When competition from abroad inflicts severe shocks on a country's firms, the headlines are often about failing businesses and job losses. The shocks may come from different sources: trade reforms, competition from a foreign manufacturing powerhouse, or the entry of big retail chains from abroad. Although the trade shock is likely to bring a number of positive effects, … [Read more...] about How Labor Markets Adjust to Import Competition
Microeconomics and Competitiveness
Three-Generation Households Can Boost Female Employment
Living in an extended family has become more common around the globe, including in the United States, where the number of people living in multigenerational households has quadrupled in the last five decades. But Latin America, along with Northern Africa, is the region where multigenerational living is most common. This has important policy implications, not least because … [Read more...] about Three-Generation Households Can Boost Female Employment
Climate Change, Migration and the Urban Housing and Labor Markets
Between 1991 and 2010, millions of Brazilians migrated from rural to urban areas, many of them because of the effect of increasing drought brought on by climate change. This migration has had effects not only on wages and employment, but also on the closely-related urban housing market. We decided to examine the phenomena in a recent study, to contribute to urban … [Read more...] about Climate Change, Migration and the Urban Housing and Labor Markets
Leveraging Technology to Reduce Student Dropout and Improve Learning
Latin America and the Caribbean is in the midst of an educational crisis. Though enrollment in primary school has grown and today is nearly universal, average completion rates for secondary school stand at 64 percent compared to an average of 79 percent for OECD countries. Moreover, only 35 percent of 15-year-old students in Latin America attain minimum competency in math, way … [Read more...] about Leveraging Technology to Reduce Student Dropout and Improve Learning
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?