The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed households’ financial fragility. Prior to the pandemic, six out of ten people in Latin America and the Caribbean reported they lack the resources to cover an emergency, and among the poorest quintile, the figure was only two out of ten. As in the 2008 financial crisis, COVID-19 has revealed the need to advance a policy agenda aimed at … [Read more...] about Financial Literacy in the Caribbean: The Case of Barbados
Microeconomics and Competitiveness
The Importance of Good Regulations: When Investing Well Is Not Enough
Part of our "behind the scenes" series of posts for our 2020 flagship publication From Structures to Services: The Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean Improving the quality, efficiency, and productivity of water, power, and transportation could have significant benefits for economic growth and income distribution. In a recent blog, we showed that … [Read more...] about The Importance of Good Regulations: When Investing Well Is Not Enough
Combating Inequality in the Covid-19 Era
Latin America and the Caribbean is the world's most unequal region, after sub-Saharan Africa, and income inequality there is getting worse as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of the expected long-term effects of the pandemic, inequality is likely to continue worsening for many years to come if the right policies are not put into place. This would be a tragedy for a … [Read more...] about Combating Inequality in the Covid-19 Era
Big Data: New Opportunities and Challenges for Urban Research
Fifteen years ago, researchers were restricted to using surveys, censuses and basic administrative data when they examined cities and local policies. But those methods have real limitations. Surveys can be prohibitively expensive. Censuses may be out of date and administrative data often fail to represent the population as a whole. Today, we live in a radically different … [Read more...] about Big Data: New Opportunities and Challenges for Urban Research
Strengthening Climate Goals Will End Up Saving Money for Latin America and the Caribbean
By Adrien Vogt-Schilb and Matthew Binsted What if I told you that making greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets more stringent would be cheaper than keeping current ones? That might seem to defy logic. But it makes sense when you consider the financial costs of continuing to invest in technologies that take us only part way to our ultimate emissions-reduction goals, only … [Read more...] about Strengthening Climate Goals Will End Up Saving Money for Latin America and the Caribbean