For decades economists have warned that low levels of public investment in education, health, infrastructure, and security would weaken a country’s economic growth and delay its social development. Unfortunately, that describes many Latin American and Caribbean countries. From 1980 to 2016, public investment in the region grew by almost 10 percentage points slower than in … [Read more...] about Why Don’t Voters Demand More Public Investment?
Razvan Vlaicu
Razvan Vlaicu is a senior economist in the Research Department at the Inter-American Development Bank. His research interests are in public economics and political economics, with a focus on the role of governance and institutions in economic development. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from Northwestern University, taught economics at the University of Maryland, and held short-term positions at the Kellogg School of Management and the World Bank. His research has been published in journals such as the Review of Economic Studies, American Political Science Review, Journal of International Economics, and Journal of Public Economics.
Tracking the Health of Democracies During the Pandemic
Nearly two years into the coronavirus pandemic, electoral democracy continued to do its work at a steady, if sometimes turbulent, pace in the countries of the Latin America and Caribbean region. Amid the pandemic-induced health crisis and economic downturn, the region witnessed about 25 national-level elections or referenda. Public support for democracy in the region remains … [Read more...] about Tracking the Health of Democracies During the Pandemic
Is Social Media Remaking Latin American Elections?
Social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp are becoming primary channels of political engagement in Latin America. Throughout the region’s democracies, large majorities of adults now report receiving or sharing political information on social networks. Ten years ago, only a tenth did so. The dramatic growth in social media’s political relevance cannot be overemphasized. … [Read more...] about Is Social Media Remaking Latin American Elections?
What the Pandemic Revealed about the Role of Trust in Public Sector Performance
As the COVID-19 pandemic struck, public sector employees were on the front line, crucial to policies to limit the contagion and alleviate its economic effects. Collaboration—and hence trust—was essential. Whether working in public health agencies or in communications roles, public sector employees had to work together to implement decisions made at the political level. They had … [Read more...] about What the Pandemic Revealed about the Role of Trust in Public Sector Performance
Science Meets Policy in the Pandemic Response
The COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps like no other major event in recent memory, has exposed the synergies as well as the tensions between science and policy. At the start of the pandemic, governments immediately turned to scientists for the data, knowledge, and technology necessary to fight the new virus. Science provided increasing … [Read more...] about Science Meets Policy in the Pandemic Response