"We did the best we could with what we had": A Qualitative Study of the Pandemic Vaccine Response in Belize
Jun 2026
Author(s): Góngora, Pamela;Cabieses Valdes, Baltica Beatriz;Bonilla Zarrazaga, Lidia;Espinoza, Manuel Antonio;Largaespada Beer, Natalia;Bell, Lizett S.;Balmaceda, Carlos
The COVID-19 pandemic had an unprecedented global impact, making the rapid development of vaccines critical. Belize, a small, middle-income country in Central America and the Caribbean, displayed…
Natural Disasters and Fiscal Procyclicality
Jun 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Andrian, Leandro Gaston;Galindo, Arturo;Sánchez, Gustavo;Valencia, Oscar
This paper examines how climate-related natural disasters influence the cyclical stance of fiscal policy across 148 countries between 1980 and 2023. Using a dynamic panel System-GMM framework, we…
Effective Families or Effective Schools? Experimental Evidence on Fostering Children’s Numeracy
May 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Berlinski, Samuel;Giannola, Michele;Toppeta, Alessandro
We study the relative effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and interaction of family- and school-based learning interventions using a randomized controlled trial in Colombia that assigns children to a…
Assessment of the Effects and Impacts of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica
May 2026
Author(s): Bello, Omar;Hori, Tsuneki;Johnson, Monique Therese Marie;Suarez, Ginés
Hurricane Melissa caused unprecedented devastation in Jamaica, with total estimated costs exceeding JMD 1,451,577 millionover three times the expense of Hurricane Gilbert, the country's previous…
The Battle over Knowledge: Multinationals, Diffusion, and Governance
May 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Alfaro, Laura;Chen, Maggie;Javorcik, Beata S.
Multinational corporations (MNCs) are the dominant institutions for creating and distributing knowledge across borders. Their activities generate geopolitical externalities when cross-border…
Caribbean Economics Quarterly: Volume 16, Issue 1: The Price of Power: How the Caribbean Can Build a More Secure Energy System
May 2026
Author(s): Mercer-Blackman, Valerie;Mooney, Henry;Aiello, Roberto Gabriel;Graham, Monique;Saboin, José Luis;Mazzocca, Angelo;Hernaiz, Daniel;Mitchell, Travis Klaus;Hussain, Lisa;Gauto, Victor;Ivey, Wendel Garfield;Castilleja Vargas, Liliana;Suliman, Naiema;Okey, Onoh-Obasi;Satnarine-Singh, Nirvana
For countries around the world, regardless of size or income level, access to reliable, low-cost electricity is among the most important drivers of growth and prosperity. This edition of the…
Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence in Latin America and the Caribbean
May 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Farca, Alberto;Jalife Villalón, Salma;Martínezgarza, Ricardo;Puig Gabarró, Pau;Iglesias Rodriguez, Enrique
This report presents findings from a regional study on the infrastructure required to enable the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI) across Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), with…
Seeds of Transformation: How Strategic Investments Can Create Lasting Development Impact
May 2026
Author(s): Restrepo Duarte, Daniella
This publication brings together a collection of impact stories that demonstrate how the PSG, has catalyzed broader change across Latin America and the Caribbean. By strategically investing in…
Supporting Firms in the Digital Age: The Case of Investment Promotion
May 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Volpe Martincus, Christian;Sztajerowska, Monika
Public agencies that support firms operate today amid a difficult combination of challenges. Geopolitical realignment, supply-chain reconfiguration, and rising market volatility have raised the value…
National-Level Costs of Implementing 30x30 in Latin America and the Caribbean: Meeting Countries Biodiversity Goals
May 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Waldron, Anthony;Guiet, Jerome;Heneghan, Ryan;Watson, Gregory;Arriaga Cinta, Frida Beatriz
This study estimates the national-level costs of implementing Target 3 of the Kunming Montreal GBF (“30x30”) in 26 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Using scenario-based modeling, it…
Startups x AI: An Overview of Artificial Intelligence Adoption in Latin America and the Caribbean
May 2026
Author(s): Stubrin, Lilia;Asinsten, Julián;Zornada, Carlos;Castillo Leska, Ana
The technical note analyzes the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) by startups in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), within a global context where AI is consolidating as a general-purpose…
Global Production Networks and Imperfect Competition
May 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Huang, Hanwei;Manova, Kalina Bojidarova;Perello Perez, Oscar Ignacio;Pisch, Frank
How do global production networks and market structure interact to shape the welfare effects of trade and competition policy? We develop a model with two-sided firm heterogeneity, matching frictions…
Can Evidence-Based Information Shift Preferences Towards Trade Policy?
May 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Alfaro, Laura;Chen, Maggie;Chor, Davin
Amid public skepticism toward trade, we investigate whether evidence-based information - concise statements of research findings - can shape trade policy preferences. In survey experiments conducted…
An Anatomy of the Great Reallocation in US Supply Chain Trade
May 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Alfaro, Laura;Chor, Davin
This paper documents stylized facts about the “Great Reallocation” in US supply chain trade following the 20182019 tariff shocks and the April 2025 Liberation Day announce-ments. We find that: (i)…
Why do Citizens Support Price Controls? The Role of Motivated Beliefs
May 2026
Author(s): Maldonado, Stanislao;Sautua, Santiago I.
Despite broad expert consensus that price controls are economically inefficient, they remain popular. We study this puzzle through the lens of motivated beliefs: Individuals who favor government…
How Bogotá Modernized the Distribution of Educational Resources to Its Schools: A Case of Smart Spending
May 2026
Author(s): Maragall, Juan;Méndez, Carolina;Molinos Iragorri, Camila Del Pilar;Sanchez Cordova, Jadira
This report analyzes the experience of Bogota (Colombia) in modernizing the allocation of educational resources through the implementation of the Educational Resource Information System (SIDRE).…
Driving Impact: Foundations of Development Effectiveness Reforms at the IDB. Infoguide
May 2026
Author(s): Inter-American Development Bank
The infoguide highlights the key issues in Driving Impact: Foundations of Development Effectiveness Reforms at the IDB, a paper that presents the theoretical and empirical foundations of the IDB…
Driving Impact: Foundations of Development Effectiveness Reforms at the IDB
May 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Inter-American Development Bank
The institutional strategy of the IDB, IDB Invest, and IDB Lab, known as IDBStrategy, centers on achieving scale and impact. This paper presents the theoretical and empirical foundations of the…
Revenue Statistics in Latin America and the Caribbean 2026
May 2026
Author(s): Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development;Inter American Center of Tax Administrations;Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean;Inter-American Development Bank
This report compiles comparable tax revenue statistics over the period 1990-2024 for 29 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries. It provides harmonised data on the level and structure of tax…
Debt-for-Nature Conversions: Lessons Learned and Implementation Guidance
May 2026
Author(s): Watson, Gregory;Prats Cabrera, Joan Oriol;Nill, Anna Catarine;Arriaga Cinta, Frida Beatriz;Llaguno, Duval
The present Guidance synthesizes strategic, technical, and operational lessons to support governments in the region that are exploring or implementing Debt-for-Nature Conversions (DFNC). The document…