Extended School Say Policies. Why, When and How?
Aug 2025
Author(s): Gamberini, Carla;Della Nina Gambi, Gabriela;Vinacur, Tamara
This publication analyzes Extended School Day (ESD) policies, assessing their relevance in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), as well as their implementation in various international contexts.…
SIUBEN'S: Role in public policy in the Dominican Republic: A case study on the Unified System of Beneficiaries
Aug 2025
Author(s): Monge, Karol Acon ;Chavez Mendoza, Cecilia;Tejerina, Luis
Over the past two decades, the Single Beneficiary System (SIUBEN) has undergone a profound transformation. It was created in 2004 in response to a severe economic and social crisis, with the initial…
30 Years of Social Targeting in Colombia: From Sisbén to the Social Registry of Households: Case study on the System for the Identification of Potential beneficiaries of Social rograms and the Social Registry of Households
Aug 2025
Author(s): Zuluaga, Daniela;Tejerina, Luis
The System for the Identification of Potential Beneficiaries of Social Programs (Sisbén) is Colombias main instrument for targeting social policies. To date, Sisbén has gone through four versions and…
Smart Spending in Education in Latin America and the Caribbean
Aug 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Elacqua, Gregory;Marotta, Luana;Martínez, Matias;Méndez, Carolina;Nascimento, Danielle
This book offers an analysis of educational financing in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), highlighting that while investment in education is essential, the efficiency and effectiveness in the…
How Tax Reform Design and Information Shape Compliance: Preliminary Results
Aug 2025
Author(s): Barinas-Forero, Andrés Felipe;Blanco, Mariana;López-Luzuriaga, Andrea;Scartascini, Carlos
How does the pace and sequencing of tax reforms influence taxpayer behavior? We design a laboratory experiment to evaluate how individuals respond to gradual versus abrupt tax increases and whether…
Wage Cuts, Social Distributional Preferences, and Political Corruption: Preliminary Results
Aug 2025
Author(s): Barinas-Forero, Andrés Felipe;Scartascini, Carlos
Many countries are considering cuts to public-sector salaries as a path to fiscal consolidation. Yet, can lowering politicians' pay incentivize corruption? This paper examines how wage…
An Approach to Teachers Digital Competency in Latin America
Aug 2025
Author(s): Della Nina Gambi, Gabriela;Forero Pabón, Tatiana;Soto Sira, Virginia Guadalupe;Keuylian, María Laura;Ruiz García, Manuel José
In a context of accelerated digital transformation and a persistent learning crisis, this report presents a regional overview of how teachers in Latin America perceive their digital competencies.…
The Three Innovative Features of VAT in Brazil's Indirect Tax Reform
Jul 2025
Author(s): Barreix, Alberto Daniel;De Souza Rocha Lukic, Melina ;Barroso Tostes Neto, José
In 2025, Brazil approved a tax reform that introduced an innovative value-added tax (VAT) model, which incorporates three important features. First, it adopts a dual VAT model, with the creation of…
Impact Report 2025: Transforming for Scale and Impact
Jul 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Inter-American Development Bank;IDB Invest;IDB Lab
The Impact Report offers a fresh and accessible look at how the IDB Group is working to achieve impact across Latin America and the Caribbean. Formerly known as the Development Effectiveness Overview…
Adapting Monetary Poverty Lines to Reflect the Costs of Disabilities: An Empirical Application to Peru
Jul 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Pinilla-Roncancio, Mónica;Schwarz, Natalie Vanessa;Smith, Pamela;Stampini, Marco
Persons with disabilities incur extra costs of living (e.g., for personal assistance, assistive devices, medical care, transportation), which are not captured in monetary poverty lines. This has…
Subsidy Targeting and Water Affordability: Insights from Colombia's Urban Centers
Jul 2025
Author(s): Cunial, Santiago;Pérez Urdiales, María
Water affordability is a critical issue for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including access to clean water and sanitation for all. Countries in Latin American and the Caribbean are…
Thematic Brief: Indigenous Peoples
Jul 2025
Author(s): Bruno Godoy, Maria Liliana;Vásquez, Mateo
This guide shares key information about development with identity for Indigenous Peoples and how to design projects to foster this type of development. You can also explore our other topic-based…
Using Screening Assessments to Recruit Effective Teachers: Experimental Evidence from Ecuador
Jul 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Araujo Piedra, Maria Daniela;Cruz-Aguayo, Yyannu;Heineck, Guido
Since 2007, the Ecuadorian government has required teacher candidates to pass cognitive and knowledge tests before they are allowed to participate in merit-based competitions for tenured positions.…
The Social Registry of Households: Innovation in Beneficiary Identification in Chile: Case Study of the Socialpolicy Beneficiary Identification System
Jul 2025
Author(s): Tejerina, Luis;Vargas, Luis Hernán
The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the RSH, covering its historical evolution, the technological infrastructure that supports it, and the implementation and…
CIMA Brief #31 How have Access and Completion in Post-Secondary Education Evolved in Latin America over the Past Decades?
Jul 2025
Author(s): Arias Ortiz, Elena;Dulce Salcedo, Olga Victoria;Mansilla Bustamante, Sergio Alejandro
Over the past two decades, Latin America has made notable progress in secondary education access and completion. However, the transition to post-secondary education directly after completing upper…
Digital Technologies and Collective Transport: Testing microtransits Added Value
Jul 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Scholl, Lynn;Sabogal-Cardona, Orlando;Oviedo, Daniel;Arellana, Julián;Cantillo, Víctor;Ojeda-Diaz, Alfredo J.
Microtransit services are a midpoint between standard ride-hailing services and conventional bus fleets from public transit. Microtransit utilizes small buses or vans to provide on-demand shared…
Expansion of Piped Water and Sewer Networks: The Effects of Regulation
Jul 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Tojal Ramos Dos Santos, Carolina;Morais Guidetti, Bruna
This paper investigates strategies to expand piped water and sewer through private providers. Using billing data from a major provider in Brazil and a structural model of consumer sanitation demand…
Toward More Effective Employment Policies: Opportunities of Results-Based Financing
Jul 2025
Author(s): Casas, Laura;Gómez, Maria Fernanda;González-Velosa, Carolina;Quiroz, Laura;Rosas-Shady, David
In Latin America and the Caribbean, there is a growing investment in programs that connect job seekers with employment opportunities through services such as training and job intermediation. These…
Evaluating the impact of Public-Private Partnerships Enabling Conditions on Infrastructure Development: Evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean
Jul 2025 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Casady, Carter B;Suárez-Alemán, Ancor
This paper investigates the impact of public-private partnership (PPP)-enabling conditions on infrastructure development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Using a unique longitudinal dataset…
Boosting Foreign Direct Investment through Strategic Reforms
Jul 2025
Author(s): Rossi, José Luiz;Teixeira Rios, Heron Marcos
The main objective of this study is to analyze the relevance of economic and institutional factors in shaping the dynamics of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). To this end, several econometric…