 2016, OVE has received the mandate to evaluate all operations financed by the IIC.1 Therefore, in addition to the operations approved for the SCF and the OMJ (as is customary), this CPE will include all those approved by the IIC during the review period.
Evaluation of IDB Group's Work through Financial Intermediaries
Authors: Michelitsch Roland , Soriano Alejandro , Szwedzki Roni , Pires Jose Claudio Linhares , Bolza-Schunemann Eva , Churanek Danya , Cuestas Ernesto , Funes Aguilera Rocio , Murcia Juan Felipe , Seiwald Raphael , Alcántara Rafael , Cabrera Maria , García Jiménez María Camila , Ramirez-Goldin Ana , Torres Mauricio , Vargas Felipe , Stevenson Scott , D'Alessio Nora , González Revatta Marco Aurelio , Russell Nathaniel
Published: March 2024

This evaluation assesses the lending of the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDBG) through financial intermediaries (FIs) from 2005 to 2014. It focuses on FI operations, an instrument IDBG uses to increase access tofinance (A2F) in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) by supporting lending by regulated FIs (mostly commercial banks) to relevant beneficiaries. IDBG used FI operations intensively during the period. IDBG Management considers such operations to be a cost-effective mechanism to reach a large number of relevant beneficiaries. They are also a source of significant and relatively stable income for IDBG, and are thus important to its financial sustainability and growth. This is the first comprehensive evaluation the Office of Evaluation and Oversight has conducted on FI operations.
Approach Paper: Country Program Evaluation: Guatemala 2012-2016
Authors: Hernández María José , Torres Mauricio , Rivera Johanan , Jansson Maya , Sembler Jose Ignacio , Huppi Monika , Pires Jose Claudio Linhares , Rodrigo Maria Fernanda , Azuara Herrera Oliver
Published: March 2024

As part of its 2016 work plan, the Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) is preparing the country program evaluation (CPE) for Guatemala covering the 2012-2016 period. This approach paper establishes the scope of the evaluation. This CPE is OVE's fourth evaluation of the program with Guatemala.
Urban Transport and Poverty: Mobility and Accessibility Effects of IDB-supported BRT Systems in Cali and Lima
Authors: Corsetto Lisa , Bouillon César P. , Jansson Maya , Oviedo Daniel , Scholl Lynn
Published: March 2024

This evaluation expands a previous evaluation of the Office of Evaluation and Oversight of the BRT project results with respect to their objectives of improving mobility and access for the poor. It assesses the effects of Cali's and Lima's BRT systems on mobility and accessibility of the poor, with a specific focus on the integration of feeder lines in the poor areas of the cities, taking into account pre-existing public transit operations. In addition, OVE identifies determinants of and barriers to BRT use among the poor in Lima and Cali. In particular, the analysis assesses the systems' coverage, affordability, and accessibility and the relative roles of access times, in-vehicle time, and monetary costs in explaining mobility preferences, in order to improve the design and operation of future BRT systems with pro-poor objectives.
Review of Agricultural Support Policies in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: De Salvo Carmine Paolo , Gurría Martín , Boyce Rachel
Published: March 2024

This technical note presents a review of the main agricultural support indicators available in the IADB Agrimonitor Database as of December 2015 and represents a synthesis of agricultural support policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. The contents of this technical note are expected to be updated annually, taking into account updated information generated by the Agrimonitor initiative.
Public Procurement in Latin America and the Caribbean and IDB-financed project: a Normative and Comparative Study
Authors: M'Causland Sánchez María Cecilia , Flórez Salazar Catalina , Benavides José Luis , Roca María Eugenia
Published: March 2024

In recent years, Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries have madeimportant advances in the modernization of their public procurement systems. The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), with the aim of maintaining and deepening its commitment to LAC countries under its development effectiveness framework, has been adapting the approach to procurement in projects to ensure that internationally accepted standards and good market practices are followed, while assisting countries efficiently and effectively in a changing environment. This study presents a comparative analysis of the normative public procurement frameworks of 12 LAC countries with respect to IDB procurement policies. The main goal of the study is to identify the main differences and opportunities that have been analyzed the most in IDB¿s procurement policies to support the strategy of alignment to the demands of the countries in the abovementioned development effectiveness framework. The study identified the need to describe explicitly the guiding principles of public procurement in the IDB¿s Procurement Policy, as well as broaden the concept of value for money; include new methods of procurement, such as competitive dialogue and negotiation; make the evaluation criteria for works and goods in complex projects more flexible; incorporate the use of technology for certain contracting methods, such as framework agreements and reverse auctions; and streamline the use of national public procurement systems.
Approach Paper: Evaluation of Public-Private (PPPs) Partnerships in Infrastructure
Authors: Szwedzki Roni , Michelitsch Roland , Haarsager Ulrike , Sembler Jose Ignacio , Cabrera Maria , Funes Aguilera Rocio , Murcia Juan Felipe , Seiwald Raphael , Vargas Patricia , Sadeghi Patricia , Carbajo José
Published: March 2024

This evaluation seeks to provide an overview of IDBG's work on infrastructure PPPs over the past decade and to draw lessons from the in-depth analysis of a sample of IDBG financed PPP projects, as well as from the experience of other MDBs, so as to help inform IDBG's strategic orientation in this area.
Approach Paper: Comparative Study of Equity Investing in Development Finance Institutions
Authors: Michelitsch Roland , Soriano Alejandro , Cuestas Ernesto , Funes Aguilera Rocio , Churanek Danya
Published: March 2024

The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) Board of Executive Directors mandated OVE to produce a technical study to inform IIC's future equity business. The core content of this study will be a comparative benchmarking of equity strategies, results and processes of selected Development Finance Institutions and other comparators.
Techno-integration of Latin America: institutions, exponential trade, and equality in the era of algorithms
Authors: Basco Ana Inés
Published: March 2024

As part of a Regional Public Good (BPR), 20,200 Latin Americans from 18 countries were interviewed on issues of integration, democracy, equity, environment, technology, and innovation. In a world where globalization is being strongly questioned, particularly among developed countries, it is concluded that Latin Americans are very committed to regional integration. The integration process is challenged by the complexity implied by a heterogeneous regional structure with important differences between countries and within them. The differences are many, ranging from income distribution, productive specialization, the weight of their economies in the regional GDP, belonging to different trade blocs, the preference for certain partners at the time of closer ties, exposure and vulnerability to climate change, to the degree of penetration of ICTs. However, this study shows that there is a common agenda that must be addressed and that can set the pace of regional integration. Social convergence is observed not only in the high support for regional integration and in the existence of an unsatisfied demand for integration, but also in the desire of people to live in a more equitable society, responsible in the use of their natural resources, committed to the fight against climate change and the free movement of people, connected through ICTs and universal access to the Internet, with better quality of democratic institutions, and with greater citizen participation in the decision making process of government and justice. Since this is the agenda for development and regional integration, the opportunity offered by ICTs cannot be overlooked, both in the construction of a subject with a critical conscience, capable of visualizing the problems that afflict it, as well as in its powerful potential to strengthen trade links between countries, strengthen democracy and enhance the development of the region.
Innovation in the Methods of Public Procurement in Latin America and The Caribbean: Case studies
Authors: Jiménez Efraim , Roca María Eugenia
Published: March 2024

In recent years, Latin American and Caribbean countries (LAC) have modernized their public procurement systems and have been able to increase the efficiency and effectiveness in the use of public resources through new practices and technologies to promote greater competitiveness. The award decision based solely on price to ensure efficiency has also evolved into amulticriteria approach to include, beyond price, quality and sustainability criteria (economic, environmental, and social). Through this study, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) contributes to the dialogue in LAC to promote the use of new public procurement procedures and practices. The study presents four innovative cases of procurement practices used in the region. These are inspired in practices in other regions, such as Europe and the United States. This study identifies some trends in public procurement procedures, which promote more flexible contracting frameworks in order to incorporate additional methods based on a broader approach of Value for Money in accordance with the principles of transparency, efficiency, economy, integrity and fairness. Innovation in public procurement contributes towards the achievement of development goals in the region.
IDB and IIC Project Performance: OVE’s Review of 2016 Project Completion Reports and Expanded Supervision Reports
Authors: Gonzalez Diez Verónica M. , Ávalos Nayda , Linares Ana María , Rivera Johanan , Rose Jonathan , Jansson Maya , Alonso Pablo , Wattenbach Horst , Sembler Jose Ignacio , Michelitsch Roland , Putic Melanie , Murcia Juan Felipe , Fernández Illescas Coral , Sadeghi Patricia , Huppi Monika , Seiwald Raphael , García Maria Camila , Azuara Herrera Oliver , Cuestas Ernesto
Published: March 2024

Assessing the results of individual development operations is essential to learning what works and what does not and thus to increasing the effectiveness of investments in development. The purpose of this independent review is to ensure the accuracy and credibility of the project performance reporting system. This report summarizes the results and findings of OVE’s review of the 30 Expanded Supervision Reports (XSRs) completed by IIC in 2016 for NSG operations that reached early operating maturity in 2015, and for the 21 Project Completion Reports (PCRs) that IDB completed under the 2014 PCR guidelines by the end of 2016.
Preliminary Land Hazard Assessment: An Aid for Non-Specialists
Authors: Wardle Alexander
Published: March 2024

This document has been prepared to provide non-specialist personnel (the assessor) with some simple indicators to screen out hazardous land from use for housing or short-term settlements, or to identify land that requires mitigating measures before it can be safely used. The document presents observations typically made in environmental site assessments, as well as geomorphology and engineering geology assessments, to provide a simple but structured approach to gathering information that may allow preliminary land-use decisions to be made.
GobernArte: Categoría gobierno seguro
Authors: Beliz Gustavo , Basco Ana Inés , Ribeiro Ludmila Mendonça Lopes , Font Enrique , Vasconcellos Fernanda B. , Lafuente Mariano
Published: March 2024

Esta nota técnica tiene como propósito presentar y diseminar las iniciativas ganadoras del concurso lanzado por el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) en 2013, "GobernArte: el arte del buen gobierno", sobre la categoría de "Gobierno Seguro". En función de las evaluaciones realizadas por el jurado, compuesto por expertos en la materia, las tres propuestas seleccionadas fueron: El Modelo de Gestión por Resultados del Programa Pacto por la Vida, de Pernambuco, Brasil, que se caracteriza por el desarrollo y cumplimiento de una serie de indicadores y metas que, junto con otros factores, han permitido disminuir el crimen en dicho Estado; el Programa Provincial VÍNCULOS para la prevención social de la violencia y el delito de Santa Fe, Argentina, que promueve el desarrollo de capacidades con un enfoque desde abajo hacia arriba e incorpora gran cantidad de sectores del gobierno y de la comunidad; y la Red de Asistencia de seguridad pública para la Lucha contra la Violencia Doméstica y Familiar de Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, que ha contribuido a reducir el número de homicidios por violencia de género a través de diversas actividades que se basan en la transversalidad de los servicios ofrecidos y la efectiva coordinación de acciones entre la Policía Civil y la Policía Militar.
La educación en la República Dominicana: Logros y desafíos pendientes
Authors: Álvarez Carola
Published: March 2024

El objetivo de este documento es analizar la situación actual de la educación básica y media de la República Dominicana y sugerir políticas y acciones que ayuden a mejorar su cobertura y calidad. Este análisis examina especialmente el desempeño del sector educativo durante la última década, incluyendo la crisis económica, el descenso repentino del financiamiento público y las consecuencias a corto y largo plazo que este descenso implica. Las políticas sugeridas solamente afectan a las acciones que debe iniciar el Gobierno, reconociendo explícitamente que varias políticas sugeridas por el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo en sus análisis anteriores ya están en proceso de ejecución. El Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo ha venido apoyando los esfuerzos de modernización del sector educativo desde la crisis económica del 90 y el Plan Decenal de Educación. En ese período se han producido importantes logros: se aumentó la cobertura y la reinserción de los jóvenes al sistema y se modernizó el manejo de los recursos humanos impulsando una importante reforma laboral.
The Cost of Job Security Regulation: Evidence from Latin American Labor Markets
Authors: Heckman James J. , Pagés Carmen
Published: March 2024

This paper documents the high level of job security protection in Latin American labor markets and analyzes its impacts on employment. The authors show that job security policies have a substantial impact on the level and the distribution of employment in Latin America. These policies reduce employment and promote inequality. The institutional organization of the labor market affects both employment and inequality.
Is Informality a Good Measure of Job Quality?: Evidence from Job Satisfaction Data
Authors: Madrigal Lucía , Pagés Carmen
Published: March 2024

The formality status of a job is the most widely used indicator of job quality in developing countries. However, a number of studies argue that, at least for some workers, the informality status may be driven by choice rather than exclusion. This paper uses job satisfaction data from three low-income countries (Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador) to assess whether informal jobs are less valued than formal jobs. The paper finds substantial differences in job satisfaction within different types of informal jobs. More importantly, according to self-reported measures of job satisfaction, informality is not necessarily associated with poor job quality. This correspondence varies across countries, and seems to be lower for less-skilled workers.
Social Security Coverage and the Labor Market in Developing Countries
Authors: Genoni María Eugenia , Pagés Carmen , Auerbach Paula
Published: March 2024

This paper analyzes the reasons behind the low rates of contribution to social security programs in developing countries. Using a large set of harmonized household surveys from Latin America we compare contribution patterns among wage employees, for whom participation is compulsory, with contribution patterns among self-employed workers, for whom participation is often voluntary. In all countries, contribution rates among salaried workers are similarly correlated with education, earnings, size of the employer, household characteristics and age. In addition, contribution patterns among salaried workers are highly correlated with contribution patterns among the self-employed. Our results indicate that on average more than 30 percent of the explained within-country variance in contributions patterns may be accounted for by individuals low willingness to participate in old-age pension programs. Nonetheless, we also find evidence suggesting that some workers are rationed out of social security against their will.
The Political Economy of Productivity: The Case of Chile
Authors: Benavente José Miguel , Eyzaguirre Nicolás , Navia Patricio , Olivari Jocelyn , Briones Ignacio , Aninat Cristóbal
Published: March 2024

This paper analyzes the political economy of productivity-related policymaking in Chile following a political transaction cost model (Spiller and Tommasi, 2003; Murillo et al., 2008). The main findings indicate that i) the Chilean policymaking process (PMP) was successful in the 1990s in implementing productivityenhancing policies, but as the country moved to a higher stage of development, the PMP grew less adept at generating the more complex set of policies needed to increase productivity at this stage; and ii) the Chilean PMP is less transparent than previously thought (Aninat et al., 2008), thus allowing political actors to favor private interests without being punished by the electorate. This has become apparent as the more sophisticated reforms needed at this stage of development require a deeper and more consolidated democracy.
Children's Advancement Through School in Brazil: The Role of Transitory Shocks to Household Income
Authors: Duryea Suzanne
Published: March 2024

This paper investigates the effects of short-run economic shocks on children's progress through school in urban Brazil using a unique panel data set.
Equipment Investment and the Relative Demand for Skilled Labor: International Evidence
Authors: Flug Karnit , Hercowitz Zui
Published: March 2024

This paper estimates the effects of equipment investment on relative wages and employment of skilled labor and explores their dynamics. The basic hypothesis is that they are positive, due to either equipment-skill complementarity or to skill advantage in technology adoption. Using a panel data set with a wide rage of countries, the relative wage and relative employment of skilled workers are regressed on lagged investment in machinery and other relevant variables. The results indicate a strong, positive effect of machinery investment on the relative demand for skilled labor.
Policy Options for Poverty Alleviation
Authors: Székely Miguel
Published: March 2024

This work builds on previous research to develop a methodology that simplifies the identification of the best policy options for poverty alleviation in a given country. When a population can be divided into subgroups according to an easily identifiable characteristic, the problem of alleviating poverty through a targeted mechanism can be viewed as one of choosing of three options: (i) provoking a marginal change in the average income of certain subgroups; (ii) changing the resource distribution within marginal subgroups; and (iii) generating a marginal change in the differences between the subgroups. Recent data from Mexico is applied. Note: This paper is published as Chapter 6 in Székely, M. "The Economics of Poverty, Inequality and Wealth Accumulation in Mexico", MacMillan, London, 1998.
Costa Rica: The Next Stage-Reform without Volatility: A Report
Authors: Bolaños Zamora Rodrigo
Published: March 2024

This study assesses macroeconomic volatility in Costa Rica, based largely on politically weak governments' inability or unwillingness to effect key reforms. Notable problems include volatility-prone fiscal and monetary policy, structurally weak public finances due to large domestic debts and politically motivated expenditure cycles, underdeveloped financial markets, weak financial links abroad, and risky corporate financing. The paper recommends greater fiscal discipline, financial and policy independence for the Central Bank, improvements in financial system operations, and improving financial links abroad, further discussing the interdependence among these proposals.
Political Institutions and Growth Collapses
Authors: Seddon Wallack Jessica , Gaviria Alejandro , Panizza Ugo , Stein Ernesto H.
Published: March 2024

This paper tests whether Rodrik's (1999) results that institutions for conflict management are associated with the ability to react to economic shocks are robust to different ways of defining the quality of such institutions. We measure the quality of conflict management institutions with two different indices. The first is an index of political constraints on the ability of the executive to impose its will. These constraints limit the ability of the government to arbitrarily change the rules of the game and therefore may reduce redistributive struggles. The second index measures the degree of political particularism. We define political particularism as the policymakers' ability to further their career by catering to narrow interests rather than broader national platforms. The indices used in this paper solve the endogeneity and subjectivity biases that affect Rodrik's measure of institutional quality. We find strong support for the idea that high levels of political constraints and intermediate levels of political particularism are associated with a quick recovery from economic shocks.
The Redesign of the International Financial Architecture from a Latin American Perspective: Who Pays the Bill?
Authors: Hausmann Ricardo , Fernández-Arias Eduardo
Published: March 2024

This paper considers ongoing and proposed reforms of the international financial system in light of Latin America's recent experience. Most proposals are based on one of three diagnoses: excessive capital flows, insufficient capital flows, and excessively volatile capital flows. While theories of excessive capital flows lack empirical support, these views underlie both current and suggested reforms. A subsequent section evaluates proposals involving official financial support, private sector involvement, and financial standards and regulations. The paper supports measures to reduce contagion and liquidity crises, such as an international bankruptcy court, and attribute Latin American financial difficulties in part to "original sin", countries' inability to borrow long-term in their own currencies.
Creditor Protection and Financial Cycles
Authors: Micco Alejandro , Galindo Arturo
Published: March 2024

We develop a model in which the elasticity of credit to exogenous shocks depends on creditor rights regulations. We show that an increase in creditor protection reduces the elasticity of credit supply to exogenous shocks, and hence the amplitude of the credit cycle. Using an extended set of a measure of creditor rights protection in the spirit of La Porta et al. (1998), we find that stricter creditor rights regulations not only increase the breadth of the credit market but also reduce the volatility of the credit cycle.
Growth and External Financing in Latin America
Authors: Talvi Ernesto , Fernández-Arias Eduardo , Reinhart Carmen M. , Calvo Guillermo A.
Published: March 2024

This paper discusses the economic performance of Latin America in the last decade, paying special attention to growth and the financial sector. In particular, it shows that external factors, such as like U.S. interest rates and the business cycle, play a key role in capital inflows, investment, and growth. As a result, economic growth in the region tends to be fragile and exhibits a high degree of co-movement, i.e., high cross-country output correlation. This last feature exacerbates fragility, because there is little room for mutual insurance within Latin America in case a country suffers a bad shock, and finance during downturns has to come primarily from outside the region.
Political Particularism around the World
Authors: Seddon Wallack Jessica , Gaviria Alejandro , Panizza Ugo , Stein Ernesto H.
Published: March 2024

This paper presents a new dataset on electoral systems and outlines its potential uses in further research exploring the connections between electoral systems and economic outcomes. The dataset provides indicators of the degree to which individual politicians can further their careers by appealing to narrow geographic constituencies on the one hand, or party constituencies on the other.
Better the Devil that You Know: Evidence on Entry Costs Faced by Foreign Banks
Authors: Micco Alejandro , Serra César Manuel , Galindo Arturo
Published: March 2024

Institutional and legal differences between countries increase entry costs and reduce the ability of banks to expand abroad. We use bilateral foreign banking data for 176 countries to estimate a gravity model in which bilateral cross-border banking activity is explained, in addition to standard variables, by legal and institutional differences. We find that foreign banking is negatively affected by absolute differences in the legal setup and in basic institutions between source and host countries. Differences in the legal origin, for example, reduce bilateral participation in the banking system by nearly 11 percent. Additionally we do not find strong evidence suggesting asymmetries in adapting to better or worse institutional/legal environments.
Do State-Owned Banks Promote Growth?: Cross-Country Evidence for Manufacturing Industries
Authors: Micco Alejandro , Galindo Arturo
Published: March 2024

This paper tests the efficiency of different structures of bank ownership in terms of its ability to target manufacturing sectors in need of credit. We find that state- owned banks do not play a significant role in the development of industries that rely more on external finance and/or that have less tangible assets to pledge as collateral.