bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trade and Growth: Why Asia Grows Faster than Latin America
Authors: Agosin Manuel R.
Published: March 2024

This paper deals with a topic that has been amply debated in the development literature: the relationship between trade and growth. The paper's hypothesis is that what matters for growth is not merely openness to trade, or, for that matter, export growth per se. The key feature of countries that have surged ahead in recent decades is that fast export growth has been accompanied by export diversification. The paper tests this hypothesis in the framework of an empirical growth model for the period 1980-2003. It finds considerable support for the hypothesis that diversified export growth is one of the keys to economic growth. The model has strong explanatory power and is able to show why rapidly growing Asian countries have done better than Latin American countries.
Demand-Side Incentives for Better Health for the Poor: Conditional Cash Transfer Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Todd Jessica , Gaarder Marie Moland , Glassman Amanda
Published: March 2024

Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs are spreading rapidly throughout the developing world. These are the subjects of this paper and include Colombia's Familias en Acción, Honduras' PRAF, Jamaica's PATH, Mexico's Progresa/Oportunidades, and Nicaragua's Red de Protección Social. While evaluation results are encouraging, features of program design are remarkably similar country to country, generating concerns that local realities are not sufficiently taken into account and highlighting the need for better ex ante analysis of the underlying development problem to be solved by the intervention. This paper will critically analyze the program effect model with respect to health and nutrition outcomes, present the health and nutrition evaluation results to date, draw some conclusions regarding the use of CCT programs to improve health and nutrition status and promote healthy behaviors, and suggest future directions for the use of CCT programs as an incentive to promote service use and healthy feeding practices.
Country Program Evaluation: El Salvador (1992-2004)
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This evaluation (RE-307) of the Bank's country program in El Salvador covers the period from 1992 to 2004. The review period thus begins with the conclusion of the Peace Accords and the end of 12 years of armed conflict that led to a serious deterioration in the population's living conditions. Since then, the country has been making evident progress in economic, social, and political/institutional spheres. The Bank has played an important and positive role in this process, although almost no loan operations have been fulfilled since 2002.
Impact Evaluation of a Youth Job Training Program in the Dominican Republic: Ex-Post Project Evaluation Report of the Labor Training and Modernization Project (DR0134)
Authors: Rosas-Shady David , Soares Yuri , Ibarrarán Pablo
Published: March 2024

This document constitutes a comprehensive evaluation of Juventud y Empleo (JE), the training program financed by the Bank in the Dominican Republic since 1999. The Ex-Post Project Evaluation Report presents the basic information about the project: the context under it was developed, the basic design features (inputs, outputs, outcomes) and the underlying model, the evaluability (at design and during the execution of the loan), and the execution efficiency and efficacy (institutions involved, financial resources utilized, execution problems, outputs, outcomes and sustainability). It contributes to enhance the lesson learning of the Bank by taking a detailed look at the achievement of the development objectives of the project, and by answering the traditional evaluative questions, in terms of the impact of training on the employment rates and earnings of participants, using a rigorous identification strategy.
Poverty and the Labor Market in Venezuela: 1982-1995
Authors: Márquez Gustavo , Álvarez Carola
Published: March 2024

The purpose of this paper is to describe the performance of the Venezuelan labor market between 1982 and 1995, and to analyze its impact on the evolution of poverty. This time period is one wherein Venezuela suffered from the consequences of both changes in the international financial market conditions, and a sustained deterioration of economic management. Growth and inflation were highly volatile, real wages fell in a sustained way, and poverty increased dramatically. The authors develop the idea that the main labor problem in Venezuela was the decrease is falling real wages, not unemployment, and explore the labor market through the use of conceptual framework derived from segmented labor market models such as the Harris-Todaro model.
Social and Environmental Responsibility in Small and Medium Enterprises in Latin America
Authors: Vives Antonio
Published: March 2024

This technical paper determines the extent to which small and medium enterprises (SMEs) behave responsibly, and propose measures to enhance and promote corporate social responsibility in SMEs. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has taken on a broader view and refers to the actions that firms take to carry out their activities in a responsible manner, respecting the environment, the community and the workforce, and also creating opportunities to enhance them. The study covers eight countries in Latin America and over 1,300 firms surveyed. As SMEs represent over 95 percent of all firms in Latin America, provide between 40 and 60 percent of all jobs, and account for 30 to 50 percent of GDP, their behavior can have a significant impact on society and the environment.
Deforestation and Property Rights in Latin America
Authors: Jaramillo Carlos Felipe , Kelly Thomas
Published: March 2024

This paper analyzes the property rights/deforestation linkage in Latin America. The analysis recognizes two separate areas where tenure issues have an effect on land clearing pressures. The first deals with the security of individual property rights on established agricultural lands and their effects on agricultural production and employment. The second involves tenurial arrangements on forested areas and their impact on the sustainable management of resources. The analysis concludes that strengthening property rights should be an important part of a strategy to reduce deforestation rates in the region. However, it also suggests that tenurial reforms are not a solution by themselves to prevent excessive land clearing.
Exploiting International Financial Markets to Manage Natural Hazard Risks in Latin America
Authors: Krokeide Nils Atle , Pettersen Ivar , Skjelvik John Magne
Published: March 2024

This technical paper analyzes the potential practical application of financial instruments for natural hazard risk finance and transfer in Latin America. The study first presents an overview of the role of financing and risk transfer in disaster risk management. It then investigates the sources of natural hazard risk and presents use of financial instruments for managing risk for the cases of Chile, El Salvador and Peru. The document also discusses the role donors and multilateral development banks should have in supporting disaster risk financing in the region. This paper was discussed at a Disaster Risk Finance Seminar held at the IDB in Washington, DC on September 9, 2004.
Investing in a Sustainable Future: Inter-American Development Bank Support for the Goals of the Santa Cruz de La Sierra Summit
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

For Latin America and the Caribbean, sustainable development encompasses the broad objectives of our societies: sustainable economic development based on modernization, openness and competitiveness; greater social justice achieved through reductions in current levels of poverty, increased investments in human capital to create new opportunities, and improvements in the distribution of income; democratic institutions that respect human rights, as well as the participation of citizens in the political process and the quest for a national consensus on the future of our societies; and equitable growth that improves the quality of life and respects our natural resources in the cities and rural areas. This document contains the IDB's response to the call of action to the Conference on Sustainable Development in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
Mapping of Public-Private Dialogue in Jamaica: Issues and Options for Jamaica
Authors: Collister Keith
Published: March 2024

This report presents the results of a consultancy on private-public partnerships in Jamaica. The purpose of the consultancy is to identify and map the several council and groups for fostering public-private sector dialogue in Jamaica that are related to competitiveness and private sector development. Based on this mapping exercise, the paper makes a proposal for consolidating and improving the existing institutional framework for carrying out such a dialogue.
From Intervention to Empowerment: A New Approach to Assisting SMEs in Latin America: Regulation, Procurement, and Dispute Resolution
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank,   Enterprise Research Institute
Published: March 2024

This paper outlines some of the issues that affect small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in three areas: regulation, procurement, and dispute resolution. The work presented herein is part of the Bank's most recent efforts to develop new approaches and instruments to strengthen its role as a major development partner of this important engine of growth in the Latin American and Caribbean region. It focuses on nonfinancial issues which have seldom been addressed systematically in the debate on the constraints hindering SMEs.
Post-Privatization Renegotiation and Disputes in Chile
Authors: Saavedra Eduardo , Soto Raimundo , Basañes C. Federico
Published: March 2024

Over the last decade, Chile has undertaken remarkable reforms and transferred publicly owned utilities to the private sector either by selling the assets or through concession agreements. Because of the reforms the country has been able to attract private participation in the provision of public services like energy, transportation, telecommunications, potable water and sewage. In this paper, the authors analyze a series of post-privatization disputes and renegotiations that have taken place in Chile since the late 1980s in the electricity sector. This sector was chosen because the privatization process was, to a large extent, completed a decade ago, providing enough time to properly evaluate negotiations and disputes. The paper also assesses how lessons learned in the reform of electricity were internalized in the design of the regulatory framework for other concessions.
Poverty among the Indigenous Peoples of Nicaragua
Authors: Jamieson Mark
Published: March 2024

This report is part of a larger project undertaken by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) designed to obtain information which will assist the planning of poverty alleviation programs in a number of countries in Latin America. The specific aim of this report is to identify the conditions of poverty experienced by indigenous peoples in Nicaragua, to outline as far as possible the structural causes of this poverty, and to recommend measures which might be taken to alleviate it.
Private Utility Supply in a Hostile Environment: The Experience of Water, Sanitation and Electricity Distribution Utilities in Northern Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador
Authors: Manzetti Luigi , Rufín Carlos
Published: March 2024

This report examines the problems of theft, nonpayment and political opportunism in the aftermath of privatization by considering the recent experiences of four private utilities in Latin America that operate in water and sanitation, and electricity supply. The basis for the analysis that follows is primarily the information supplied by participants in two workshops held at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C., on September 9th and November 19th, 2004. The first workshop dealt with theft and nonpayment, and the second addressed political opportunism. In addition, participants at each workshop discussed the experiences of two utilities, one in electricity and one in water, with the intention of extracting common lessons applicable to different types of network utilities rather than specific to a single sector. The workshops provided the opportunity for utility managers and IDB staff to present their experiences. The second workshop also included regulators.
The Cost of Resolving Small-Business Conflicts: The Case of Peru
Authors: Herrero Álvaro , Henderson Keith
Published: March 2024

This study analyzes the impact of judicial inefficiency on small businesses in Peru. It is based on the hypothesis that chronic problems in the region's judicial systems have negative consequences on the development of micro, small and medium-sized businesses. The analysis focuses, first, on the relationship between small businesses and the legal system. Secondly, it looks at decisions made by small businesses to mitigate the effects of poor performance by the courts. Lastly, it identifies several ways in which judicial inefficiency is transferred to the business sector. The analysis also attempts to quantify the economic impact of judicial inefficiency.
Is Youth Entrepreneurship a Necessity or an Opportunity?: A First Exploration of Household and New Enterprise Surveys in Latin America
Authors: Kantis Hugo , Angelelli Pablo , Llisterri Juan J. , Tejerina Luis
Published: March 2024

This paper highlights the importance of youth entrepreneurship in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by young entrepreneurs. The authors analyze the differences between youth who become entrepreneurs by necessity or by opportunity, and also review the scope and quality of policies and programs that governments, development agencies and civil societies are implementing to support both groups of young entrepreneurs. The first step in the analysis was to estimate the magnitude the youth entrepreneurship, based on a database of household surveys for 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries covering 80 percent of the population in the region.
Best Practices in Intercultural Health
Authors: O'Neill John , Bartlett Judith , Mignone Javier
Published: March 2024

This paper presents some of the background research that contributed to the discussions within the Inter-American Development Bank's policy and strategy regarding indigenous health issues. The paper's conceptual approach and good practice research helped focus the discussion on the importance of intercultural health practices to promote indigenous peoples' access to allopathic health as well as to strengthen those traditional health practices based on indigenous peoples' own knowledge, culture, social networks, institutions and ways of life, that have shown their effectiveness. The paper presents five intercultural health experiences (in Suriname, Guatemala, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia) that are considered best practices in the field. Although poorly financed, these experiences highlight the significance to indigenous peoples of health models that bridge the gap between state-financed allopathic health services and their own indigenous health systems. This study however, does not represent a medical trial on the efficacy or efficiency of intercultural health models.
Climate Change Funds and Implications for LAC Countries and the IDB
Authors: Yu Bok-Keun , Miller Sebastián J.
Published: March 2024

This paper surveys climate change funds related to LAC countries and attempts to derive some implications through performance analyses of these funds. The performance analyses show that the following matters should be addressed: increases in participation of the IDB as an agent in the projects for the LAC region, enlargement of the scale of co-financing in the IDB-brokered cases as well as in the LAC region, and reinforcement of the linkage between the SECCI Funds and international climate change funds. Further research as to why the level of co-financing in LAC countries is lower than in other regions would also be of interest.
Is There an Anti-labor Bias of Taxes?: A Survey of the Evidence from Latin America and around the World
Authors: Kugler Adriana
Published: March 2024

This paper surveys the macro and micro empirical evidence on the effects of different types of labor taxes (in particular, payroll and income taxes) on firm performance and worker behavior. There is some evidence on the impact of labor taxes in Latin American countries, but there is much more evidence for other countries and, in particular, for industrialized economies. Evidence on industrialized countries will also be included here because it can probably help to understand potential impacts of labor taxes in Latin American countries and can help these countries learn from policy mistakes in more developed countries.
The IDB and Job Creation: Report to the Summit of the Americas
Authors: Ripani Laura , Mazza Jacqueline , Paris Angela , Márquez Gustavo
Published: March 2024

This publication examines job creation and the work of the IDB from two supporting policy perspectives: (i) policies and programs to improve the business climate and investment for private sector-driven growth; and, (ii) labor market policies and programs. For each of these two pillars, the publication examines overall policy frameworks and the links to job creation, and it reviews some of the IDB's contributions. The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are now taking steps to expand job-creating investments and enact more effective public policies to support employment growth. This report is intended as a resource for policymakers, the private sector, workers and their representatives alike. It is our hope that it will inform the efforts of these stakeholders as they prepare for new commitments and initiatives in the context of the Summit process.
Banks and SMES: Raising the Game: 4th Regional Survey in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

SMEs are positioning themselves as a strategic branch of banking operations in the region, while banks are increasingly pushing for more active policies when it comes to the financing of SMEs. This is one of the highlighted conclusions from a 2011 joint survey conducted by the Inter-American Development Bank Group's entities dealing with the private sector: the Multilateral Investment Fund (FOMIN), the beyondBanking program of the department of Corporate and Structured Financing (SCF), and the Inter-American Investment Corporation, along with the Latin American Banking Federation (FELABAN). This report introduces the general results obtained during the fourth survey encompassing the views and opinions of directors, managers and deputies of the SME division of 109 banks scattered across 22 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. It also includes an itemized analysis of the answers divided by the banks size and location, as well as their interrelations with other trends in that sector.
Technologies for Education (TEd) - A Framework for Action
Authors: Severin Eugenio
Published: March 2024

There is a broad consensus regarding the need to improve student outcomes in the educational systems of Latin America and the Caribbean. After an attempt to institute various reforms and initiatives, the demand for quality and equity continues to be heard throughout the region. Meeting this demand will require significant changes, regarding not only the teaching of subjects that are relevant to needs of a knowledge society, but also teaching them in a way that takes full account of the educational context that 21st century society has generated. The present document presents a framework supporting the design, implementation, monitoring, and assessment of projects designed to incorporate technologies for the purpose of improving educational outcomes.
Tool to Evaluate the Fulfillment of Good Corporate Governance Practices in Primarily State Owned Water and Sanitation Companies
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This tool presented here in an Excel format was designed to evaluate the fulfillment of good corporate governance practices in primarily state owned water and sanitation companies in the region.
From Information to Participation: The Potential of New Technologies on Accountability Initiatives
Authors: Baena Olabe Paloma , Kahn Theodore
Published: March 2024

This technical note considers the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in promoting the use of information and active participation among various stakeholders in the context of access to information initiatives, and in transparency and accountability efforts more broadly. Such participation, in turn, has the potential to bring about concrete improvements in institutional capacity in the public sector, public policies, and governance.
Indicators to Assess the Effectiveness of Climate Change Projects
Authors: McCarthy Nancy , Winters Paul , Linares Ana María , Essam Timothy
Published: March 2024

Determining reasonable indicators for climate change projects is complicated by the long-term horizon of both mitigation and adaptation project impacts as well as the uncertainty associated with climate change impacts. Actions taken now are often designed to have an impact in the uncertain and distant future and may not directly mitigate or adapt to climate change, but be taken as a step to prepare for future actions. Further complicating identification of indicators is the fact that there is a spectrum of projects, from the pure climate change-focused projects to those that provide climate change benefits as one part of an overall development program, and finally to those with only incidental indirect effects. The objective of this document is to discuss SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) indicators that can be used for assessing the impact of climate change projects, including those that seek to adapt to the expected impacts of climate change and those that promote low carbon emissions growth strategies to mitigate greenhouse gases.
Technical Notes on Gender Equality in Municipal Development: Experiences from Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Urban Anne-Marie , Pineda Mannheim Carlos R. , Näslund-Hadley Emma
Published: March 2024

The starting point for this document was the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) technical cooperation project Gender and Municipal Development (NI-T1002), which was financed by the Bank's Capacity Building Fund for Local Institutions in Central America (CABILICA) and implemented in coordination with the Nicaraguan Institute for Municipal Strengthening (INIFOM) from 2004 to 2005. The purpose of the project was to promote municipal development interventions that better address the needs and priorities of women and men, and to facilitate full participation in municipal planning and development processes. It supported the development of a module on gender in municipal development to help build capacity among local authorities, planners, and project managers; a national diagnostic study on gender in municipal development; and a compilation of good practices in the Latin American region in this area of work.
Access to Information and Targeted Transparency Policies
Authors: Baena Olabe Paloma , Vieyra Juan Cruz
Published: March 2024

This paper contributes to the debate around why and how access to information can be used to prevent and control corruption. Access to information can not only bring corruption cases to light, it can also be a fundamental tool for its prevention and control, given that it encourages the creation of channels of participation and helps to identify vulnerabilities in both the public and the private sectors that might become windows of opportunity for corrupt practices. The paper`s conceptual framework explains how initiatives aimed at promoting access to information that are based on the concept of targeted transparency enable greater accountability in key areas of public management, by taking into consideration the effectiveness and quality of access to information channels or mechanisms, as well as the capacities and interests of the users to gain access to and use this information.
In Action Review
Authors: García Ferro Luz Ángela , Luna Elba N. , Rodríguez Lorena , Van Waesberghe Micha , Vásquez Jordán Darinka
Published: March 2024

A disciplined approach to "Learn from Experience" is critical to the enduring ability of the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) and its regional partners to make effective knowledge-based decisions and optimize development outcomes. In order to achieve the desired results, learning before, during, and after everything we do must be `part of the way we work' at the IDB -not something extra. The IDB has developed several methodological tools that will help Bank personnel and their regional stakeholders identify, capture, and as applicable, share their knowledge for re-use by others. These methods to mainstream learning from our individual and collective experience in every phase of our project cycle include the Peer Assist, After Action Review, Knowledge Capture Interview, and In Action Review.
Peer Assist
Authors: García Ferro Luz Ángela , Luna Elba N. , Rodríguez Lorena , Van Waesberghe Micha , Vásquez Jordán Darinka
Published: March 2024

This document describes the Peer Assist, which is a facilitated workshop, held face-to-face or virtually, in which a diverse group of participants from inside and/or outside the Bank share their experiences and insights with a team that wants to benefit from what others have learned, before it decides on a specific plan or course of action to deal with a significant upcoming challenge. Different from more informal peer to peer learning opportunities (e.g. networking, mentoring, Q&A, BBLs), the Peer Assist is a structured process designed to tackle challenges of greater complexity, uncertainty, or risk.
Microinsurance in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru
Authors: Wenner Mark D. , Iravantchi Sheirin
Published: March 2024

The microinsurance market in Latin America is still in its embryonic phase. The purpose of this technical note is to better inform donors, national governments, and insurance companies interested in promoting financial inclusion about how they can accelerate the development of microinsurance markets. Four countries -Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru- are reviewed to glean lessons learned about paths taken to develop these markets and the interaction of key stakeholders.
A Blueprint for a Regional Public Goods Monitoring and Evaluation System
Authors: Bocalandro Laura , Villa Rafael
Published: March 2024

This technical note presents a blueprint for a Monitoring and Evaluation System for the Regional Public Goods Program. The blueprint took into consideration the improvements and continued deficiencies of the monitoring and evaluation function currently applied to the RPG Program and projects, and the state of the art in monitoring and evaluation of integration programs, particularly those focused on the software aspects of integration. The scope of the proposed system includes both monitoring and evaluation of impact and performance, and auditing results and processes (or technologies). Its design follows a principled pragmatic approach, paying particular attention to the cost effectiveness of the M&E function and a balanced governance and collaborative process in each proposed activity. The strategic approach for its implementation is that of risk management orientation, with a focus on sustainability and scalability, promoting feedback and engagement, and taking advantage of self-monitoring and collaborative evaluation.
A Framework for Sustainable Food Security for Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Hernández Manuel , Torero Máximo , Robles Miguel , Falconi César , Maruyama Eduardo
Published: March 2024

This Technical Note presents a framework for food security in LAC that takes into consideration the key drivers and external factors behind food security. This framework for food security policy interventions will guide policymakers and analysts in answering the following questions: i) Which are the top priority interventions needed to provide a more focused approach to food security aimed specifically at dealing with the issues that are impeding LAC's capacity to reduce the impacts of the food crisis on its population and at helping to solve the food crisis, given the region's comparative advantages in agriculture; ii) What is the net impact of policy interventions across households in the region, taking into consideration environment and climate change, water management, trade liberalization, and domestic food prices; and iii) How does a specific policy intervention compare to other policy interventions with respect to net impact on food security, other positive impacts, and net intervention costs?
Managing the Environmental and Social Impacts of Major Road Investments in Frontier Regions: Lessons from the Inter-American Development Bank's Experience
Authors: Redwood John
Published: March 2024

The Environment and Safeguards Group (ESG) of the IDB has examined how potential environmental and social risks of major road improvement investments in natural resource rich and socio-culturally diverse "frontier" regions have been identified and addressed in various parts of South and Central America. This was done through a set of specific case studies for completed and ongoing Bank-supported projects in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Panama and Peru. In doing so, experience and lessons learned with respect to various parts of the project cycle -- design/preparation, up-front environmental assessment, implementation/supervision, and monitoring and evaluation -- are considered, as are the analysis and management of direct, indirect and cumulative environmental and social impacts. The present paper summarizes the main findings and recommendations from this series of county case studies.
An Assessment of Pension System Reform in Uruguay in 1995
Authors: Márquez Gustavo
Published: March 2024

In 1995, the government of Uruguay undertook a first pillar-based reform of the pension system, as opposed to the second pillar-based Chilean-style reform. The paper's first section describes Uruguay's pension system prior to reform. It demonstrates quite clearly that the crisis faced by that system is the result of both its design and its functioning. Moreover, it shows that over time it created an increasingly unsustainable fiscal burden. The second section presents the reform enacted in September 1995, describing its institutional layout. The third section is dedicated to a forecast of the financial consequences of reform, contrasting it with a no-reform scenario. The simulation exercise shows that reform eases the fiscal burden but that it remains high enough to require substantial fiscal contributions. Finally, the last section outlines the author's conclusions.
Socioeconomic Impact of Broadband in Latin American and Caribbean Countries
Authors: García Zaballos Antonio , López-Rivas Rubén
Published: March 2024

Broadband plays a key role in society, impacting GDP, productivity, and employment. In the Latin American and Caribbean region, which is characterized by low broadband penetration costly Internet connection, low usage, and sporadic adoption of mobile technology, a major goal for governments is to universalize access to and usage of broadband. This paper presents an econometric model which shows that, in Latin America and the Caribbean, on average, a 10 percent higher broadband penetration is associated with 3.19 percent higher GDP, 2.61 percent higher productivity, and 67,016 new jobs. It also defines the variables that a government can control to help increase the number of broadband subscriptions per capita in order to effectively improve socioeconomic conditions in the country.
Standardized Sovereign Debt Statistics for Latin America and the Caribbean: 2009
Authors: Giuliano Fernando , Sandleris Guido
Published: March 2024

This report updates data on gross public debt for countries in the Latin American and Caribbean region up to December 2009. The data in this report were collected from a questionnaire sent to the LAC debt offices in April, 2010.
Fast Tracking Jobs: Advances and Next Steps for Labor Intermediation Services in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Mazza Jacqueline
Published: March 2024

This technical note analyzes the evolution of Latin American and Caribbean systems in three stages: early development of basic services (Stage One) and advancing coverage, efficiency and services (Stage Two). It proposes a direction for the future (a hypothetical Stage Three), demonstrating how some advanced Stage Two countries (Brazil, Mexico, and Chile, for example) are beginning to take steps in this direction. A set of operational priorities and monitoring and evaluation indicators is developed for each stage.
Hydropower Development and Ecosystem Services in Central America
Authors: Anderson Elizabeth P.
Published: March 2024

This paper provides an overview of the characteristics of Central American rivers and related freshwater ecosystem services, discusses trends in hydropower development and known environmental and social consequences, and offers suggestions for finding a balance between hydropower and the protection of other freshwater ecosystem services, based on experiences from the region.
Designing the Process of Public Management Policy Change: Practical Implications of Case Studies on Brazil and Peru (Executive Summary)
Authors: Barzelay Michael
Published: March 2024

This study analyzes how to bring about meaningful public management policy change, whose immediate impact is upon the administrative tools available to central decision-makers as well as the administrative context facing the operating parts of government. This study places more emphasis upon the process dynamics influencing whether efforts to improve public management policies become effective.
Regional Review of Economic Instruments for Solid Waste Management in Latin America and the Caribbean: Case Study of Solid Waste Management in Montebello, Antioquia: Executive Summary
Authors: Duque Ramón , Collazos Héctor
Published: March 2024

A key issue addressed at the February 2003 meeting was the management of solid wastes, focusing on the use of economic instruments as management tools to minimize wastes at their sources, produce the largest possible amount of recycling, achieve the largest collection coverage that is financially viable, carry out a safe and optimum final waste disposal (from the economic, social and environmental viewpoints) and strengthen citizen's participation in solid waste management.
Poverty Reduction and the Promotion of Social Equity
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This is the strategy profile of the Inter-American Development Bank on Poverty Reduction and the Promotion of Social Equity. The proposed strategy will start by considering the recent developments in the region, and lessons learned in the fight against poverty and in social equity advancement. In particular, it will take into account the experiences obtained from previous strategies.
The Entertainment Sector in CARICOM: Key challenges and Proposals for Action
Authors: Chaitoo Ramesh
Published: March 2024

Although small in terms of population, the Caribbean is renowned for its creativity. Its cultural diversity is manifested in a variety of artistic expressions including folklore, crafts, performances, music festivals, and carnivals. Despite the Caribbean's great potential in the entertainment sector, important domestic challenges - emanating from both public and private sectors - have long impeded the successful growth of creative industries. The paper explains how the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union should serve as an impetus for stakeholders in the region to address these barriers thereby creating favorable conditions for the production and export of Caribbean entertainment services. This Study presents an overview of policies in the creative sector in terms of the promotion of services exports in selected CARICOM states: Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. This Technical Note highlights bottlenecks to implementation of recommendations proposed in existing analyses and diagnostics and suggests specific ways in which these can be overcome. It formulates concrete recommendations for relevant actors, including donors and domestic governments, to promote the development of the creative industries.
Challenges and Opportunities in the Belize Education Sector
Authors: Martin Dougal , Alonzo Haydée , Näslund-Hadley Emma
Published: March 2024

Belize is paying a lot for education but getting little. More youth are outside the school system than in it and many fail to make the transition to the workforce. More and more youth drop out of school and become involved in gang activities. Action is needed if Belize is not to lose a whole generation of youth. This document discusses the current situation of the Belizean education sector and its progress over the last 10 years, its relative performance compared with other countries in the region, and the policies currently being implemented by the education sector in Belize. While the challenges are great, the recommendation is to focus on increased efficiency, quality and equity. To this end, the note discusses policy options that seek to improve educational outcomes with the same or fewer resources.
The Civil Registry: A Neglected Dimension of International Development
Authors: Harbitz Mia Elisabeth
Published: March 2024

The right to a name and nationality is not only one of the most fundamental human rights but also a requirement to access to basic and essential services such as health and education. This right is exercised through an effective and universal civil registration. It also allows for reliable vital statistics and higher levels of transparency and efficacy that provides the foundation for inclusive public policies, especially social programs. Thus civil registry, legal identity and identity management (Id-M) are central elements for social and economic development. On the international stage, the creation and dissemination of knowledge around the civil registration and legal identity field has evolved from a single paper produced by UNICEF in 2000, to several knowledge sharing initiatives where the IDB has played a pivotal role. The launching of a webpage (http://iadb.libguides.com/registros) in 2011 that provides access to all IDB publications and projects on the topic is just one example of it. Birth under-registration rates has dropped from 18 percent to 9 percent in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) since the IDB, through its legal identity and registry team took on the topic in 2002 . Though the Bank cannot claim the exclusive credit for this achievement, the fact that a development bank took on the issue is of major consequence.
Returns to Education in Suriname
Authors: Stampini Marco , Gardiner Sophie
Published: March 2024

We analyze the relationship between education and employment in Suriname, using data from a 2007 IDB household survey (representative nationally and at the level of three macro areas: Urban Coast, Rural Coast and Interior). We find that education brings returns in terms of both likelihood of employment (particularly for women) and higher earnings. Completed primary, junior secondary, senior secondary and tertiary education increase the probability of employment by 12%, 19%, 86% and 84% respectively, relative to the base category of no-schooling or incomplete primary. In addition, senior secondary and tertiary education lead to 46% and 81% higher earnings, relative to peer individuals with junior secondary education or less. These returns to education are relatively high in the context of the Caribbean. Nonetheless, higher educational achievements are associated with a transition towards public sector jobs, suggesting that the private sector is scarcely dynamic, and unable to attract skilled workers.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from New Petrochemical Plants Background Information Paper for the Elaboration of Technical Notes and Guidelines for IDB Projects
Authors: Benchaita Tayeb
Published: March 2024

The study encompasses background information on the relevant processing and "value chains" in the petrochemical industry within LAC, the current GHG emission control technologies available, and recommendations and relevant steps for the IDB, including the criteria to help evaluate the potential GHG emissions from the petrochemical sector and the criteria to help determine the minimal acceptable potential GHG emissions from petrochemical projects.
Guidelines for Impact Evaluation in Education Using Experimental Design
Authors: Bando Rosangela
Published: March 2024

There has been extensive research and investment in strategies that aim to improve the quality of education around the world. But despite rigorous evidence, the question of what to do in a specific context usually remains only partially answered at best. As a result, numerous impact evaluations are being conducted with the goal of learning what works. The goal of the guidelines presented here is to summarize the evidence and provide references in a single document in order to save time for those implementing education impact evaluations through randomized control trials. The guidelines focus on supporting evaluations that help policymakers determine where to assign limited resources to improve the quality of education. The document has five sections. The first reviews empirical findings to provide a general idea of why education is important, which inputs matter, and howto conduct an impact evaluation. The second section provides guidance on how to define the impact evaluation hypothesis. The third section presents a methodology for selecting the sample and setting up a randomized impact evaluation. The fourth section provides information on what data to collect for the evaluation, and the final section looks at how to analyze data and strategies to adjust the analysis for changes in the original design. The guidelines are not exhaustive: their main contribution is to present a methodology to design an impact evaluation, outline the necessary inputs to start the design of such an evaluation, and provide a structured source of rigorous references.
Comparative Review of Health System Integration in Selected Countries in Latin America
Authors: Perez-Cuevas Ricardo , Cali Jonathan , Sheetz Suzanne , Bossert Thomas , Pinto Diana M. , Blanchet Nathan
Published: March 2024

This technical note presents a comparative analysis of Latin America's fragmented health systems. It provides a detailed account of health system fragmentation along six dimensions (organizations, risk pooling, eligibility, benefits, premium/contributions, payments) and the effects of historical reforms in Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Mexico, and Chile, as well as examples of successful integration in Spain and Turkey. Additionally, it offers a set of policy options for promoting the integration of health systems and a series of practical steps for implementing health system reforms. It concludes that analyzing the fragmentation of various dimensions of health systems can be useful for developing policy, but further research is needed to determine the effect of fragmentation on health system performance.
Services Regulation in the Caribbean: Horizontal Measures
Authors: Brown Kathy-Ann
Published: March 2024

CARIFORUM States have generally taken a cautious approach in adopting commitments under the Economic Partnership Agreement by having them reflect their World Trade Organization commitments, excluding sensitive subsectors, and inscribing broad horizontal reservations. This report assesses the regulatory framework for trade and investment in five areas - horizontal measures, information and communications technologies, transport services, professional services, and tourism services in Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago under the CARIFORUM - European Union Economic Partnership Agreement. The analysis concludes that of the five areas reviewed, adjustments are recommended principally to legislation covering information and communications technologies, professional services, and transport services.
Services Regulation in the Caribbean: Transport Services
Authors: Brown Kathy-Ann
Published: March 2024

CARIFORUM States have generally taken a cautious approach in adopting commitments under the Economic Partnership Agreement by having them reflect their World Trade Organization commitments, excluding sensitive subsectors, and inscribing broad horizontal reservations. This report assesses the regulatory framework for trade and investment in five areas - horizontal measures, information and communications technologies, transport services, professional services, and tourism services in Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago under the CARIFORUM - European Union Economic Partnership Agreement. The analysis concludes that of the five areas reviewed, adjustments are recommended principally to legislation covering information and communications technologies, professional services, and transport services.
Women in Science and Technology: What Does the Literature Say?
Authors: Castillo Rafael , Grazzi Matteo , Tacsir Ezequiel
Published: March 2024

Skill gaps are a key constraint to innovation, hindering productivity growth and economic development. In particular, shortages in the supply of trained professionals in disciplines related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) may weaken the innovation potential of a society. A wide gender gap has persisted over the years at all levels of STEM disciplines throughout the world. Although the participation of women in higher education has increased, they are still underrepresented. Latin America is no exception. The untapped potential of fully trained and credentialed women represents an important lost opportunity not only for women themselves but also for society as a whole. Although there is growing recognition of the importance of the issue in developing countries, Latin America faces a lack of information that prevents researchers from deepening the understanding of this phenomenon and policymakers from designing effective interventions. This note aims to contribute to the academic and policy debate in the region by reviewing the main factors put forward in the literature to explain gender inequalities in recruitment, retention, and promotion in STEM disciplines and by providing evidence of the scope and results of policies directed to obtain a better gender balance in the sector.
Integration and Trade in Belize
Authors: Lucenti Krista , Corcuera-Santamaría Sandra , Shearer Matthew , Martínez Gonzalo , Almeida Juliana , Fernández Ernesto , Vasco Oscar , Umaña Mario , Opertti Fabrizio
Published: March 2024

This Technical Note provides an assessment of Belize's trade sector and offers some policy options. Major constraints are related to a limited export basket and concentrated destination markets, high tariff levels with high dispersion, conservative trade agenda, weak institutional capacity, trade facilitation problems, and sanitary and phytosanitary shortcomings. Moreover, the country needs to make changes to fiscal incentives related to trade performance before the deadline established by the WTO of December 2015. Policy options include: (i) efforts in trade liberalization, to include reduction of tariffs, reduction of trade licenses, and elimination of environmental tax and revenue replacement duties; (ii) measures to strengthen the institutional capacity (trade and agriculture); (iii) a menu of options for a new generation of incentives; (iv) nonfiscal measures to increase export performance, particularly in the services sector; and (v) options to enhance trade facilitation and reduce cost of trade in goods.