By Max-Emanuel Hatzold Remaining competitive in the textile business is not easy, as it is an industry with low barriers to entry and intense global competition. As a result, profit margins are typically low. That’s why companies like Vicunha Ecuador S.A., one of the country’s oldest textile manufacturers, need to constantly invest in growth, efficiency, and … [Read more...] about More than Denim and Profits: Creating Jobs and Engaging the Community
What does and doesn't work in development
Tackle the Funding Gap: Expanding Access to Credit for Brazilian Microentrepreneurs
By Helio Bertachini Ms. Terezinha runs her own small business selling churrasquinho, a type of steak stick, in Pindamonhangaba, a city in the countryside of São Paulo State, Brazil. Terezinha needs credit to grow her business, but until recently her access to credit was very limited.View Post … [Read more...] about Tackle the Funding Gap: Expanding Access to Credit for Brazilian Microentrepreneurs
LACEA’s Impact Evaluation Network: Call for Papers
By Oscar Mitnik The Impact Evaluation Network (IEN) of the Latin America and the Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA) is calling for papers for its upcoming 10th Annual Meeting. The meeting will take place at the Inter-American Development Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC from Wednesday March 22 until Friday, March 24, 2017. Active since 2007, the IEN is an … [Read more...] about LACEA’s Impact Evaluation Network: Call for Papers
Leaving cash on the table
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
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