bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Assistance Poverty and Equity in the Dominican Republic
Authors: Regalia Ferdinando , Robles Marcos
Published: March 2024

The Dominican Republic invests a considerable amount of public resources in transfer and subsidy programs with the main objective of redistributing income to and subsidizing consumption of the poor. This study measures the effectiveness with which publicly-financed transfers redistribute income. This study also assesses the potential of the Unified System of Beneficiary Identification (Sistema de Identificación de Beneficiarios-Indice de Condiciones de Vida, SIUBEN-ICV) to improve the targeting performance of social assistance programs against other Proxy Means Test (PMT) instruments. Finally, this study examines the redistributive potential of Comer es Primero and ILAE, two Conditional Cash Transfer programs recently launched by the Government, and of the possible changes in the rules of operation of the LPG gas subsidy.
Trade and Integration Sector Note: Chile
Authors: Mesquita Moreira Mauricio
Published: March 2024

This Trade and Integration Sector Note addresses a few different factors for trade in Chile: export diversification, trade and regional disparities, preferential agreements, trade and transport costs. The final section looks beyond the conventional tariff and non tariff-barriers to trade, and focuses on the role of transport costs. Given Chile's low tariff and non-tariff barriers and its network of trade agreements, the reduction of non-conventional trade costs are bound to offer the best returns in terms of promoting trade and integration.
Evaluation of the Bank's Basic Education Strategy
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This report (RE-281) presents OVE's evaluation of the Bank's Basic Education Strategy. The document is organized as follows: Chapter I is an introduction, Chapter II presents an overview of the evolution of LAC's basic education outcomes during the '90s and outlines some of the main obstacles to progress. Chapter III evaluates the strategy documents (explicit strategy) as a response to the sector problematique. Chapter IV evaluates the explicit strategy in terms of the degree to which it was implemented de facto, the extent to which the loan documents provide information to evaluate the explicit strategy results, and the empirical evidence of the impact of some of the Bank's strategic lines of action at the school level, without dealing with attribution issues. Chapter V discusses the views of sector specialists on the design, dissemination, and usefulness of the strategy documents. Chapter VI summarizes the main finding of this report. Finally, Chapter VII offers recommendations for the development of future education strategies.
First Independent Evaluation Report to the IIC Board of Executive Directors
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This report (IIC/RE-2) is OVE'S first independent ICC evaluation report. Its purpose is to verify the findings and ratings of sixteen early operating maturity projects that were self evaluated by the IIC between September 2001 and January 2002. Written as a desk study, without the benefit of field visits, the report is based on IIC's self evaluations, information from the Annual Supervision Reports, and independent data on borrowers' economic performance. OVE interviewed several of the investment officers and consulted closely with the officer who prepared the self-evaluation reports. This report is divided into four sections in addition to this Introduction: Methodology and Approach (Section II); Review of Self-Evaluation Reports (Section III); Emerging Issues (Section IV); and Conclusions and Proposed Action Plan for Self-Evaluation and Independent Evaluation in 2002 (Section V).
Review of the Youth Worker Training Sub Program in Colombia (CO0247)
Authors: Rosas-Shady David
Published: March 2024

This report constitutes a review of the Youth Worker Training subprogram named "Jóvenes en Acción" which was a component of the Social Safety Net Program (CO0247). This document presents information about the entire program but the emphasis is given to "Jóvenes en Acción". The objective is to provide information about the subprogram: the context under which it was developed, the basic design features (inputs, outputs, outcomes) and the underlying model, the evaluability (at design and during the execution of the program), the execution efficiency and the main results. Although the central purpose of doing an impact evaluation of the effects of training on employability was not possible due to data limitations, this review was informative for the thematic evaluation.
Cross Subsidies in Public Services: Some Issues
Authors: Beato Paulina
Published: March 2024

Pricing policy recommendations infrastructure services are based on two principles. One is that prices should cover the total cost of the service. The other is that cross subsidy schemes should be avoided. This technical paper explores the economic literature for rules on applying these principles to real world infrastructure services. The discussion is based on a partial equilibrium approach that uses market surplus as a proxy for social welfare and efficiency. Three main conclusions are reached in this paper. First, if a uniform price schedule is established and prices diverge from marginal cost, then social welfare can be increased by establishing appropriate price discrimination schemes that have cross subsidies. Second, from a voluntary sustainability standpoint, some cross subsidy schemes are not suitable, whereas others are appropriate. Third, sometimes, optimal and voluntary sustainable price schedules are not compatible. In these cases, a trade-off between optimality and sustainability is often necessary.
Family Spending on Health in Brazil: Some Indirect Evidence of the Regressive Nature of Public Spending in Health
Authors: Medici André
Published: March 2024

This report analyzes the structure of family health spending in Brazil between 1987 and 1996, using a survey taken in 1996 survey of health spending by households. This report also tries to identify, although indirectly, the impact that universal access to health care had on family spending by income. Although the analysis found that the these measures did not narrow the gap between spending on health care by poor families and more affluent families, it did yield important lessons that will be helpful in crafting future health policies.
Institutional Reform in Mexican Higher Education: Conflict and Renewal in Three Public Universities
Authors: Kent Rollin
Published: March 2024

This paper examines the institutional reform conducted at three public universities in Mexico: the University of Sonora, the University of Guadalajara, and the University of Puebla. In the universities analyzed here, reform came on the heels of conflict resulting from institutional collapse. These organizations had seen their internal control systems dissolve and their external legitimacy relationships crumble. The focus is on policy reform at the governmental level and on changes at the institutional level, especially on the political and management dimensions.
A Note on Obtaining Welfare Bounds in Referendum Contingent Valuation Studies
Authors: Rodríguez Diego J. , Vaughan William J.
Published: March 2024

In this note, the authors detail the mechanics of the nonparametric mean and variance calculations of finding willingness to pay (WTP) estimates. There are (at least) three nonparametric estimators of mean WTP that can be obtained from referendum CV survey data. The logic behind all three nonparametric estimators is the same.
Financing Biodiversity Conservation
Authors: Bayón Ricardo , Lovink J. Steven , Veening Wouter J.
Published: March 2024

Financing the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity has been called one of the greatest challenges. At the heart of this challenge lies the low financial and political value which is often assigned to biodiversity and the resulting lack of financial mechanisms for conservation and sustainable use. This report provides an overview of existing and experimental financing mechanisms that can be used to encourage the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. To help to better understand these mechanisms, it proposes a taxonomy that divides the mechanisms into three categories: 1) Those that protect biodiversity as a public good; 2) Those that require correcting so-called "negative externalities" that hamper biodiversity conservation; 3) Those that can be used to support biodiversity-based businesses. The report ends with recommendations on how the Bank can support financing mechanisms that promote the conservation of biodiversity and its sustainable use.
Private Enforcement of Environmental Regulations in Latin America and the Caribbean: An Effective Instrument for Environmental Management?
Authors: Tietenberg Thomas
Published: March 2024

While the role of nongovernmental organizations in environmental policy is growing rapidly, our analytical understanding of the causes and consequences of this emerging role has not kept pace. And yet our ability to define an appropriate relationship between these private sector organizations and the public sector depends on this knowledge. The purpose of this research is to explore one facet of the participation of nongovernmental organizations in environmental policy -private enforcement- and to develop a practical set of recommendations on whether and how to incorporate private enforcement in Bank projects and programs. The study analyzes the potential role of private environmental enforcement in enhancing environmental quality and identifies possible ways and means for potential Bank involvement in this area. The economic models in this paper show how the varying remedies, limitations, and reimbursement procedures can affect both the level and patterns of private enforcement activity as well as the environmental and economic consequences.
The Development and Management of Marine Fisheries in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Christy Francis T.
Published: March 2024

There is now a global and regional awareness that marine fisheries have been significantly mismanaged in all parts of the world, including the South Atlantic and South Pacific oceans. This paper attempts to provide the background information necessary for the development of a new coastal and marine resources managment strategy for the IDB and offers some suggestions for its formulation and implementation. The paper emphasizes the critical need for improved management, in order to obtain the potentially large economic rewards of the fisheries, and to provide a basis for dealing with conflicts over competing uses of the marine resources.
Caribbean Priority Sector Research Report
Authors:   DPM International
Published: March 2024

This paper discusses the regional and national sector prioritising initiatives that are part of the long-term overall strategic planning approach to advance economically and socially in the Caribbean countries. The discussion includes "top down" and "bottom up" initiatives that make up the strategic plans in the different countries. Priority sector strategies yield real results when they do have a strong niche focus within them built around a country's strengths --whether inherent or created by a huge investment into human capital and technology. In the authors' view, the true priority sector niches that the Caribbean countries should be focusing on are already being identified by the region's smart entrepreneurs, the people who are taking major risks to develop and expand their businesses.
Public Support to Innovation: The Colombian COLCIENCIAS' Experience
Authors: Maffioli Alessandro , Crespi Gustavo , Meléndez Arjona Marcela
Published: March 2024

This paper aims at evaluating the impacts of innovation promotion programs administrated by the Colombian Innovation Agency (COLCIENCIAS). Although the agency implements multiple programs, the focus of these research are on those programs that provide financial incentives for R&D (matching grants and contingent loans) and at the same time encourage the formation of linkages between firms, universities and other public research organizations. Different from previous evaluations, a nice feature of the current research is the possibility to use a very rich dataset in order follow-up the economic performance of the beneficiaries over a long period of time. The results show that after controlling for both observable and unobservable difference with the control group, COLCIENCIAS programs have been very effective in increasing firm labor productivity and that the main channel behind this result is product diversification (product innovation).
Climate Change's Impact on the Caribbean's Ability to Sustain Tourism, Natural Assests and Livelihoods
Authors: Trotz Ulric , Simpson Murray , Scott Daniel
Published: March 2024

In this technical note, the authors present the effects of climate change on tourism development in the Caribbean, focusing on sea level rise and approaches to sustainability managing climate change impacts. For government and business decision makers in the tourism sector, climate change is a new strategic reality. Increasingly, institutional investors, banks, and insurance companies seek information on the material risks associated with climate change - driven by regulations at national and international levels, physical impacts on business, and the indirect consequences of regulation on business trends, such as changes in the demands for goods and services.
The Second Story: Wholesale Microfinance in Latin America
Authors: Berger Marguerite , Beck Yonas Alison , Lloreda María Lucía
Published: March 2024

Drawing on project documents, evaluations, surveys and interviews with participating financial intermediaries and second-tier institutions, this paper tells the story of the IDB¿s microenterprise global credit program. The purpose of the paper is to garner lessons from this experience that can be applied to future efforts to promote microfinance, especially those that involve a wholesale mechanism. This paper explores how market conditions and program design and execution elements have determined the IDB programs' success in meeting their dual objectives: expanding microenterprise access to financial services and strengthening financial institutions' capacities to serve microenterprises. It identifies the key factors that can spell success or failure for wholesale microfinance programs.
Revenue-Based Auctions and Unbundling Infrastructure Franchises
Authors: Galetovic Alexander , Engel Eduardo , Fischer Ronald
Published: March 2024

This paper discusses privatization among investments in infrastructure. The goal of this paper is to present a new auction mechanism that solves many of the problems that have hindered the use of franchises. The first section of the paper discusses least present value of revenue (LPVR) auctions, where the regulator fixes user fees (according to some optimizing criterion) and asks for bids on the present value of revenue from user fees that franchise holders will accept in exchange for building, operating and maintaining the infrastructure. Section 2 of the paper classifies infrastructure projects according to their technological characteristics in order to establish conditions under which franchising is feasible and desirable. In Section 3, the authors discuss several conceptual issues that arise in franchising. Section 4 discusses the shortcomings of fixed-term mechanisms. Section 5 introduces and analyzes LPVR auctions. Section 6 discusses the unbundling of franchises. The authors' conclusions are presented in the final section.
Willingness to Pay: Referendum Contingent Valuation and Uncertain Project Benefits
Authors: Darling Arthur H. , Rodríguez Diego J. , Russell Clifford S. , Vaughan William J.
Published: March 2024

This study uses contingent valuation (CV) methods to estimate the benefit of an environmental water quality project of the Tietê River and its tributaries that flow through the São Paulo, Brazil, Metropolitan Area (SPMA). This paper demonstrates the range alternative central tendency measures for WTP produced under alternative parametric and nonparametric approaches using data gathered from a recent referendum CV survey that was conducted in Brazil to analyze a large, multi-phase water quality improvement project. It explains why one of the most commonly used measures, the unrestricted mean of the conditional inverse distribution function of WTP, may be less desirable and more computationally intensive than simpler alternatives like the nonparametric mean of the marginal inverse distribution function.
Interoperability at the Border: Coordinated Border Management Best Practices & Case Studies
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

Interoperability among government agencies at national borders, also known as coordinated border management (CBM), is a fundamental component of a nation's modernized customs and border control strategy. It comprises the streamlining of parallel processes and technologies enabling different government agencies to effectively work together on border issues. By 4 implementing CBM strategies at both the domestic and international levels, countries can reduce internal costs and inefficiencies, improve security, and increase their ability to facilitate trade and generate revenue at the border.
Electronic Single Window: Coordinated Border Management: Best Practices Studies
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This report provides a brief review of status of Electronic Single Windows (ESWs) in the Latin American and Caribbean region. While not exhaustive it does illustrate the diversity of integrated border management and the opportunities for building greater capacity. It is intended to be a primer on the steps necessary to adopt and implement an ESW for each member country. The report contains an analysis of government steps necessary for adoption of an ESW, a description of the different tiers of existing capacity and how the two types of electronic portals apply to those tiers, and a section identifying the types of technologies available for the implementation of the ESW. The key section of the report outlines the steps to be taken to assess, develop, and implement an ESW.
Evaluability of Country Strategies: Methodology Note
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The report's (RE-253) primary objective is to propose a methodology for evaluating country strategies, understood as the set of strategies or ways of doing things in order to achieve preestablished objectives. This task involves examining the strategic concepts contained in country papers (CPs), in the context of the Bank's planning process, with a subsequent discussion of the evaluability of the strategies set forth in the CPs. The first conclusion is that there is a general lack of clarity, precision and explicitness in the ideas presented. Typically, CPs offer numerous objectives-specifying what is to be done-but fail to detail strategic alternatives and options for executing the objectives, shifting this responsibility, instead, to a group of projects. The present report highlights some of the difficulties of formulating country strategies in Bank documents.
Community-Driven Rural Development: What Have We Learned?
Authors: Bonde Ane , Østergard-Dahl Tom , Moore David , Wenner Mark D. , Ramirez Vanessa
Published: March 2024

The purpose of this paper is to identify best practices in the design and implementation of community-driven rural development (CDRD) projects in Central America with special emphasis on Nicaragua. The methodology used in this study is two-fold. First, a literature review of the academic literature (chapter 2) and donor agency project documents and consultant reports (chapter 3) for Central America was conducted to understand key advances in the field and to derive a set of common findings. Second, field inter-views with key stakeholders and focus group interviews (about 30) were held in Nicaragua, covering four different rural community development projects. The selection of communities to be interviewed (chapter 4) was done in a manner that permitted obtaining a nonrandom, but stratified sample in terms of geography (Pacific coastal plain, Central highlands, and Atlantic humid tropical forest) and type of sectoral intervention (a project that emphasized building productive agricultural activities; a project that emphasized improved on-farm natural resource management; and a project that emphasized construction of road and wharves). Findings from the review informed the fieldwork. Chapter 5 presents summary lessons learned from the field, while chapter 6 offers recommendations to improve new project design and implementation.
Jurisprudence of Equality Project (JEP): Consolidated Report Based on the Evaluations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay
Authors: Pfund Alicia
Published: March 2024

The Jurisprudence of Equality project (JEP) trains judges and other judicial actors on the applicability of international women's rights law in domestic courts, thus enhancing their ability to treat cases of violence against women and ensuring greater protection for women's rights in the region. The purpose of this report is to distill the findings and conclusions from the JEP evaluation in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. This evaluation was meant to find out to which extent the project is being implemented as planned, identifying any difficulties during implementation, and ways to overcome them. It has also assessed the effect that project activities are having in achieving the project goal. Apart from document review and interviews in Washington and in the four countries visited in March-April 2000 with relevant stakeholders, the evaluation relies on two main instruments for each country: (a) a survey, applied to trainers and seminar participants. The questionnaires were designed with the close cooperation of the Washington IWJF director and the education director, as well as in consultation with other stakeholders in the field, and the IDB in Washington and Country Offices; (b) a series of focus groups carried out separately with trainers and seminar participants.
Basic Facts about Violence
Authors: Buvinic Mayra , Morrison Andrew
Published: March 2024

This document is the first one of a series of technical notes that describe the nature and magnitude of violence in the region, its causes and effects, and how it can be prevented and controlled. The notes provide useful information on designing programs and policies to prevent and deal with violence. This chapter introduces the concept of violence and it limits the scope of its definition. An important characterization to highlight is the difference between violence and a violent crime. Certain violent acts, such as domestic violence, may be against the law in some countries but lawful in other countries. Secondly, because there is a causal relationship between criminal and non-criminal violence. Violence is a learned behavior, and a main school of violence is the home, which, for the most part, is an environment where violent behavior is not viewed as unlawful. Following this line of thought, a series of facts are pointed out: the forms violence can take, who are the perpetrators, figures of violence in the Americas, and which disciplines contribute to the study of violence.
Controlling Violence
Authors: Buvinic Mayra , Morrison Andrew
Published: March 2024

This document is one of a series of technical notes that describe the nature and magnitude of violence in the region, its causes and effects, and how it can be prevented and controlled. The notes provide useful information on designing programs and policies to prevent and deal with violence. This note focuses on violence control and prevention. The authors hold that it is often thought that control and prevention are quite distinct actions and that consequently, it is simple to categorize actions under one heading or the other. The real world, however, is more gray than black and white. According to the authors, all actions designed to reduce violence form part of a continuum that ranges from prevention on one end of the scale to control on the other end.
Youth Violence Prevention
Authors: Biehl María Loreto
Published: March 2024

This document is one of a series of technical notes that describe the nature and magnitude of violence in the region, its causes and effects, and how it can be prevented and controlled. The notes provide useful information on designing programs and policies to prevent and deal with violence. This technical note discusses youth violence prevention issues. Increasing violence among young people is a particularly alarming problem in the region. Youth are at a higher risk of being victims and perpetrators of violence, including physical injury, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional and verbal abuse. Yet juvenile violence can be prevented and juvenile offenders can be rehabilitated. This technical note calls attention to a growing body of scientifically credible evidence that can be used to implement sound and cost-effective violence prevention programs.
Targeting Methods for Social Programs
Authors: Legovini Arianna
Published: March 2024

This technical note presents some policy guidance on main targeting mechanisms for social programs and criteria for their evaluation. Several methods exist to target social programs to the desired population. These should be judged on the basis of three criteria: targeting efficiency, leakage, and administrative costs. Considerations of political feasibility should also be made.
2005-2010 Microfinance Market Trends in Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Martínez Renso
Published: March 2024

The objective of this report is to present an early update for the performance of the Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in regional, sub-regional and certain national markets at the close of the 2010 financial year in terms of coverage credit types, finance structure, and risk and profitability.
Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Education and Health Interventions in Developing Countries
Authors: McEwan Patrick J.
Published: March 2024

High-quality impact evaluations, including randomized experiments, are increasingly popular, but cannot always inform resource allocation decisions unless the costs of interventions are considered alongside their effects. Cost-effectiveness analysis is a straightforward but under-utilized tool for determining which, of two or more interventions provides a (non-pecuniary) unit of effect at least cost. This paper reviews the framework and methods of cost-effectiveness analysis, emphasizing education and health interventions, and discusses how the methods are applied in the literature.
Challenges for Low-Carbon Agriculture and Forest Conservation in Brazil
Authors: Viana Letícia , Soares Filho Britaldo , Lima Letícia , Bowman Maria
Published: March 2024

This paper discusses the feedbacks between climate change, deforestation, and agricultural expansion and presents scenarios of agricultural demand and forest conservation and restoration policies in Brazil. In addition, it discusses the implications of these scenarios for food and befoul supply, the provision of ecosystem services, and climate change mitigation. Modeling these scenarios provides an integrated assessment of plausible pathways for achieving the goals of the National Climate Change Plan, for making an objective source of information available for the debate on the Forest Code, and for supporting Brazil's cropland expansion plan as well as anticipating potential conflicts.
Technologies for Education: Basic Guidelines for Project Evaluation
Authors: Severin Eugenio , Falck Denise , Peirano Claudia
Published: March 2024

The use of technologies within educational settings has become a priority for governments of developing countries. Investment in Technologies for Education (TEd), which has the goal of improving the quality of education and making it relevant to 21st century realities, has grown steadily during the past decade. However, efforts involving the evaluation of such projects have been inadequate thus far. The evaluation of educational technology projects is critically important, since it allows us to learn from the experience of carrying out such programs while providing vital information on expected results. The present document is intended for those who design, implement, and make decisions with respect to TEd. Its purpose is to foster the development of increasingly rigorous monitoring and evaluation processes that in turn lead to richer experiences that are more focused, effective, and sustainable.
Evaluation of Water Pumping Systems: Calculation Sheet
Authors: Rosas Ramón , Pedraza Arturo
Published: March 2024

As part of its Technical Cooperation "Energy Efficiency for Caribbean Water and Sanitation Companies", the Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Initiative (SECCI) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) financed the development of a regional methodology to improve energy efficiency and maintenance of water companies in Latin American and Caribbean countries. This methodology, developed by the consulting firms Econoler International and Alliance to Save Energy, focuses mainly on electromechanical efficiencies of water pumping systems in the Caribbean. This publication presents the calculation sheet. The a guide to the calculation sheet, an energy efficiency assessment manual, and a maintenance manual for the evaluation of the systems are also available on the IDB Publications Portal.
Blue Ribbon Panel on the Environment: Final Report of Recommendations
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The IDB wishes to position itself as a leader amongst multilateral development banks in pursuing sustainability in its operations and in promoting development that is environmentally and socially sound in Latin America and the Caribbean. An important component of this process is the development of the Environment and Safeguards Compliance Policy that will implement the Banks Environmental Strategy approved in 2003. The Draft Policy is currently under public consultation. In 2004, a nine-member advisory group, known as the Blue Ribbon Panel on Environment, was created by IDB President Enrique V. Iglesias to advise on the Bank's new Environment and Safeguards Compliance Policy, and the broader perspective of increasing the Bank's role in supporting countries in the Region to achieve sustainable development. This document contains the recommendations of the panel to the IDB.
School Infrastructure and Learning in Latin American Elementary Education: An Analysis Based on the SERCE
Authors: Gargiulo Carlos , Moreno Martín , Duarte Jesús
Published: March 2024

This study explores the state of infrastructure in the region's primary education schools, using the SERCE database, and analyzes the connection between school infrastructure conditions and language and mathematics tests results for third and sixth grade students. The results of the analysis indicate that school infrastructure and the access to basic services (electricity, water, sewerage and telephone) in the region's schools are highly deficient; there exists a large disparity between countries as well as between private urban, public urban and public rural schools; and there are large gaps between schools with children from high income families and schools with children from low income families. The analysis on the relationship between school infrastructure and academic results in the SERCE tests indicate that the highest factors most significantly associated with learning outcomes are: the presence of spaces that support teaching (libraries, science and computer labs); the connection to electric and telephone utilities; access to potable water, drainage and bathrooms. This indicates that countries in the region must strengthen investment geared towards improving school infrastructure in order to close the gaps that negatively affect rural areas, public sector schools, and schools with students from low income families. Likewise, public policies must prioritize infrastructure areas that have an impact on learning.
Independent Advisory Group on Sustainability: Final Report to the Inter-American Development Bank
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

The Independent Advisory Group on Sustainability (IAG) is pleased to submit this final report to the Board of Executive Directors and Management of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). In keeping with our mandate, the Advisory Group undertook a strategic review of the Bank's capacity to address critical environmental and social issues effecting sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean through its Environment and Safeguards Compliance Policy (OP703). Our findings and recommendations are rooted in a deep appreciation of the Bank's commitment to fostering environmentally sustainable growth, social equity, and the reduction of poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean and of the historic role the Bank has played as a leading development partner to its member countries.
IDB Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

This document presents the IDB Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard user's guide. The primary objective of the Scorecard is to provide a tool to think through the complex issues associated with biofuels from the field to the tank, thereby encouraging higher levels of sustainability in such projects. While the Scorecard addresses many sustainability issues, it should not be used as a replacement for certification schemes and/or life-cycle assessment tools, but rather should inform these processes. The Scorecard has been designed specifically for the private sector at the project level, but could be used more broadly as a conceptual tool to outline criteria that should be assessed in biofuels development. The Scorecard has been designed to be useful for project developers, including people at all stages of production; financial institutions; private investors; and environmental and social safeguard reviewers
Bridging Gaps, Building Opportunity: Broadband as a Catalyst of Economic Growth and Social Progress in Latin America and the Caribbean: A View from the Industry
Authors: García Zaballos Antonio , Truitt Nakata Ginya
Published: March 2024

This report is intended to encourage and reinforce the efforts of policymakers and industry stakeholders throughout the region to accelerate broadband deployment. The report has two primary aims. The first is to help identify public policy and regulatory issues that need to be addressed in order to eliminate the digital divide within and between LAC countries, and between the region and the world's leading broadband nations. The second is to highlight the range of options that policymakers have in achieving that goal by offering examples of specific solutions implemented in the region and elsewhere that have proved successful in accelerating broadband deployment and adoption.
Internet Diffusion, Innovation and Employment Growth in the Costa Rican Manufacturing Sector
Authors: Orozco Jeffrey , Hewitt John , Ruiz Keynor , Monge-González Ricardo , Rodríguez-Álvarez Juan Antonio
Published: March 2024

This study assesses the direct impact of Internet diffusion on total labor demand, the demand for skilled labor, and the demand for female labor. Using data from a sample of manufacturing firms in Costa Rica from 2006 to 2007, the study finds that both process and product innovations are positively related to employment growth and that the use of the Internet by workers for business purposes does not impact demand for labor. The positive impact of product innovation on labor demand increases when workers use the Internet for business purposes. This relationship was not found in cases of skilled and female labor demand. These findings underscore the Internet's importance in improving the impact of product innovation on employment growth and suggest that employee use of the Internet is neither a labor displacement innovation nor a gender or skill-biased innovation.
After Action Review
Authors: García Ferro Luz Ángela , Luna Elba N. , Rodríguez Lorena , Van Waesberghe Micha , Vásquez Jordán Darinka
Published: March 2024

This document describes the After Action Review (AAR), which is one of the methods used within the Bank's cycle to learn from experience. Specifically, it is a `learning after doing' technique that helps teams identify and share what worked and what hasn't worked at the achievement of a specific goal, the completion of a significant phase, the resolution of an issue or the close of the project.
Greenhouse Gas Assessment Emissions Methodology
Authors: Breisinger Milena , Boulet Emmanuel
Published: March 2024

This document provides the methodology prepared and used by IDB to assess the impact of its direct investments loans on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since 2009. The document provides the methodology behind a series of tools developed to assess GHG emissions for IDB operations in key sectors.
Smart Grid and Its Application in Sustainable Cities
Authors: Lee Yuri , Lee Soo Hyun , Paredes Juan Roberto
Published: March 2024

The Energy Division of the Infrastructure and Environment Sector (INE/ENE) of the Inter-American Development Bank has launched a technical cooperation project called "Smart Grid and Its Application in Sustainable Cities" to aid countries in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. This technical note describes smart grid system elements, indicates their costs and benefits, discusses the smart grid initiative in Korea, and includes the case study of the Korean Jeju Island test bed. The publication assesses the possibilities to transfer and implement these strategies in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) cities and discusses ongoing experiences in the region.
Evaluatie Van Waterpompsystemen: Energie-efficiency Beoordelingshandleiding
Authors: Rosas Ramón , Pedraza Arturo
Published: March 2024

Als onderdeel van de technische samenwerking "Energiebesparing voor de Caraïbische Drinkwater en Afvalwaterbedrijven" heeft het "Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Initative (SECCI)" van de IDB een regionale methodologie ontwikkeld om de energie-efficiency en het onderhoud van drinkwaterbedrijven in de Latijns-Amerikaanse en Caraïbische landen te verbeteren. Deze methodologie, ontwikkeld door de consultancybureaus Econoler International en Alliance to Save Energy, richt zich in hoofdzaak op het electromechanische rendement van pompsystemen in het Caraïbische gebied. Dit is de energie-efficiency beoordelingshandleiding. Een rekenblad, een rekenbladgids en een energie-efficiency handleiding zijn ook beschikbaar op de portal van IDB Publicaties: Portal: http://www.iadb.org/publications/ and the Water and Sanitation Initiative Portal: http://www.iadb.org/en/topics/water-sanitation/energy-efficiency-for-utilities,4492.html.
Managing the Environmental and Social Impacts of a Major IDB-Financed Road Improvement Project in Colombia: The Case of the Pasto-Mocoa Highway
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 Bank-supported 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. The present paper presents the findings and recommendations for selected ongoing and/or completed IDB-financed road and road related projects in Colombia. To the extent possible, the experience and lessons learned from all major 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.
Financial Dollarization and Dedollarization
Authors: Fernández-Arias Eduardo
Published: March 2024

Financial dollarization is a key factor behind systemic financial fragility in Latin America. The experience shows that dedollarization can be achieved but can just as easily be missed, and worse: blunt dedollarization measures repressing dollarization may easily fail to solve fragility and, instead, foster risky short-term debt or provoke massive financial disintermediation and crisis. This paper analyzes the sources of liability dollarization in a portfolio framework and identifies the failures leading to excessive dollarization meriting policy intervention as well as the reasons why dedollarization policy often goes awry. It then derives an analytically sound multipronged domestic dedollarization program that takes into account the risks of misdiagnosis and the experience, both successful and failed. This program centers around the development of good local currency substitutes for dollar debt, such as CPI-indexed debt, rather than the repression of dollar debt.
Trade and Gender: Advances in the Process of Gender Mainstreaming in Trade Operations
Authors: Eguíluz Zamora Alejandra , Vásquez María Inés , Espino Alma
Published: March 2024

The objective of this technical note is to present the work done under the Trade and Gender Initiative led by the Integration and Trade Sector of the Inter-American Development Bank. The technical note emphasizes the process of gender mainstreaming in trade operations conducted by the Bank and in the generation of knowledge in the area of trade and gender.
Trucking Services in Belize, Central America, and the Dominican Republic: Performance Analysis and Policy Recommendations
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

Distances in Central America are short and cargo volumes are small to build a dense network of short sea shipping. Furthermore, there is no transnational railway network. This gives trucking services a key role in international transport. This preliminary study characterizes trucking services in Belize, Central America and the Dominican Republic and concludes with policy recommendations to improve performance
The FTAA and the Location of FDI?
Authors: Levy Yeyati Eduardo , Stein Ernesto H. , Daude Christian
Published: March 2024

The role of regional integration agreements (RIAs) as a determinant of the location of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has become an increasingly relevant issue for emerging economies. While the concerns regarding the impact of RIAs on FDI for countries in Latin America may be related to a number of RIA initiatives of different types (sub regional South-South agreements, agreements with the EU, etc.), the largest effects are likely to be associated with the ( Free Trade Area of the Americas ) FTAA. In this regard, there are a number of highly relevant questions: For instance, what effect will the FTAA have on FDI from the US and Canada to Latin American countries? How will it affect FDI from the rest of the world? What are the implications for a country such as Mexico, whose preferential access to the US may be diluted? Should we expect to see winners and losers? What determines whether a particular country wins or loses? This paper looks at the impact of regional integration on FDI, and attempts to derive conclusions regarding the likely impact of the FTAA on countries in Latin America. This paper was prepared for the IDB-Harvard Conference on the FTAA in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Use of Country Systems: Equivalence Analysis
Authors: Himberg Harvey
Published: March 2024

The overall objectives of this technical note are as follows: (a) develop and provide specific, detailed Use of Country Systems (UCS) guidance for "Equivalence Analysis" for the borrowing country's environmental and social safeguards systems (the set of laws and regulations, including its procedural requirements for their implementation); (b) identify gaps; (c) identify and propose a staged approach to fill the gaps; and (d) prepare an action plan to fill the identified gaps, with a focus on those elements identified as least deficient areas. This is part of a more general effort to build the necessary tools and guidance for implementation of UCS at the IDB.
Best Practices in Creating a Venture Capital Ecosystem
Authors: Lerner Josh , Garcia-Robles Maria Susana , Leamon Ann
Published: March 2024

Venture capital investment has been found to be remarkably effective at stimulating innovation and job growth. Government policy plays an important part in creating an ecosystem in which venture capital and innovation can thrive. Yet government programs have also sunk billions of dollars into misguided efforts to inspire venture capital and innovation. In this paper, we examine the hallmarks of good and bad programs and then consider three programs adopted by governments in Latin America and the Caribbean.
An Expanded Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) of the Reventazón Hydroelectric Project (PHR), in Costa Rica
Authors: Dixon John A.
Published: March 2024

As part of project preparation, a standard Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) was carried out for the Reventazón Hydroelectric Project (PHR). This paper builds on that CBA and will prepare an enhanced analysis that explicitly incorporates environmental and social aspects by applying the approach presented in the IDB Technical Note No. IDB-TN-428 (John A. Dixon, "Economic Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) of Project Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Measures," IDB, 2012). This implementation guideline suggests comparing the traditional CBA of a project (referred to as CBA Result 1) with a more comprehensive CBA that explicitly includes the economic value of mitigation measures and remaining environmental impacts. This enhanced CBA analysis is referred to as CBA Result 3.
Foreign direct investment and tax structure in Colombia
Authors: Echavarría Juan José , Zodrow George R.
Published: March 2024

As the globalization of the world economy proceeds apace, Colombia must cope with an increasingly competitive international economic environment. The need to compete for highly mobile international capital is an essential component of the fiscal landscape in all countries in today's global economy, especially those which, like Colombia, depend on foreign direct investment (FDI). This paper focuses on the effects of the tax system in Colombia on FDI. However, tax policy is far from the only factor affecting the foreign direct investment decisions of multinational corporations. Accordingly, before proceeding to a detailed analysis of tax structure and FDI, several of these alternative factors will be discussed.
Using standardized simulated patients to measure ethnic disparities in family planning services in Peru: Study protocol and pre-trial procedures of a crossover randomized trial
Authors: Planas Maria Elena , García Patricia J. , Bustelo Monserrat , Cárcamo Cesar , Ñopo Hugo R. , Martinez Sebastian , Merino María Fernanda , Morrison Andrew
Published: March 2024

This study aims to evaluate whether health providers in Peru might be contributing to ethnic health disparities in the provision of family planning services, by comparing providers' adherence to national family planning guidelines.
Standardized Sovereign Debt Statistics for Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors: Giuliano Fernando , Sandleris Guido
Published: March 2024

Public Debt levels and composition differ as well among LAC countries. Using data up to the end of 2008 this report will present these cross-country differences and will also highlight the similarities and general trends for the region as a whole. We use as input the information provided by the public debt offices of the region in response to a questionnaire specially created for this purpose. The questionnaire intended to compile up-to-date standardized public debt statistics to conduct crosscountry comparisons over clear, objective and homogeneous definitions of public debt.