Does greater spending on education boost learning? Educators and policymakers worldwide have debated that question for years. When it comes to Latin America and the Caribbean, however, one thing seems clear: Money may help; it may even be crucial, but it is never enough. Latin American and Caribbean governments have made immense efforts to increase spending, dedicating on … [Read more...] about For Latin American Learning, Money Isn’t the Problem
Social Issues
Macroeconomic Challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean
As the October 2017 meetings in Washington wind down, the good news is that Latin America and the Caribbean is out of recession and set to grow at 1.2% this year. Only three countries (Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela—of the 26 borrowing IDB members) will post negative growth, as opposed to seven countries last year (the other four in recession last year were … [Read more...] about Macroeconomic Challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean
How Nobel Ideas Inspired the IDB
Richard Thaler, the University of Chicago professor who fused psychological insights and economics to reveal how biases affect decision-making, was awarded Oct. 8 the 2017 Nobel Prize in economics. The award, which recognizes Thaler's work in overturning assumptions about economic behavior as rational and demonstrating how people could be "nudged" to make better choices, … [Read more...] about How Nobel Ideas Inspired the IDB
When Globalization and Populism Meet
It amounts to an upheaval. Populist movements claiming to speak directly for the people and opposed to everything from bankers to immigrants and the institutions of liberal democracy have altered the political landscape in large areas of the world. Think Brexit in Great Britain, Syriza and Podemos in Greece and Spain, and the populist candidates in the most recent elections in … [Read more...] about When Globalization and Populism Meet
The Skills Gap: Holding Latin America Back
From a certain optic, advances in education in Latin America and the Caribbean have been remarkable. In 1900, only one in three children attended primary school. Very few advanced to secondary school. Today, primary education in the region is nearly universal and enrollment in secondary school stands at nearly 80%. Unfortunately, those gains in access to education have not … [Read more...] about The Skills Gap: Holding Latin America Back