Since its founding in 2004, Facebook has boasted of its mission to "make the world more open and connected." And with nearly 2 billion users, including more than 230 million in Latin America, it has in many ways earned boasting rights. Facebook is today the world's dominant social media site for people sharing personal and political news, interests and passions. It unites … [Read more...] about Moving Out of the Social Media Bubble to a More Robust Democracy
Politics and Institutions
Research Opportunity: Call for Visiting Scholars Program
The IDB’s Research Department invites promising young researchers (post-doctorate level) and recognized accredited Scholars to apply for the Visiting Research Scholars Program on Citizen Security and Justice issues. The program addresses the growing demand for expertise to design public policies to prevent and reduce urban crime in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to … [Read more...] about Research Opportunity: Call for Visiting Scholars Program
Coordination: Key to the Success of Public Policies
One of the most complicated areas of the political economy of public policy in Latin America is related to the difficulties of coordination. While many policies can be carried out by a ministry or public agency without the need to coordinate with other ministries and agencies, the success of policies in other cases depends on cooperation and coordination. And, unfortunately, … [Read more...] about Coordination: Key to the Success of Public Policies
Where Peruvian Education Reaps Rewards
The results of the triennial Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam tend to land in Latin America and the Caribbean like a shower of icy water. The 2015 exam was no different. For all the progress the region has made in education, for all the increases in investment and near universal enrollment at the primary school level, the region sat in the bottom half of … [Read more...] about Where Peruvian Education Reaps Rewards
Severing the Link Between Oil and Conflict
The explosives ignite, the pipeline bursts, and tens of thousands of barrels of oil pour into grasslands and rivers, destroying a vital source of income and large quantities of animals and fish. Frequent attacks on pipelines by leftist rebels over the last 20 years have devastated fragile ecosystems in Colombia and cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars in lost … [Read more...] about Severing the Link Between Oil and Conflict