Smart Social Safety Nets: Reducing Incomplete Take-Up Through Digital Innovation in Latin America
Mar 2026
Author(s): Selman Musalem, Javiera
I develop a welfare-based framework that links a data-driven incremental innovation cycle to a take-up model and use it to study how digital tools can raise participation and welfare in rental-…
Paraguay: The Path Toward the Consolidation of Investment Grade and Institutional Credibility
Mar 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Fernández Valdovinos, Carlos G.;Cavallo, Eduardo A.;Ruiz-Arranz, Marta;Tapia Troncoso, Waldo;De Michele, Roberto;Teixeira, Gisele;Serebrisky, Tomás;Galindo, Arturo;Osorio Quevedo, Andrés
The monograph examines Paraguay's process of institutional modernization, highlighting the fiscal, financial, and regulatory reforms that enabled the consolidation of macroeconomic stability and…
Estimating the Effects of Energy Price Shocks for Trinidad and Tobago
Mar 2026
Author(s): Gauto, Victor;Satnarine-Singh, Nirvana
For Trinidad and Tobago, positive energy price shocks can have deep impacts on several important indicators such as government revenue, GDP and the external sector. In ascertaining the impact of…
Policies for Menstrual Hygiene Legislation in Latin America and Spain
Mar 2026
Author(s): Loeffen, Amanda Jane;Núñez, Anamaría;Méndez, Florencia Magdalena;Cubillo, Isabella;Ortega Oropeza, Leticia
This paper examines the current state of menstrual hygiene policies, laws and regulations across selected countries in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Spain with a particular focus on how human…
How to Improve State Effectiveness in Latin America and the Caribbean
Feb 2026
Author(s): Naranjo Bautista, Sandra;Mosqueira, Edgardo;Keefer, Philip;Paz, Marcelo
This document presents the Inter-American Development Bank's State Effectiveness Framework, which outlines the institutional capabilities required for governments in Latin America and the…
Remote tutoring in language: Evidence from Paraguay
Feb 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Rebolledo, Nicolás;Almeyda, Gonzalo;Granada Donato, David ;Lombardi, María;Oubiña, Victoria;Zoido, Pablo
This paper evaluates a randomized remote tutoring program implemented in Paraguay, targeting 1,650 students in grades four through six with low baseline performance in Spanish language. The…
Effectiveness of Crossing Structures for Wildlife on Two Roads Associated with Biological Corridors in Costa Rica
Feb 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Teixeira, Fernanda Z.;Araya-Gamboa, Daniela;Gutiérrez Acuña, Susana;Coelho, Igor P;Araya Jiménez, Yosette;Víquez Alvarado, Erick;Pomareda García, Esther;Boyat, Silvio;Salom-Pérez, Roberto;Arevalo Huezo, Esmeralda;Picado Valenzuela, Priscila ;Saavedra, Valentina;González-Mahecha, Esperanza;Gauto Espinola, Maria Irene;Ávila Alfaro, Andrea;Quirós Calderón, Jaime
After implementing mitigation measures on road projects, it is critical to assess whether they effectively address the targeted impactsnamely, restrict wildlife movement and mortality from wildlife-…
IDB Group Knowledge Annual Report 2025: Turning Knowledge into Impact
Feb 2026
Author(s): Inter-American Development Bank;IDB Invest;IDB Lab
At the Inter-American Development Bank Group (IDB Group), knowledge is more than a mandate--it is the bedrock of our value proposition. Governments, the private sector, and civil society across Latin…
Environmental Impact of a Green Tax on New Vehicle Sales in the Presence of Tax Exemptions
Feb 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Gómez-Lobo, Andrés;Price, Juan José
At the end of 2014 a “Green” registration tax on new vehicle sales was introduced in Chile. In this paper we use a novel vehicle-based dataset to estimate the impact of this policy on average…
Suriname’s Path to Digitally Transforming Its Health System
Feb 2026
Author(s): Celentano, Kristina Marie Mulholland;Koralaide Consulting
Suriname has embarked on a comprehensive digital transformation of its health system to improve service delivery, strengthen decision-making, and accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development…
Independent Consultation and Investigation Mechanism: 2025 Annual Report
Feb 2026
Author(s): Inter-American Development Bank
In 2025, MICI managed 46 claims related to IDB Group-financed projects, in a regional context marked by multiple changes and challenges. The year was marked by the intensity of the activity carried…
Adoption of Sustainable Livestock Innovations: Evidence from Latin America
Feb 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Aguirre, Emilio;Baraldo, Juan;López-Barrera, Emiliano;Basurto Hernández, Saúl;Blackman, Allen;Bravo Peña, Felipe;Caffera, Marcelo;Carriquiry, Miguel;Correa, Patricia;Correa-Pinilla, Diana Elisa;Florez-Díaz, Hernando;Fontanilla-Díaz, Carlos;Guerrero, Santiago;Köbrich, Claus;Kuhfuss, Laure;Laguna, Hugo;Molina-Romero, Adriana María;Muñoz, Gonzalo;Peña-Lévano, Luis;Rivero-Wildemauwe, José Ignacio;Rosas, Francisco;Salazar, Lina;Taheri, Homa;Velazco, José;Winters, Paul;Beltran, Allan
To maintain the vital economic benefits of Latin Americas livestock sector while minimizing its environmental footprint, producers must adopt clean and climate-friendly sustainable technologies such…
Addressing Regulatory Barriers to Trade in Services in Latin America and the Caribbean
Feb 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Blyde, Juan S.
Most barriers to trade in services stem from regulatory measures. This study assesses the degree of regulatory restrictiveness affecting trade in services across Latin America and the Caribbean and…
Salaried Labor Costs in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Ten - Year Update
Feb 2026
Author(s): Alaimo, Veronica;Altamirano Montoya, Álvaro;Minaya, Auri Melissa
The tension between productivity and labor costs in Latin America and the Caribbean remains one of the greatest challenges to creating formal employment. This note estimates the cost of salaried…
Discretionary Procurement Flexibilization, Efficiency, and Rent-Seeking: Evidence from Chile During COVID-19
Feb 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Castro, Edgar;Yarygina, Anastasiya;Villalba Ortega, Matias Gabriel
This paper examines the effects of increased bureaucratic discretion in public procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Chilean government relaxed restrictions on direct deals and expanded…
What Jobs are Being Created in Latin America?: Analysis of Online Job Postings in Latin America and the Caribbean
Feb 2026
Author(s): Azuara Herrera, Oliver;Jaramillo Vasconez, Oscar Eduardo
This document contains an analysis of more than 6.2 million digital job vacancies across 15 Latin American countries between 2022 and 2025. It shows a slowdown in job postings, along with demand…
Approach Paper. Evaluation of the IDB Group's Support to Small Island Developing States (SIDS): 2016-2025
Jan 2026
Author(s): Maciel, Odette;Anderson Alonso, Anais Maria;King, Dana Michael;Legarreta, Regina;Corrales, Luis Fernando;Barcellos, Andreia;González, Jorge;Molina Fernández, Miguel;Usher, Nicole Marie;Romero, Carolina;Fraga, Federico;King, Julie;Motta, Marialisa;Bouillon, César P.;Vaessen, Jozef Leonardus
This document defines the approach that the Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE) will use to evaluate the IDB Group's support to its client Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Latin…
Long-run Effects of Universal Pre-primary Education Expansion: Evidence from Argentina
Jan 2026 Generative AI enabled
Author(s): Berlinski, Samuel;Cruces, Guillermo;Galiani, Sebastián;Gertler, Paul;Gonzalez, Fabian Enrique
We study the long-run effects of a large public expansion of pre-primary education in Argentina. Between 1993 and 1999, the federal government financed the construction of new preschool classrooms…
How to Design and Implement Rules-based Fiscal Frameworks Based on Debt Anchors?: A Step-by-step Methodology and Application
Jan 2026
Author(s): Ardanaz, Martín;Arellano, Matheo;Ter-Minassian, Teresa;Valencia, Oscar
This paper develops a step-by-step guide for the design and implementation of fiscal rules based on prudent public debt levels aimed at reconciling two critical fiscal policy objectives: ensuring…
Fill the Nutrient Gap Guatemala
Jan 2026
Author(s): Inter-American Development Bank;World Food Programme
Guatemala faces a severe triple burden of malnutrition under nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and rising overweight and obesity impacting all age groups and generating an annual economic loss…