Brazil's Ministry of Labor does not take labor informality lightly, carrying out inspections and cracking down on the many businesses that hire workers “off the books.” While these inspections are often successful in catching and penalizing firms that avoid the costly regulations involved in hiring formal workers, they also come with surprising, not always positive, side … [Read more...] about Tackling Informality in Brazil: The Hidden Costs of Labor Inspections
How Water Expenditures Burden Low-Income Households Disproportionately in Latin America
In recent decades, Latin America's water and sanitation infrastructure has expanded to the point that around 90% of the urban population has access to improved water services and, as a result, the region seems to be advancing towards two of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all and a reduction in … [Read more...] about How Water Expenditures Burden Low-Income Households Disproportionately in Latin America
Sowing the Seeds of Inclusion for People with Disabilities
People with disabilities represent about 15% of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean, or around 88 million people (as of 2020), and are expected to grow in numbers to 150 million by mid-century. But there are numerous areas of life where this large group of people has not been sufficiently included and, as a result, are unable to maximize their potential or fully … [Read more...] about Sowing the Seeds of Inclusion for People with Disabilities
How Behavioral Economics Boosted Tax Compliance in the Dominican Republic
In the world of tax collection, even small improvements in compliance can have massive financial implications for governments and societies. A recent study, "The $100 Million Nudge," demonstrates how a simple intervention, rooted in behavioral economics, significantly increased tax compliance among firms, resulting in a dramatic boost to public revenue. Tax compliance has … [Read more...] about How Behavioral Economics Boosted Tax Compliance in the Dominican Republic
The Hidden Costs of Non-Tariff Barriers
Since the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the conclusion of the 1994 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), countries around the world have steadily reduced their import tariffs, which fell from a global average of 8.6% in 1994 to just 2.6% in 2017. At the same time, non-tariff barriers (NTBs), including import licenses, quotas and technical … [Read more...] about The Hidden Costs of Non-Tariff Barriers