Have you ever tried to learn to speak a foreign language? Did it make you nervous the first time you had to speak it? Imagine having to teach it. … [Read more...] about Opening the English World for Native Spanish Speakers
What does and doesn't work in development
Has civil service improved in Latin America?
Despite the fact that “the science of delivery” is a hot topic these days, the truth is that we don´t know that much about its engine: the public sector workers. A recent book from the IDB sheds some light, looking at the evolution of public employment in the past ten years. The book focuses on civil Service reform (public employment in the Central Administration) in Latin … [Read more...] about Has civil service improved in Latin America?
8 lessons from giving cash to the poor
18 governments from Latin America and the Caribbean give out regular monthly cash transfers to almost 130 million poor. These transfers which are known as Conditional Cash Transfers or CCTs and which vary greatly in terms of objectives and coverage, try to alleviate poverty in the short term and develop human capital in the long run. These programs typically focus on children’s … [Read more...] about 8 lessons from giving cash to the poor
Laptops, children and Darth Vader
[vsw id="R55e-uHQna0" source="youtube" width="425" height="344" autoplay="no"] Remember the 2011 Superbowl “Darth Vader Kid ad where a young boy attempts to use The Force to start a washer and wake up the dog? The Force only works on a Volkswagen Passat, after his father - hiding behind the kitchen window -uses the car’s remote to start it. We are fascinated that a little … [Read more...] about Laptops, children and Darth Vader
Corruption and growth, revisited
Some years ago, there was a tsunami in the economics literature on the relationship between economic growth and corruption. When it became clear that correlation is not causation, and that perception is not necessarily reality, the wave dwindled, although a corruption-index industry did thrive, (for a while). A recent paper retakes this issue from a more rigorous … [Read more...] about Corruption and growth, revisited