It would always get a laugh from readers of Peanuts. Lucy would hold the football for Charlie Brown to kick. Then she would pull it back at the last minute and send him flying onto his back. The gag, repeated over and over throughout the years, was funny because of Charlie's absurdly trusting behavior. Having been tricked so many times by Lucy, didn't he realize she would trick … [Read more...] about Building Trust for Social Cohesion and Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean
Politics and Institutions
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?
Testing the Impact of Social Media on Trust
Trust and a sense of citizenship are the pillars of thriving democracies. They are essential to the willingness of citizens to make individual sacrifices in pursuit of collective endeavors that drive a society’s success. Unfortunately, that trust and sense of citizenship have been at historical lows worldwide recently and have been declining even more rapidly in Latin America … [Read more...] about Testing the Impact of Social Media on Trust
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
Changing Public Attitudes to Combat a Crime Epidemic
With 9% of the world's population and 33% of its homicides, Latin America and the Caribbean suffers from far too much violence. But government responses, heavily focused on punitive practices like mass incarceration, have fallen short. While incarceration has increased by 76% over the last decade, the region as a whole still has more than twice the homicide rate as the world … [Read more...] about Changing Public Attitudes to Combat a Crime Epidemic