For much of the last century, mortality rates in the United States fell steadily. But from 1998-2013, that trend reversed for a special demographic: non-Hispanic whites, aged 45-54. The problem, according to a new study by Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton, and fellow economist, Anne Case, lay in people lacking a college degree. Tens of thousands of those middle-aged whites were … [Read more...] about Can Latin American Workers Dodge the Deaths of Despair?
Social Issues
Rethinking Taxation to Protect Savings
Taxation and savings are inextricably linked. While taxation puts more money in the government’s hands, it also decreases private savings by leaving people and firms with less income to save, invest, and grow the economy. Despite this clear relationship, the negative impact of taxation on private savings is often the blind spot when policymakers tackle tax reform in Latin … [Read more...] about Rethinking Taxation to Protect Savings
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
Stepping in to Save Women’s and Babies’ Lives
The decision to give birth in one's village rather than a health facility is often a fatal one for women in Latin America. Too many women die in the time immediately before and after delivery from hemorrhages, hypertension and sepsis, conditions easily treated in a modern health facility. Their babies often die with them or in the week following. Yet, culture and poverty can … [Read more...] about Stepping in to Save Women’s and Babies’ Lives
Trade: Winners and Losers in the North and South
After the Brexit referendum and the US election, commentators on all sides have sparred over who are the winners and losers when it comes to trade. Most economists agree that more trade on the whole is good, but that its impact can vary dramatically. The relationship between trade and inequality is then less obvious. For starters, the impacts of trade on inequality may be very … [Read more...] about Trade: Winners and Losers in the North and South