If someone offered you cash payments to keep your kids in school, would you turn these down? The answer seems simple enough. Most of us would respond with a clear “of course not!” Yet, the answer might not be so simple for the poorest and most vulnerable families. Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs pay cash to poor households on the condition that eligible children … [Read more...] about Leaving cash on the table
What does and doesn't work in development
To Guide or not to Guide? Using Technology to Improve Learning
By Elena Arias and Julián Cristia Considering everything that technology has made possible, from instant global communication to space travel, harnessing it to improve learning and revolutionize education would seem well within our reach. Indeed, the IDB is looking at how technology can improve learning across Latin America and the Caribbean, where there is an urgent … [Read more...] about To Guide or not to Guide? Using Technology to Improve Learning
Dignified dwellings for Suriname’s Amerindian and Maroon communities
By Carolina Piedrafita and Carol Nijbroek Maseja Amoloe is a single mother in Pikin Pada, a small Maroon village in Suriname’s hinterland. These villages have their own form of government rooted in Amerindian traditions such as birth rights, and are fully recognized by Suriname’s government. The villages are run by a kapiten, who functions as the highest local … [Read more...] about Dignified dwellings for Suriname’s Amerindian and Maroon communities
Small Bug, Big Trouble: The Fruit Fly Plague in Peru
By Julián Aramburu and Lina Salazar Nothing is more annoying than a fly buzzing around your head. But flies can be much more than an annoyance: fruit flies, for example, are one of the most harmful threats to fruit production in Peru, damaging crops by laying their eggs within the fruit. Since 1990, Peru’s fruit and vegetable exports have increased at an average … [Read more...] about Small Bug, Big Trouble: The Fruit Fly Plague in Peru
Would you leave your children home alone while at work?
By Claudia Piras Free daycare services do not ensure a significant increase in women’s participation in the labor market. Why? The results of an after-school activities program in Chile may have the answer. What is the most common reason given by women when asked why they are not looking for a job? Just what you might think: because they have to take care of their … [Read more...] about Would you leave your children home alone while at work?