A recent New York Times article declared, “Caribbean nations are trapped between the global financial system and a looming climate disaster. One country’s leader has been fighting to find a way out.” That country is Barbados, and the leader is Mia Motley, Prime Minister and climate innovator extraordinaire. As a small island developing state (SIDS), Barbados faces … [Read more...] about Barbados taking its Blue commitments ahead with innovative deal
Caribbean Conversations
Financial Access for Firms: Jamaica’s Challenges and Opportunities
Jamaica’s successful and sustained reform efforts over the past decade have laid the foundation for more rapid financial development, but findings suggest that access to finance remains a major obstacle to investment, innovation, and development for firms across the region—particularly smaller enterprises and those led by women. A new joint publication from the IDB’s … [Read more...] about Financial Access for Firms: Jamaica’s Challenges and Opportunities
Can soft-skills training improve business outcomes of microentrepreneurs?
Entrepreneurship is the heartbeat of small business growth and innovation. Therefore, many initiatives attempt to improve entrepreneurs’ skill sets as a way of improving productivity in micro-, small- and medium-sized businesses, which would lead to faster growth. The IDB’s strategy is focused on increasing the relatively low productivity of Latin America and the Caribbean, … [Read more...] about Can soft-skills training improve business outcomes of microentrepreneurs?
Do Test Scores Determine School Quality?
Student performance on standardized tests is typically the main measure of school quality. Important decisions (such as school closures, the design of teacher performance pay schemes, and school accountability procedures) often rely on test-score metrics. These metrics may be simple test-score averages or more sophisticated measures of school effectiveness at improving test … [Read more...] about Do Test Scores Determine School Quality?
The Digital Grocery Ecosystem – Shaping the future of retail
In Trinidad and Tobago, digital transformation is a key priority of the government and its work with the Inter-American Development Bank. Bold steps towards advancing this agenda are underway, including the establishment of a dedicated Ministry of Digital Transformation in 2021. In this five-part series we will explore opportunities for digital transformation in T&T’s … [Read more...] about The Digital Grocery Ecosystem – Shaping the future of retail