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
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…
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…
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…
ONE Caribbean Connect. Digital Health Solutions: Conference Report 2026
May 2026
Author(s): Doane, Daniel;Afoon Jones, Dominique Marie;Nelson, Jennifer;Kanjee, Ameera
ONE Caribbean Connect convened government leaders, technical experts from seven Caribbean countries, and regional partners including PAHO/WHO and IDB to advance regional collaboration on digital…
Too Fast to Adjust: Adoption Speed and the Permanent Cost of AI Transitions
Apr 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Levy Yeyati, Eduardo
We study how the speed of Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption affects labor market outcomes during technological transitions. In a dynamic model where displaced routine workers enter a retraining…
Do Warnings Change Behavior? Money-laundering, Grey-listing by the FATF, and Cross-border Financial Flows
Apr 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Lagarda, Guillermo;Verastegui Lira, Paulina
Does Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey-listing disrupt cross-border financial flows? The answer is not obvious. Grey-listing imposes no formal transaction restrictions, yet it can trigger…
Long-term Social Insurance in the Caribbean: Beyond Parametric Reforms
Apr 2026
Author(s): González-Velosa, Carolina;Villa, Juan Miguel;García-Huitrón, Manuel
This report analyzes the long-term pension branches of Caribbean National Insurance Schemes, focusing on old-age and survivors benefits. These systems, which are defined-benefit and therefore depend…
Sharp Declines, Slow Recovery: Disability Onset and Labor Market Trajectories in Chile
Apr 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Martínez, Claudia;Perticará, Marcela;Puentes, Esteban;Vásquez, Javier
This paper studies how disability onset and subsequent administrative registration affect labor market trajectories in Chile, a middle-income country with a large informal sector. Using panel survey…
Digital Learning Cost Calculator. Technical Guidelines and Reference Parameters
Apr 2026
Author(s): Prado de Almeida, Ana Luiza;Gamberini, Carla;Della Nina Gambi, Gabriela;Silva Costa, Lilian Raquel da;Giambruno, Cecilia
This technical note presents the conceptual framework, parameters, and cost estimation methodology underpinning the Digital Learning Cost Calculator, a tool developed by the Inter-American…
Caribbean Development Dynamics 2026
Apr 2026
Author(s): Cecchi, Luis;Hernaiz, Daniel;Mercer-Blackman, Valerie;Vázquez Zamora, Juan;Gutierrez Cadena, Laura;Navarro, Mariana;Beuermann, Diether;Gauto, Victor;Graham, Monique;Mooney, Henry;Mitchell, Travis Klaus;Okey, Onoh-Obasi;Ortiz de Mendívil, Cloe;Saboin, José Luis;Mills, Ian Wilfrid;Nieto Parra, Sebastián;Castilleja Vargas, Liliana
Caribbean Development Dynamics 2026: Investing in Sustainable and Resilient Development is a joint flagship report by the OECD Development Centre and the Inter-American Development Bank. It examines…
Intercultural Bilingual Education and Early Childhood Mathematics Learning: RCT Evidence from the Mate Raymi Program in Quechua Chanka Schools in Peru
Apr 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Näslund-Hadley, Emma;Hernández Agramonte, Juan Manuel;Santos Morales, Humberto;Galindo Vivanco, Marcelino
This article presents an evaluation of Mate Raymi, an educational program designed to strengthen mathematical and ethnomathematical skills among preschool children in Peru. Implemented…
Overcoming the Gender Bias in Training: An Empirical Approach in the Latin American Quick-Service Restaurant Industry
Apr 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Adhvaryu, Achyuta;Nyshadham, Anant;Tamayo, Jorge Andrés;Molina, Teresa;Bhalotra, Sonia
Using administrative and survey data from a large restaurant chain in Colombia, we documented gender differences in the managerial approaches most strongly associated with performance. Based on these…
Labor Market Impacts of an Internship Program on People with Disabilities
Apr 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Berniell, Inés;Berniell, Maria Lucila;Castillo, Victoria;Cañuelo, Belén;Mata, Dolores de la;García Oro, Gerardo;Grión, Néstor;Juncosa, Federico;Laguinge, Luis
This paper examines the impact of an internship program in Argentina (Programa Primer Paso; PPP) on the formal employment trajectories of people with disabilities (PwD). Using administrative data…
Shaping Sustainable Tourism. The Role of Observatories in Latin America and the Caribbean
Apr 2026
Author(s): Scarpeta Matheus, Fabricio
This publication examines the expanding role of sustainable tourism observatories in strengthening evidence-based governance, planning and management across destinations in Latin America and the…
Superheroes of Development 2025: Projects that Generate Evidence, Learning that Leads to Action
Apr 2026
Author(s): Gómez Osorio, Andrés;Zepeda, David;García Ferro, Luz Ángela
This publication presents six stories of implementing teams that, across different countries in the region, carried out projects with economic and social impact amid significant challenges. These are…
Growth and the Demographic Turn: Development Finance in an Age of Far-Reaching Population Change
Apr 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Mulgan, Geoff
This publication, prepared by Professor Geoff Mulgan for IDB Lab, examines how profound demographic shifts -particularly declining birth rates and population aging- pose a critical challenge for…
The Role of Pension Systems in Retirement across Development
Apr 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Bosch, Mariano;Rojas Valero, Paola Nelly
Using census microdata from 78 countries, we study how pension systems shape labor supply at older ages. While male employment rates are similar in midlife, they diverge sharply later in life: by age…