For a long time, investors eager to use their money to improve the world through socially and environmentally conscious investments worried that they would be sacrificing returns in the process. No longer. Investing that takes into account environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) factors often equals or even outperforms investments that ignore these factors. Today … [Read more...] about Investing to Create Better Societies Without Sacrificing Returns
Social Issues
Gender Gaps in the Time of Covid-19
Over the last 30 years, women have made significant gains in Latin America and the Caribbean. Maternal deaths in childbirth have dropped by more than half, young women are slightly more educated than men, and the region recorded the highest rate of convergence between male and female labor force participation from 1990-2015 compared to other regions of the world. But glaring … [Read more...] about Gender Gaps in the Time of Covid-19
Behavioral Economics and the Urgent Need to Use Masks When Lockdowns Are Lifted
The health news from Latin America is not good. The region has become the global epicenter of the Covid-19 epidemic, with nearly 4 million infections and 204,000 deaths as of mid-June. Moreover, the numbers are rising rapidly in several countries, including Brazil, which lags only the United States in reported cases, Peru with the seventh highest number of cases globally, and … [Read more...] about Behavioral Economics and the Urgent Need to Use Masks When Lockdowns Are Lifted
What Can We Learn from Other Countries on When and How to Reopen the Economy?
On March 10, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the coronavirus global health crisis a pandemic. In using this term, it sought to send a message to the countries responding slowly to a disruptive health crisis with an uncertain outlook and consequences that were difficult to anticipate. Although in Latin America and the Caribbean the first cases of Covid-19 were … [Read more...] about What Can We Learn from Other Countries on When and How to Reopen the Economy?
The Importance of Policies to Actively Seek Out COVID-19 Cases in Marginalized Neighborhoods
One notable characteristic of Covid-19 is that, outside China, it began by affecting the more prosperous segments of the population. In Latin America, the majority of people who were infected initially came from Europe and the United States. Argentina—and especially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires—was no exception. As of March 12, the city's 15 confirmed cases had come from … [Read more...] about The Importance of Policies to Actively Seek Out COVID-19 Cases in Marginalized Neighborhoods