Low and middle-income countries are home to about 80% of the people in the world exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution, with its numerous deleterious effects, including disease and mortality and diminished cognitive performance, labor supply and productivity. Yet those countries often lack the resources to accurately measure air pollution and determine how policies might … [Read more...] about Measuring Air Quality Better in Developing Countries
Microeconomics and Competitiveness
Inclusive Health Care in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Necessary Revolution
Over the last two decades, all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), committing themselves (in Article 25) to ensure the right without discrimination to health care for people with disabilities. Many countries in the region have also passed national laws reinforcing that … [Read more...] about Inclusive Health Care in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Necessary Revolution
Handing Out Laptops Is Not Enough to Improve Student Learning
In 2012, we published a study showing that an ambitious and expensive program involving the disbursement of free laptops to primary school students generated few academic gains after 15 months of laptop exposure. The report, examining the One Laptop per Child initiative launched by Peru's government, generated much discussion in Peru and around the world given that many … [Read more...] about Handing Out Laptops Is Not Enough to Improve Student Learning
How Water Expenditures Burden Low-Income Households Disproportionately in Latin America
In recent decades, Latin America's water and sanitation infrastructure has expanded to the point that around 90% of the urban population has access to improved water services and, as a result, the region seems to be advancing towards two of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and a reduction in … [Read more...] about How Water Expenditures Burden Low-Income Households Disproportionately in Latin America
Sowing the Seeds of Inclusion for People with Disabilities
People with disabilities represent about 15% of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean, or around 88 million people (as of 2020), and are expected to grow in numbers to 150 million by mid-century. But there are numerous areas of life where this large group of people has not been sufficiently included and, as a result, are unable to maximize their potential or fully … [Read more...] about Sowing the Seeds of Inclusion for People with Disabilities