The events of the past three years have put low- and middle-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in a bind. They need to ensure that their citizens can recover from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. But they also need to do it in the most cost-effective way so that public coffers are not drained. With this dilemma in mind, IDB researchers and … [Read more...] about Five Lessons on Strengthening Social Protection from Three Years of Research at the IDB’s Research Department
Diego Vera-Cossio
Diego Vera-Cossio is an economist in the Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank. His area of interest is development economics. In particular, his research analyzes how different policies help or prevent family businesses from growing in contexts in which access to finance is limited. He is also interested in understanding how different methods of targeting and delivering resources from public programs affect policy effectiveness. Diego, a citizen of Bolivia, received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, San Diego in 2018. He holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from Universidad de Chile and a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from Universidad Católica Boliviana.
Can Cash Transfers to Non-Poor Households Prevent Poverty?
Over the past five years, social protection has expanded dramatically around the world. In 2020, one in six people globally received government transfers. This expansion in coverage, particularly in upper- and middle-income countries, has produced a new set of beneficiaries: vulnerable, non-poor households. Scaling up the coverage of social protection programs has the … [Read more...] about Can Cash Transfers to Non-Poor Households Prevent Poverty?
When Insurance for Small Businesses Provides Broad Social Gains
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, various studies have examined how large domestic and multinational firms respond to economic shocks, including health-related ones. But there has been less focus on how family-operated micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) modify their business decisions when faced with such disruptions. Similarly, relatively little … [Read more...] about When Insurance for Small Businesses Provides Broad Social Gains
How Education Protects Workers During Recessions
Education has long been considered a bulwark in hard times. Now new research shows that acquiring additional years of schooling can help prevent people from losing their jobs during economic downturns or recessions. But what makes acquiring education protective? Does it increase productivity? Does it enable workers to work in recession-proof sectors? Or does the economic … [Read more...] about How Education Protects Workers During Recessions
FINLAC: A New Initiative on Financial Inclusion to Boost Economic Recovery and Transform Lives
The COVID-19 pandemic has battered Latin American and Caribbean economies. Due to its large informal sectors, weak health systems, and fiscal restrictions, the region’s economy has been hit harder than any other declining by 7% last year—the largest GDP contraction since 1821. But unlike previous crises, where problems originated or were exacerbated in the financial sector, … [Read more...] about FINLAC: A New Initiative on Financial Inclusion to Boost Economic Recovery and Transform Lives