By Emma Näslund-Hadley* An education reform in Belize launched in 2011 to make government funding more equitable on a per student basis reduced the gap between the richest and poorest schools by 20% and continues to close this gap. Not long ago, schools in Belize’s wealthiest communities received up to twenty times more public funding per student than other … [Read more...] about Robin Hood Takes On Belizean Schools
What does and doesn't work in development
Opening the English World for Native Spanish Speakers
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
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