Non-Linear Effects of Air Pollution on Health Outcomes: Evidence from Mexico City (Discussion Paper)
Sep 2025
Author(s): Hoffmann, Bridget;Rud, Juan Pablo;Suárez, Nicolás
This paper uses high-frequency data on fine particulate matter air pollution (PM 2.5) to study the effects of high pollution on health outcomes in Mexico City. We combine hourly monitoring station…
Determinants of the Willingness to Use Microtransit Services: Case Studies from Mexico and Colombia
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Scholl, Lynn;Arellana, Julián;Cantillo, Víctor;Ojeda-Diaz, Alfredo J.;Oviedo, Daniel;Sabogal-Cardona, Orlando
Microtransit, or app-based collective transport, is a passenger transport service typically offered in medium-capacity vehicles using mobile phone apps. This service provides the advantages of public…
Research Insights: Do Consumers Respond to the Average or Marginal Price of Their Water Bills?
Aug 2025
Author(s): Tojal Ramos Dos Santos, Carolina;Morais Guidetti, Bruna
Consumers do not adjust their water usage to stay just under the limits where the marginal price goes up in their water bills, suggesting they are not actively watching those thresholds to save money…
Amazonias Border Regions. Pathways to Sustainable Productive Development
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): García Sánchez, Vanesa;Duran-Fernandez, Roberto
This study presents a productive development strategy for Amazonia's border regions, areas of strategic importance for Latin America and the Caribbean due to their environmental, cultural, and…
The Potential Distributive Impact of AI-driven Labor Changes in Latin America
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Ciaschi, Matias;Falcone, Guillermo;Garganta, Santiago;Gasparini, Leonardo;Bertín, Octavio;Ramírez-Leira, Lucía
This paper investigates the potential distributional consequences of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in Latin American labor markets. Using harmonized household survey data from 14 countries,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…