Endowed with rich and diverse natural and cultural resources, Argentina’s Salta Province has long been known to have tremendous but untapped tourism potential. Located at the intersection of such natural attractions as the Andean highland plateau (the Puna), the Chaco forests, and the subtropical forest in the Yungas Biosphere Reserve, Salta’s landscape is graced with … [Read more...] about How to evaluate a tourism reform without a time machine?
What does and doesn't work in development
Protecting the Mesoamerican Lung
by Joseph Milewski* After decades of abuse in Guatemalan jungle, the IDB launched a program compatible with the conservation of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. It develops alternative activities for the inhabitants in the fields of agriculture, tourism, environment and culture. In Guatemala, the deafening chatter of macaws and guttural shrieks of monkeys are but two of … [Read more...] about Protecting the Mesoamerican Lung
Could more women in power promote development?
by Patricia Yanez-Pagans A study shows that female mayors attract twice as much in discretionary transfers from the federal government as their male counterparts and they are less likely to engage in corrupt activities. Only 22 per cent of all national parliamentarians worldwide were female as of August 2015, and only 11 women served as head of state The numbers … [Read more...] about Could more women in power promote development?
How effective are land property rights interventions on improving investments and agricultural productivity?
Recent studies show that de jure recognition of tenure through the provision of a registered title or certificate boosts productivity by 40%; and increases consumption or income of beneficiary households by 15%. Access to land and the ability to make productive use of that land is critical to poor people worldwide (Deininger, 2004): it can provide a foundation for economic and … [Read more...] about How effective are land property rights interventions on improving investments and agricultural productivity?
Cows and kilowatts: opportunities for development
by Jesús Tejeda A program in Ecuador is a classic example of how electrification in isolated rural and urban areas can raise living standards and boost economic growth. Each morning at 4 a.m. as the cocks begin to crow, women in the Prado communities of Ecuador's Pichincha province put on their woolen pants, wrap-around shawls, and bowler hats, and head into the hilly … [Read more...] about Cows and kilowatts: opportunities for development