bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La Realidad Social: Una introducción a los Problemas y Políticas del Desarrollo Social en América Latina: Módulo IV: Tomándole el pulso a la salud
Authors: Lora Eduardo
Published: March 2024

La salud de la población de América Latina y el Caribe ha mejorado enormemente en casi todas sus dimensiones y para casi todos los grupos o clases definibles en las últimas décadas, lo que sin duda representa un avance importante para el bienestar personal y social de la población de esta región. Del estado de salud de los individuos depende su capacidad para participar en la vida económica y social, y para desenvolverse en su vida personal. Sin embargo, la salud no constituye un aspecto aislado de la vida, depende mucho de otros aspectos del entorno social y físico de una persona, como la educación, el empleo, estatus socioeconómico, las redes sociales, el acceso a agua potable y saneamiento, para nombrar sólo algunos.
La Realidad Social: Una introducción a los Problemas y Políticas del Desarrollo Social en América Latina: Módulo V: Se Buscan Buenos Empleos
Authors: Lora Eduardo
Published: March 2024

El trabajo es un elemento fundamental para el bienestar, identidad y autoestima de la gente, pues influye crucialmente en el modo de vida de las personas y sus familias, así como en el desempeño de las economías.
La Realidad Social: Una introducción a los Problemas y Políticas del Desarrollo Social en América Latina: Módulo VI: El futuro de los sistemas de pensiones
Authors: Lora Eduardo
Published: March 2024

El modelo de seguridad social que se estableció en forma predominante en América Latina en la primera mitad del siglo XX era parte de un pacto social que consistía en que el gobierno protegía a las empresas, las empresas protegían a los trabajadores, y trabajadores y empresas contribuían conjuntamente a mejorar las condiciones sociales financiando los sistemas de seguridad social y los programas de capacitación laboral ofrecidos a los trabajadores formales, dejando al gobierno el financiamiento de los servicios de protección social para el resto de la población.
La Realidad Fiscal: Una Introducción a los Problemas y Políticas Fiscales en América Latina: Módulo 4: Descentralización: Un largo proceso
Authors: Lora Eduardo , Dughters Robert , Harper Leslie
Published: March 2024

Este documento forma parte del curso La Realidad Fiscal: Una Introducción a los Problemas y Políticas Fiscales en América Latina. El presente módulo tiene por objetivos: conocer las dimensiones que conforman la descentralización fiscal y sus implicaciones en la política fiscal y en la estabilidad macroeconómica; identificar y explicar por qué cada una de las dimensiones de la descentralización fiscal puede contribuir al desarrollo económico y social; y analizar los principales retos políticos que ha tenido ladescentralización fiscal.
Breve 10: Interrogantes claves a la hora de diseñar un ente de evaluación de tecnologías sanitarias: Respuestas desde tres perspectivas
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

El Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica, en cabeza del actual Ministro de Salud Dr. Fernando Llorca, ha asumido el compromiso de crear en su paísuna entidad de ETS para fortalecer el proceso de toma de decisiones con evidencia para asignar los recursos de salud. Dentro de ese contexto, el Ministerio de Salud costarricense solicitó el apoyo al BID para el diseño y puesta en funcionamiento de un ente que ayude a institucionalizar el uso de la Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias (ETS). En este marco se organizó el día 5 de noviembre de 2015 un taller sobre institucionalización de la ETS con el fin de proveer insumos técnicos para el diseño de un ente de ETS que podría ser creado en Costa Rica. El Ministro Llorca dirigió una serie de preguntas (véase recuadro 1) a los tres expertos que participaron en el taller (Úrsula Giedion (Coordinadora de la Red Regional de Priorización Explícita y Planes de Beneficios en Salud, CRITERIA, del BID), Alexandre Lemgruber (Asesor Regional en Tecnologías Sanitarias, de la OPS) y Héctor Castro (Exdirector del IETS de Colombia). En este documento se consolidan los principales mensajes que emergieron en este taller.
Breve 15: Listas de espera: Un mecanismo de priorización del gasto en salud
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

Este Breve está basado en las memorias del "Taller de listas de espera" que organizó el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo en Bogotá en el año 2014. El propósito del evento fue apoyar al Ministerio de Salud y Protección Socialde Colombia en la generación de un espacio de intercambio de experiencias en el cual cinco expertos internacionales de Chile, España, Suecia, Uruguay e Inglaterra expusieron sobre la manera en que diferentes países han avanzado en la gestión de tiempos de espera.
Public Consultations with Civil Society: Guidelines for Public and Private Executing Agencies
Authors: Milano Flavia , Sanhueza Andrea
Published: March 2024

This publication is a strategic tool that aims at supporting both the Public and Private Sector in achieving a better engagement with the civil society in Latin American and the Caribbean as regards public consultations. It provides information about universal good practices, how to draw up public consultation plans and legal frameworks applicable in each of the 26 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, where the IDB operates. For this purpose, methodologies are suggested, and figures are provided for operations which costs have been impacted due to social conflicts and where public consultations have the potential to develop an important role in avoiding or mitigating said conflicts.
10 Lessons About Behavioral Economics for Policy Making in the Social Sector
Authors: López Bóo Florencia , Ajzenman Nicolás
Published: March 2024

Behavioral Economics is the science of evaluating psychological, cognitive, emotional, cultural and social factors and their impact on economic decisions. Enhancing our knowledge on Behavioral Sciences and their impact on public policies is a priority. The present document explores this intersection and offers 10 lessons for policy making in the social sector.
Incorporación de la perspectiva de género en el Fondo de Transparencia
Authors: Sample Kristen
Published: March 2024

En los últimos años, América Latina y el Caribe ha experimentado un fuerte repunte en la movilización pública contra la corrupción, así como en la adopción de reformas que mejoran la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas. Sin embargo, en la mayoría de los casos, esas medidas anticorrupción no han sido diseñadas para asegurar que las mujeres y los hombres se beneficien por igual, pese a la gran cantidad de datos disponibles sobre los efectos de la corrupción en relación con el género. Por ejemplo, estudios llevados a cabo en distintos países y regiones han revelado que las mujeres tienden a sufrir más a causa de la corrupción, dada su mayor tasa de pobreza, responsabilidad en el cuidado de la familia, dependencia de los servicios públicos y situaciones de discriminación y marginación. El Fondo de Transparencia presenta esta guía para apoyar la incorporación de la perspectiva de género en el Fondo con el fin de asegurar que los proyectos de Resumen ejecutivo Incorporación de la perspectiva de género en vi transparencia del BID respondan a las necesidades de mujeres y hombres. La guía incluye resultados de investigaciones, preguntas orientadoras, ejemplos de buenas prácticas, puntos de entrada potenciales para la programación e indicadores sugeridos.
Revelation of Expectations in Latin America (REVELA): No 6: March, 2012
Authors: Tavella Pilar , Powell Andrew
Published: March 2024

The February 2013 surveys of expectations conducted by Central Banks with inflation targeting regimes indicate that movements in inflation expectations have been mixed. The simple average inflation expectation for the region for both 2013 and 2014 is 4. 5%. Inflation expectations rose quite sharply in Paraguay (now at 5. 9% for 2013) and in Uruguay (now at 8. 2% for 2013), while they decreased in Guatemala (now at 4. 5% for 2013) and in Colombia (now at 2. 7% for 2013). Growth expectations for 2013 remained stable at 4.6% and at 3.6% on a simple and on a GDP weighted basis respectively, but with a large range. Paraguay is expecting the highest level of growth for 2013 for those countries covered by REVELA at 7. 6% and Brazil's expected growth for 2013 is 3. 2%. Growth expectations fell quite strongly in Colombia, now at 4.2% for 2013. Download full report and data.
Caribbean Region Quarterly Bulletin: Volume 5: Issue 1: March 2016
Authors: O'Brien Cherran , Godinez Puig Luisa , Sutton Heather , Khadan Jeetendra , Thomas Chrystol , Schmid Juan Pedro , Wenner Mark D.
Published: March 2024

Crime strongly affects persons in the Caribbean. In a recent survey, 40 percent of the Caribbean population identified crime and security-related issues as the main problems facing their country, even above poverty, the economy or inequality. The priority of crime is striking considering the challenging economic situation that the world economy, and the Caribbean in particular, are facing. Crime is as complex as it can be damaging for the well-being of persons. While we have a good understanding of general triggers for crimes, it remains difficult to design, implement and evaluate country-specific crime and violence prevention programs. A major problem in this respect is the lack of comparable, detailed data, including for some countries in the Caribbean. The IDB has supported data generation in the region using victimization surveys for individuals and businesses, which are presented in this quarterly bulletin. As usual, the quarterly bulletin also gives an overview of recent economic developments in the 6 IDB-member Caribbean countries, as well as the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The countries are: The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
Inter-American Development Bank Quarterly Business Review: Second Quarter 2013
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The 2013 second quarter edition of the Quarterly Business Review (QBR) provides management with a status of the Bank's performance. The QBR reports on outputs, lending program priorities and organizational indicators on a quarterly basis to allow management to monitor progress in achieving corporate results. This periodic monitoring supports evidence-based decision making and allows for timely identification of deviations from targets and enables effective implementation of measures to address them.
Caribbean Region Quarterly Bulletin: Volume 6, Issue 4: December 2017
Authors: Waithe Kimberly , Bollers Elton , Wright Allan , Blenman Shamar , Khadan Jeetendra , Schmid Juan Pedro , Wenner Mark D.
Published: March 2024

This Caribbean Region Quarterly Bulletin looks at the year in review. 2017 has been a mixed year for the countries of the Caribbean Country Department of the IDB. While The Bahamas, Barbados and Jamaica have been benefiting from strong world demand and still low commodity prices, they are also each dealing with fiscal challenges resulting from high debt-to-GDP and related vulnerabilities. Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago are still recovering from the fall in commodity prices with both countries still experiencing recessions in 2017. Guyana is an outlier in the region. Based on strong gold prices and the prospect of income and revenues from oil extraction that is scheduled for 2020, the country is experiencing strong economic growth.
Integración y comercio en las Américas: Edición especial: Las relaciones económicas entre América Latina y el Caribe y la región Asia-Pacífico
Authors: Sobral de Elía Mariana , Suominen Kati , Skinner Martha , Stabilito Augusto , Shearer Matthew , Mesquita Moreira Mauricio , Estevadeordal Antoni , Cornejo Rafael , Devlin Robert , Miller Eric T.
Published: March 2024

El objetivo de este documento es informar al personal del Banco, así como a otros interesados sobre los últimos desarrollos en integración y comercio en los países del Hemisferio Occidental, y, entre éstos y otros países y regiones del mundo. El propósito de esta publicación es (1) evaluar el estado actual de las relaciones económicas entre América Latina y el Asia-Pacífico; (2) examinar la evolución de las iniciativas de cooperación bilateral; (3) analizar las contribuciones potenciales de las estrategias de desarrollo asiáticas a las políticas económicas de los países de América Latina; y (4) explorar nuevas posibilidades de la relación birregional.
Revelation of Expectations in Latin America (REVELA): No. 10 : February, 2008
Authors: Salazni Mariana , Powell Andrew
Published: March 2024

REVELA analyzes market expectations of growth and inflation in Latin American countries. The figures analyzed represent the results of surveys of private sector actors conducted by the central banks of each country according to their own specific methodologies. They do not represent official projections by the IDB or any other official body. RES collects the results of these surveys from participating central banks on a monthly basis to produce a report and a set of illustrative graphs and tables. In this February issue, REVELA reports that growth expectations in Latin America for 2008 remain relatively high and stable. The average expected 2008 growth rate for the countries surveyed is now 5.2%. Inflation expectations continue to rise, increasing most significantly in Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru. Now the expected inflation rate for 2008 is 7.1%, 0.1% higher than last surveyed.
Revelation of Expectations in Latin America (REVELA): No. 16 : August, 2008
Authors: Salazni Mariana , Powell Andrew , Pinzon Mauricio , Galindo Arturo
Published: March 2024

REVELA analyzes market expectations of growth and inflation in Latin American countries. The figures analyzed represent the results of surveys of private sector actors conducted by the central banks of each country according to their own specific methodologies. They do not represent official projections by the IDB or any other official body. RES collects the results of these surveys from participating central banks on a monthly basis to produce a report and a set of illustrative graphs and tables. In this August issue, REVELA reports that growth expectations for 2008 are almost unchanged with respect to last month's survey. Now the simple average expected growth rate is 5.31%. However, growth is expected to slow in 2009, to an average of 4.8%, slightly down from last month 4.9% 2009 forecast. On the other hand, inflation expectations continue to rise; the expected inflation rate for 2008 increased from 8.95% to 9.43%. Inflation expectations for 2009 have also increased, reaching a simple average of 8.4%.
Revelation of Expectations in Latin America (REVELA): No. 23 : March, 2009
Authors: Galindo Arturo , Pinzon Mauricio
Published: March 2024

REVELA analyzes market expectations of growth and inflation in Latin American countries. The figures analyzed represent the results of surveys of private sector actors conducted by the central banks of each country according to their own specific methodologies. They do not represent official projections by the IDB or any other official body. RES collects the results of these surveys from participating central banks on a monthly basis to produce a report and a set of illustrative graphs and tables. In this March issue, REVELA reports that growth expectations for 2009 decreased with respect to last month's survey. Now the simple average expected growth rate is 1.91%. In the same way, growth is expected to slow in 2010, to an average of 3.29%, down from last month's 3.62% 2010 forecast. On the other hand, the expected inflation rate for 2009 decreased from 7.25% to 6.66%. The simple average of the expected inflation rate for 2010 is 5.99%.
Revelation of Expectations in Latin America (REVELA): No. 6 : October, 2007
Authors: Salazni Mariana , Powell Andrew
Published: March 2024

REVELA analyzes market expectations of growth and inflation in Latin America countries. The figures analyzed represent the results of surveys of private sector actors conducted by the central banks of the each country according to their own specific methodologies. They do not represent official projections by the IDB or any other official body. RES collects the results of these surveys from participating central banks on a monthly basis to produce a report and a set of illustrative graphs and tables. The October issue of REVELA reports that despite the slow down in the U.S. economy, growth expectations for 2007 continued to rise in five countries and growth expectations for 2008 continued to rise, although the simple average growth rate decreased marginally - due to falls in Chile and in Bolivia. Inflation expectations however continue to move up for most countries surveyed. In Paraguay inflation for 2007 is now expected to come in at 7.68%, up from 5.81%, and inflation expectations are now 11.83% for Bolivia and 6.3% for Chile. Expectations for 2008 inflation in Chile remain significantly lower at 3.30%.
Solar Thermal Energy: Let the sunshine in! A renewable source for industrial processes
Authors: Bohorquez Colombo Angel
Published: March 2024

This series presents information about how solar energy can be used in industrial processes. Heat generated by solar energy can be used to cook, clean, dry, and pasteurize products as is exemplified at a Kraft Foods plant in Brazil.
Integration & Trade Journal: Volume 17: No. 37: July-December, 2013
Authors: Volpe Martincus Christian , Mesquita Moreira Mauricio , Suominen Kati , Campos Rosario , Inchauspe Álvaro , Torres Paz Luis , Achar Samra Elena , Gamboa Soto Francisco , Comandari Carlos Honorato , Lyu Jaewon , Edwards Diane , González Izquierdo María del Coriseo , Hartleb Karl , Tarradellas i Espuny Joan , Díaz Guillermo , Coyoy Echeverría Erick , Giobergia Cecilia , Cereseto Fabiana , Perea José Ramón , Daude Christian , Avendaño Rolando , Moncaut Nicolás , Wiñazky Marcelo , Bekerman Marta , Leiva Bonilla Juan Carlos , Meléndez Arjona Marcela , Hallak Juan Carlos , González Andrea
Published: March 2024

In spite of the fact that they make up more than 90% of firms and account for a substantial portion of employment in these countries, rather little is known about the role of small- and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) trade. In particular, there are a series of pending yet pivotal questions, such as: To what extent and how do SMEs contribute to their countries exports? How internationalized are LAC SMEs compared to SMEs in other world regions? How diversified are LAC SMEs exports across products and destinations? What are the key bottlenecks to LAC SME internationalization? This issue of the Journal intends to drive a holistic, thoughtful and targeted discussion of patterns of SME internationalization and its major bottlenecks and how they can be (or not) mitigated most effectively.
In Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month 2006: Selections from the IDB Art Collection
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

Presents A selection of works from the Inter-American Development Bank Art Collection, representing some of the most outstanding artists from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center Information Bulletin: No. 102
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

Presents projects approved to receive financial support during 2008 of Cultural Development Program by Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center.
Ideas for Development in the Americas (IDEA): Volume 33: January-April, 2014: Clientelism: Poison for Public Policy
Authors: Ambrus Steven , Funaro Rita
Published: March 2024

In Latin America, clientelism pervades civil services; bureaucrats entrusted with critical areas of national life are often hired more for their political value than professional competence. This issue of IDEA was prepared by Steven Ambrus and Rita Funaro, and is based largely on research conducted at the IDB on governance issues. The articles presented in this newsletter are based on the research of Paulo Bastos, Paolo Buonanno, María Franco Chuaire, Daniel Gingerich, Enrique Kawamura, Sebastián Miller, Virginia Oliveros, Sebastián Saiegh, Carlos Scartascini, Christian Schuster, Jorge Streb, and Juan Fernando Vargas.
Ideas for Development in the Americas (IDEA): Volume 35: September-December, 2014: Ideas Matter
Authors: Funaro Rita
Published: March 2024

This edition of IDEA reviews a few of the highlights of the Research Department's 20th anniversary meeting. More importantly, it invites readers to participate in its ongoing journey to discover new avenues for development in Latin America and the Caribbean by following its twitter account, @IDB_thinks, and its recently launched blog, Ideas que cuentan.
INTAL Connection: No 234: February, 2016
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

INTAL Connection informs on integration and trade in Latin America and the Caribbean and disseminate IADB activities on this topics.
INTAL Connection: No 238: June, 2016
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

INTAL Connection informs on integration and trade in Latin America and the Caribbean and disseminate IADB activities on this topics.
INTAL Connection: No 247: April, 2017
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

INTAL Connection informs on developments on integration and trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. This issue focuses on the symposium and presentation of the publication of “MERCOSUR Futures: New directions in regional integration”, that includes precise diagnostics of the current situation within the bloc and puts forward creative ideas for moving along a path of sustainable development with options for strengthening integration in the current context.
Integration and Trade Journal: Volume 21: No. 42: August, 2017: Robot-lución: The future of work in Latin American Integration 4.0
Authors: Calvo Cristina , Ripani Laura , Salazar-Xirinachs José Manuel , Cabrol Marcelo , Sosa Escudero Walter , Aboal Diego , Martínez-Zarzoso Inmaculada , Chelala Santiago , Rodrik Dani , Beliz Gustavo , Pagés Carmen , Estevadeordal Antoni , Zunino Gonzalo , Sundararajan Arun
Published: March 2024

This new edition contains the work of over 40 experts from different parts of the world, who analyze the risks that automation may pose to work and how this may affect integration and employment. More than 40 global experts imagine the future of work and integration of Latin America in the new edition of INTAL-IDB's Integration and Trade magazine.
INTAL Monthly Newsletter N° 211 - March 2014
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The INTAL Monthly Newsletter reports on developments in integration and trade across Latin American and the Caribbean. It also serves as a forum for discussing the IDB's activities related to these issues through news items, technical cooperation, and a wide array of projects and studies.
INTAL Monthly Newsletter: No. 201: May, 2013
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The INTAL Monthly Newsletter reports on developments in integration and trade across Latin American and the Caribbean. It also serves as a forum for discussing the IDB¿s activities related to these issues through news items, technical cooperation, and a wide array of projects and studies.
INTAL Monthly Newsletter: No 221: January, 2015
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The INTAL Monthly Newsletter reports on developments in integration and trade across Latin American and the Caribbean. It also serves as a forum for discussing the IDB's activities related to these issues through news items, technical cooperation, and a wide array of projects and studies.
Revelation of Expectations in Latin America (REVELA): No. 2 : June, 2007
Authors: Powell Andrew , Martínez Juan Francisco
Published: March 2024

Revelation of Expectations in Latin America (REVELA) is a monthly publication published by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Research Department (RES). The data comes from surveys of market participants conducted by Central Banks in Latin America. This document analyzes differences in market expectations for growth and inflation across countries and determines trends over time. This document was published in June of 2007.
Microenterprise Development Review: Volume 5 : No. 2 : December, 2002
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This issue of the Microenterprise Development Review examines why Latin American microenterprises are paying such high interest rates and getting such small loans for such short periods of time, in comparison to their North American counterparts. It also examines the evolving capital structure of microfinance institutions - whereas it used to be an industry where nongovernmental organizations dominated microfinance, it is now rapidly evolving into a subsector of the financial services industry.
Microenterprise Development Review: Volume 8 : No. 2 : December, 2005
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The first article in this issue of Microenterprise Development Review discusses how banks can adapt scoring to microenterprise loans and how scoring can be adapted to microlenders. It also discusses the process of introducing scoring in a microlender, drawing on experience from an IDB-funded project with affiliates of Women's World Banking in Colombia and the Dominican Republic. The second article in this issue explores the best options for funding a microfinance institution and analyzes four main sources of MFI funding: mobilizing deposits, borrowing (from donors, governments, banks and other sources), issuing bonds and issuing stock. In addition, it examines recent trends in the use of these four instruments, the relative costs of each (including both financial and operating costs), other pros and cons of each funding source, and best practices in the use of the four instruments.
Free Trade Agreements: U.S. Promotion and Oversight of Latin American Implementation
Authors: Hornbeck J. F.
Published: March 2024

Free Trade Agreements: U.S. Promotion and Oversight of Latin American Implementation
Occupational Safety and Health in Latin America and the Caribbean: Overview, Issues and Policy Recommendations.
Authors: Iunes Roberto F.
Published: March 2024

This policy brief addresses safety and security in the workplace in Latin America and the Caribbean. Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) issues have received little attention in Latin America and the Caribbean due to the widespread, and culturally rooted, lack of awareness regarding the importance of a safe and healthy work environment, and to the weakness of the institutions responsible for the promotion and enforcement of better working conditions. Work-generated illnesses, injuries and deaths are often seen as an unintended consequence, a negative externality, of the production process. This paper will present and discuss in detail the dimension of the occupational safety and health problem in the region. The next section analyzes the specific characteristics of Latin American and Caribbean economies and institutions that determine the high exposure to occupational hazards faced by the workers of the region. As discussed in the final section of this paper, there are several non-mutually exclusive policy mechanisms and instruments that can be implemented to deal with occupational safety and health problems.
Poverty and Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This document surveys Bank lending operations designed to fight poverty and enhance social equity, with emphasis on recently approved projects with innovative components. It also surveys a broad range of poverty-related non-lending activities carried out by the Bank over the past two years. It includes a general framework for poverty reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean, specifying a number of areas of emphasis: enhancing opportunities for the poor; assets and markets; contributing to human development; improving the quality of life of the poor; social protection; and good governance and social inclusion.
Capacity Building-Implementation and Administration of Free Trade Agreements: Service-Investment Provisions
Authors: Staples Brian Rankin
Published: March 2024

This paper draws on the experience of Mexico in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and on the experiences of four Latin American countries in the implementation of their services and investment obligations in their FTAs with the United States: Chile (United States-Chile FTA), Costa Rica and El Salvador (Dominican Republic-Central America-United States FTA, or CAFTA-DR), and Peru (United States-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, or PTPA), referred to herein as the "other" or "new" FTAs. The paper highlights the provisions of these agreements (investment, cross-border trade in services, financial services, and telecommunications), and then discusses the processes and results of their implementation, as well as the domestic political constraints.
Don't Talk to Me about Debt. Talk to Me about Growth
Authors: Ruprah Inder J. , Melgarejo Karl Alexander
Published: March 2024

In this policy brief, we focus on the debates surrounding what has been called the "silent debt crisis" of the Caribbean. We discuss the level of debt at which the relation with economic growth turns from positive to negative. We also discuss, illustrated with simulations of the tradeoffs, how to reduce the debt level with policy options that complement fiscal austerity with debt restructuring, economic growth promotion, acceleration of inflation, and financial repression. Each policy option carries an advantage in terms of easing the required fiscal adjustment; however, each also presents downsides that could undermine such a benefit. There appears to be no gain without upfront pain.
Fiscal Unruliness: Checking the Usual Suspects for Jamaica's Debt Buildup
Authors: Schmid Juan Pedro
Published: March 2024

Jamaica's fiscal and debt position has long been recognized as a major issue for the country, and the country has made several attempts to resolve this challenge by increasing revenue or reducing expenditures. Despite these adjustments, Jamaica has systematically failed to achieve its budget targets. This analysis shows that the major weakness in the budget planning execution is revenue projection, which influences planned expenditures. In contrast, the limitation in reducing rigid recurrent expenditures -mostly interest and wage salary payments- has led to the introduction of measures aimed at meeting appropriate revenue targets. In addition, capital expenditure has systematically underperformed relative to the budget, possibly to compensate for these weaknesses. However, fiscal targets have still underperformed relative to budget projections. These repeated, lower-than-expected revenues combined with rigid expenditures led to continuous debt buildup, reaching a level that needs deep institutional reforms.
Finding New Tourism Opportunities: Finally Looking South?
Authors: Thomas Chrystol
Published: March 2024

In this policy brief, we examine the current tourism product in the CARICOM member states with a particular focus on the economies that rely most on the industry. The analysis shows that the tourism industry has steadily declined since the 2008 financial crisis and the introduction of the Air Passenger Duty by a main source market, the United Kingdom. Expanding the tourism source markets to emerging economies could reduce the vulnerability of the sector and create greater potential for value chains and increased trade with new commercial partners.
Mothers Are Right: Eat Your Vegetables And Keep Away From The Girls (Boys): Bullying Victimization Profile in the Caribbean
Authors: Sierra Ricardo , Ruprah Inder J.
Published: March 2024

About 29 percent of teenagers are bullied at school in the Caribbean. Victims of bullying are more lonely, sleep less, and have fewer friends than do their nonbullied peers. Although victims of bullying eat more frequently at fast food restaurants, they also experience more periods of hunger than do nonbullied children. Acting out with the goal of being considered a "cool" teenager does not work; even if adolescents frequently smoke cigarettes, bullies may still intimidate and harass them. The opposite is true for virgins. Good parenting can, however, make a difference in preventing a child from being a victim of bullying. Growing international evidence has shown that school-based programs can reduce the prevalence of bullying and that bullying has long-term negative consequences into adult life (for both bullies and victims).
Reserve Requirements and Loan Loss Provisions as Countercyclical Macroprudential Instruments: A Perspective from Latin America
Authors: Agénor Pierre-Richard , Pereira da Silva Luiz A.
Published: March 2024

This paper discusses, from an analytical and operational perspective, the use of reserve requirements and loan loss provisions as countercyclical macroprudential instruments. In recent years both of these instruments have been used extensively in Latin America and elsewhere in the world. The first part of the paper sets the stage with a discussion of the rationale, in the presence of financial frictions, for using macroprudential regulation to mitigate financial system procyclicality. The second part reviews the general arguments, as well as the recent empirical evidence for Latin America, associated with the use of reserve requirements and loan loss provisions. The third part provides a normative analysis of the ways through which countercyclical reserve requirements and cyclically adjusted (or, more commonly called, dynamic) provisioning rules should be formulated, independently and jointly, to address concerns arising from procyclicality and financial volatility. Optimal countercyclical rules are discussed from the perspective of how these rules can either minimize a composite measure of economic volatility (combining measures of both macroeconomic and financial volatility) or maximize social welfare. The last part brings together the lessons for policymakers that can be drawn from the analysis.
Ingresos fiscales por explotación de hidrocarburos en Bolivia
Authors: Chávez Gonzálo
Published: March 2024

La economía boliviana depende de manera significativa de la exportación de recursos naturales, en especial de hidrocarburos. Desde el punto de vista fiscal, la venta de gas natural a Brasil y a Argentina genera al Tesoro General de la Nación más del 50% de sus ingresos. Desde mediados de los años 2000, la economía mundial registra precios elevados de las materias primas, en particular petróleo y gas natural, lo cual ha representado un shock positivo de ingresos para el país. Este documento analiza la manera en que los cambios en los precios del petróleo y del gas natural afectan los ingresos del gobierno central y de los gobiernos departamentales, considerando el contexto jurídico e institucional del sector de los hidrocarburos en Bolivia.
Comércio e integração econômica entre Brasil e Peru
Authors: Ribeiro Fernando , Markwald Ricardo
Published: March 2024

Este breve estudo analisa a situação atual das relações econômicas entre Brasil e Peru, identificando suas características e seu potencial de expansão, bem como as barreiras que restringem seu crescimento. O objetivo é apresentar subsídios que norteiem ações e iniciativas bilaterais para remover os obstáculos, de forma que os países possam tirar o máximo proveito de suas vantagens competitivas e possam dinamizar suas potencialidades e complementaridades.
The Devil is in the Details: Policy Design Lessons from Field Experiments in the Pampas
Authors: Castro Lucio , Scartascini Carlos
Published: March 2024

There is growing evidence that individual responses to public policies are, to a large extent, mediated by the way the policies are framed, by people's cognitive and computational capabilities, and by people's subjective beliefs. For example, people may react to price changes but not to complicated schemes that rely on people's computational abilities. Similarly, people may react better to simple information such as a picture than to a very detailed analysis of benefits and costs. Henceforth, even very well-intentioned policies may not have the desired impact if they do not take into account people's capabilities and beliefs. This policy paper draws lessons that should help policymakers design more effective public policies by reviewing the evidence coming from recent field experiments and quasiexperiments sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank.
Sharpening the Bank's Capacity to Support the Housing Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean: Background Paper for the Implementation of the Social Development Strategy
Authors: Rojas Eduardo
Published: March 2024

The Bank expanded its housing finance activities in the 1990s, shifting its support toward sector reforms that increase the capacity of housing finance and delivery mechanisms to cater to the needs of low-income households. The present publication examines Bank experience in housing, draws lessons for the design and implementation of new operations and identifies future areas for development. This report is intended to assist government and Bank officials in the identification and design of housing sector operations. The Social Pro-grams Division hopes that this publication will contribute to the improvement of housing conditions in Latin America, especially those of the poor and excluded.
Cultural Industries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Quartesan Alessandra , Lanzafame Francesco , Romis Monica
Published: March 2024

Over the past decade, the new creative-cultural industries have increasingly become one of the main sources of greater production and employment in many countries. Although the growth of cultural industries has been mostly limited to the world's richest countries, a number of low- and middle-income countries have come to recognize that they too can participate in the cultural economy. In this regard, Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries have begun to identify new opportunities and are actively seeking sustainable solutions to maintain these industries as an integral part of cultural and economic life. The objective of this paper is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of cultural industries in LAC and offer lessons learned through this analysis to policymakers and donors. This study demonstrates the value and the potential for cultural industries in the LAC economy and also identifies the need for a comprehensive approach, structured policies, and targeted interventions aimed at improving the conditions and prospects of these industries.
Fiscal Policy and Equity: Estimation of the Progressivity and Redistributive Capacity of Taxes and Social Public Expenditure in the Andean Countries
Authors: Roca Jerónimo , Villela Luiz Arruda , Barreix Alberto Daniel
Published: March 2024

This study summarizes the assessment of the impact of fiscal policies on equity in the Andean countries. It evaluates the outcome of the main taxes and social public expenditures on income distribution applying a homogeneous methodology. The full effect of taxes is slightly regressive due to a weak personal income tax collection. The accumulated public social expenditure has a much higher redistributive impact. It improves the Gini coefficient by 5 percentage points, however, close to half the effect of developed economies (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development - OECD). Considering taxes and social spending on a joint basis, the fiscal policy had a positive but insufficient redistributive effect.
Issues in State Modernization in Ecuador
Authors: Winkler-McCue Erin
Published: March 2024

Ecuador's current political economy is largely a product of the boom that took place in the country's oil sector in the early 1970s. The pressure of heightened revenue flows created an oil-exporting factional democracy, and a dichotomy between policies focused on minimizing the pitfalls of natural resource rents (widespread corruption, Dutch disease, etc.) and individual actors driven to maximize their profits. Today, these pressures continue to mount for the country and in the face of significant positive growth indicators.
Economic Integration and the Transformation of the Tax Mix: Cyprus 1990-2001
Authors: Jenkins Glenn P. , Poufos George G.
Published: March 2024

This paper outlines the steps that the Government of Cyprus took to transform its tax system between 1990 and 2001 in order to prepare itself for admission into the European Union. Cyprus has many of the same economic features as the countries of the Caribbean and Central American regions. In the case of Cyprus, the reforms were focused on the introduction and expansion of the Value Added Tax, a restructuring of the excise tax system and a modernization of its income tax system. By 2002 it has virtually completed the transformation process. The paper also discusses the situation of Belize, which is preparing to begin a similar transformation. Although the required changes might appear very large, a set of reasonable options are presented for consideration.
Taxation and Investment Promotion
Authors: Villela Luiz Arruda , Barreix Alberto Daniel
Published: March 2024

This document discusses the effect of tax incentives on business activities and investment decisions. When taxation is not sound it hurts the business climate and hampers economic activities. Since the primary intent of tax incentives is to encourage capital accumulation in specific activities or locations, the question remains open if their extensive use will result in the desired response.
Making Decentralization Work in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Background Paper for the Subnational Development Strategy
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The paper provides information and analysis in support of the Bank's subnational development strategy (GN-2026). The strategy will guide future Bank operations in support of decentralization to address the complex issues countries are facing in their efforts to promote the socioeconomic development in subnational territories. The document is divided in three sections: the first section provides an overview of the decentralization process in Latin America and the Caribbean and sets the stage for an analysis of the key isuues that need to be addresses by the Bank when supporting the decentralization process in the region; the next chapter discusses the challenges confronted by subnational governments. The development of subnational governments is key to improving well-being. The next section focuses on the structure of intergovernmental relations and concludes that a well-designed structure provides subnational governments with incentives to efficiently allocate resources to the most socially profitable uses. The next chapter discusses the governance issues involved in decentralization, while the next section concentrates on the institucional aspects of the institucional aspects of decentralization and concludes that the Bank should emphasize the need for subnational governments to have sufficient institutional capacity at socially acceptable levels of performance. Finally, the last chapter discusses the variety of issues related to financing subnational governments and recommends that the Bank stress the paramount importance of sufficient sources of financing for ensuing good subnational government performance.
Agriculture in Brazil and China: Challenges and Opportunities
Authors: Jales Mário Queiroz de Monteiro , Carter Colin A. , Jank Marcos Sawaya , Yao Shunli
Published: March 2024

This paper analyzes the asymmetries and complementarities between Brazil's and China's agricultural sectors. Brazil and China are key players in world agriculture. Both countries are among the world's top five producers and exporters of agricultural products and have a significant portion of their population working in agriculture. However, four significant facts profoundly differentiate Brazilian and Chinese agriculture. First, while Brazil has one of the world's most liberal agricultural sectors, Chinese agriculture remains under strong state intervention, particularly in its foreign trade. Second, while the agricultural sector accounts for a very significant portion of Brazil's total exports, in China its share in total foreign sales is almost negligible. Third, while Brazil is a net exporter of agricultural products, China is now a net importer. Finally, while Brazil is the country with the greatest potential to expand its planted area in the world, China's agriculture has little land available for expansion and is in fact under severe pressure from urbanization and the development of other productive sectors.
Andean Report No. 2 (2002-2004)
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The Andean countries have made significant progress in their external agenda, above all because of the achievements with their main economic and political counterparts. Andean negotiations contributed to having the United States adopt the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, renewing and enhancing other tariff preferences granted to the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), save for Venezuela. Furthermore, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru initiated negotiations with the U.S.A. for a free trade agreement (FTA). Such negotiations started with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, with Bolivia attending as an observer authorized to fully join in when it is ready to do so.
Entering the World of Work: Results from Six entra21 Youth Employment Projects
Authors: Lasida Javier , Rodríguez Ernesto
Published: March 2024

This meta-study, conducted by Javier Lasida and Ernesto Rodríguez, is based on six external evaluations conducted in 2005 of entra 21 projects in El Salvador, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Bolivia.
Integration and Trade in the Americas: A Preliminary Estimate of 2006 Trade
Authors: Shearer Matthew , Mesquita Moreira Mauricio
Published: March 2024

The purpose of this document is to inform Bank staff and other interested parties about recent developments in integration and trade among the countries of the Western Hemisphere and between these and other countries and world regions.
MIF Retrospectives: Measuring Up with the Innovation Challenge: The ICT4BUS Program
Authors: Ca'Zorzi Antonio
Published: March 2024

This paper provides an overview of the role of information and communications technology for small businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean and the development of the MIF ICT4BUS program.
MERCOSUR Report No. 12 (2006-2007)
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

In an international context that has started showing signs of increased instability, the pace of global economic growth seems not to have been significantly affected, at least at the time of writing the present report. Growth forecasts for the global economy for this year are only slightly below those for 2006 (5.2% as against 5.4%). World trade continued to expand faster than GDP growth, while foreign direct investment (FDI) flows made up the ground they lost in 2001-2003, approaching the record values of 2000. Although, toward mid-2007, there was serious disruption in the international financial market, the swift, emphatic reactions of the central banks of the United States and Europe are highly likely to contain the more negative effects of this on the dynamics of the world economy. There was also continuous growth in much of the developing world, particularly China.
Possible Role of the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) in the Area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Authors: Gaspar Antonio K.
Published: March 2024

This report addresses the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in creating business value, competitiveness, and access to markets for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in Latin America and the Caribbean.