By Carlos Scartascini Tax evasion is endemic in many countries. In particular, some developing countries like Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and Guatemala do not collect even half of what they should if taxpayers complied with the written letter of the law, according to recent studies summarized in Corbacho, Fretes Cibils, and Lora (2013). This problem is … [Read more...] about Who cares if you don’t pay your taxes?
What does and doesn't work in development
When you are 64
Right after you sing this to the tune of the Beatles song “When I’m 64” Sent you a pension, wrote you a check Stating full amount Indicate precisely how much is your min And please tell us your next of kin This is to help you avoid the fall Who could ask for more We will support you, staying alive When you’re sixty-five Tu ru ru tutu tu ru ru tuuu turuuu tu … [Read more...] about When you are 64
Leave the bureaucrats alone?
A few months back we shared some disheartening results in this blog: kids didn’t improve their test scores if taught by teachers from the Kenyan Ministry of Education but did better if the teachers were managed by an NGO. Although the results were striking, the policy implications were non-starters. Even if it were politically feasible, which NGO in the World is capable of … [Read more...] about Leave the bureaucrats alone?
Vacations
A year ago I explained 5 reasons why you should take a long vacation. Here is one very big one why your kids should not. Recently, Matthew Yglesias wrote on why vacations are evil. Much of his piece was based on a RAND literature review on the impact of vacations on children. Summer learning loss is approximately one month of instruction and this loss is particularly … [Read more...] about Vacations
More power to Dams?
Large infrastructure projects have a bad rap. Many deservedly so. But new evidence is emerging that large scale dam projects in China are Pareto improving, and large scale infrastructure investments in Brazil had large positive effects on development. Dam projects have been controversial for the benefits on power generation, flood control and irrigation, and … [Read more...] about More power to Dams?