Arepas Are Not Tacos: On the Labor Markets of Latin America
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Aristizábal-Ramírez, María;Santos, Cezar;Torres, Alejandra
This paper examines labor markets across Latin American countries and documents large differences in labor market outcomes across these countries. Using comparable data for eight countries, we show…
Irrigation Infrastructure and Vineyard Productivity: Evidence using Remote Sensing and Synthetic Difference-in-Differences in Argentina
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Schling, Maja;Saenz Somarriba, Magaly;De Salvo, Carmine Paolo;Chang Huaita, Rodrigo Ysaac
This paper evaluates the long-term impact of rehabilitated irrigation canals under Argentinas PROSAP III program on vineyard productivity in San Juan province. We combine 20 years of Landsat-derived…
Research Insights: Why Do Politicians Get Away with Corruption in Good Economic Times?
Aug 2025
Author(s): Barinas-Forero, Andrés Felipe;Scartascini, Carlos
Politicians are more likely to engage in corruption during economic booms than during downturns. Citizens willingness to punish corruption remains stable across economic cycles, but their ability to…
Care Dependence and Hospitalizations: Evidence from the Mexican Health and Aging Study
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Sáenz, Mayra;Stampini, Marco;Aranco, Natalia
We study the effect of care dependence on hospitalizations among older persons in Mexico, analyzing data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) from 2001 to 2021. We use fixed-effects…
IDB Environmental and Social Grievance Protocol: 2024 Annual Report
Aug 2025
Author(s): Muñoz Fernandez, Cristina;Henriquez, Patricia
On November 2021, when the Environmental and Social Policy Framework entered into effect, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) developed a direct management-level channel for stakeholders to…
Climatic Shocks, Indigenous Health, and Congenital Disorders: Evidence from Mexico
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Perlik, Kerstin;Corona Juárez, Nicolás;Priebe, Jan
Congenital disorders are a principal cause of early mortality, long-term disabilities, impaired cognitive development and constitute a major challenge to families, communities, and health care…
The Impact of an Educational Robot-based Intervention on Second-graders Computational Thinking Skills: The Experimental Evaluation of the Irûmi Program in Paraguay
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Näslund-Hadley, Emma;Hernández Agramonte, Juan Manuel;Zoido, Pablo;Santos Morales, Humberto
In this article, we present the impact evaluation of Irûmi , an educational robot -based intervention aimed at developing second -grade students' computational thinking (CT) skills in…
Research Insights: How Can Behavioral Economics Training Improve Policymakers Decisions?
Aug 2025
Author(s): Rojas Méndez, Ana María;Scartascini, Carlos
Policymakers are not immune to behavioral biases that impair decision-making. A large-scale online behavioral economics course significantly improved problem-solving and policy-relevant reasoning…
Research Insights: How Can Interviewer Characteristics Skew Survey Responses?
Aug 2025
Author(s): Guizzo Altube, Matías;Scartascini, Carlos
Survey responses on gender norms vary significantly depending on whether the interviewer is male or female. Respondents are more likely to endorse traditional or discriminatory gender views when…
Water Security Financing Report 2024
Aug 2025
Author(s): African Development Bank;Asian Development Bank;Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank;Council of Europe Development Bank;European Bank for Reconstruction and Development;European Investment Bank;Inter-American Development Bank;Islamic Development Bank;New Development Bank;World Bank
The ten multilateral development banks (MDBs) are committed to joint action to improve global water security by 2030. The joint MDB Water Security Financing Report 2024 is the first annual report…
Sibling Correlations in Schooling around the World: A New Database
Aug 2025
Author(s): Muñoz, Ercio;Jaque, Gabriela
We estimate sibling correlations in schooling (i.e., the fraction of inequality in educational outcomes that can be attributed to factors shared by siblings) for 94 countries, accounting for 85% of…
Research Insights: Can Behavioral Economics Help Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy?
Aug 2025
Author(s): Díaz, Lina M.;Martínez Villarreal, Déborah;Márquez, Karina;Scartascini, Carlos
A large-scale SMS-based campaign in Cali, Colombia, featuring tailored messages addressing key behavioral barriers, increased HPV vaccine uptake by 34% to 55%. Increasing confidence in the vaccine…
Innovative Financial Tools for Neighborhood Upgrading
Aug 2025
Author(s): Welisiejko, Sebastian;Peláez, Enrique;D'Alesio, Mariela;Menezes Fajardo, Washington
In Latin America and the Caribbean, over 120 million people live in informal neighborhoods. The investment needed to address the housing deficit is around USD 1.4 trillion. This represents about 20%…
Survey on Administration and Management of Police in Latin America and the Caribbean (SAMP-LAC): Questionnaire and Methodology
Aug 2025
Author(s): Sutton, Heather;Alvarado, Nathalie;Keefer, Philip
This document outlines the methodology and questionnaire used in the IDB Survey on the Administration and Management of Police in Latin America and the Caribbean (SAMP-LAC), a pioneering tool for…
A Model of Market Power with Formal and Informal Firms: Discussion Paper
Aug 2025
Author(s): Santos, Cezar;Martinez, Tomás R.
Market power among firms is a common feature in many economies, including in developing countries where a significant share of firms operate informally. This paper examines the interaction between…
Innovating Tomorrow: The Achievements of the Early Childhood Development Innovation Fund in Latin America and the Caribbean
Aug 2025
Author(s): Inter-American Development Bank
This publication compiles the experiences and lessons learned from the Early Childhood Development Innovation Fund (ECD Fund), an alliance between the IDB and several donors (Fundación FEMSA, Van…
The Impacts of Restrictions to Individual Rights on Indigenous Lands
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Jordán, Felipe;Jaimovich, Dany;Heilmayr, Robert
Many countries in the Americas impose restrictions on Indigenous land transactions to preserve Indigenous ownership, but these policies may inhibit economic growth. This paper evaluates the impact of…
Priorities for Private Investment in the Andean Countries
Aug 2025
Author(s): Manzano, Osmel;Maldonado, Leonardo
The Andean countries are traditionally highly exposed to inter- national prices, primary exports, and foreign investment flows from developed economies. Since 2014, the global downturn has affected…
Education Spending and Economic Growth: Short and Long-term Effects
Aug 2025
Author(s): Contreras, Dante;Galindo, Arturo;Lepe, Ignacio
This paper examines the short- and long-term effects of education expenditure on economic growth using a global panel of 107 countries from 1970 to 2019. Employing a CS-ARDL model with an error…
Building an Optimal Education Workforce
Aug 2025
Author(s): Marotta, Luana;Pérez Alfaro, Marcelo;Eusebio, Javier;Elacqua, Gregory;Ramos, Magali
Ensuring efficient distribution of educational personnel is key to improving the quality and equity of the education system. This technical note presents a conceptual framework for implementing an…