Natural disasters are different from pandemics. They cause death, displacement, and destruction of physical capital, and unlike a pandemic, their effects are brief and confined to the areas affected. The literature shows that natural disasters impact growth in the short term. But how quickly do countries recover? The outcomes are surprising, and they show how important social … [Read more...] about What Experiences with Natural Disasters Can Teach about Recovering from the Pandemic
How Gender Discrimination Stops Women from Getting Loans
It is no secret that in Latin America and the Caribbean, as in much of the world, women are less likely to be paid an equal wage or to be approved for a loan. This is shameful in and of itself. But it is difficult to know how much of the discrimination is due to structural factors and how much is simply a product of outright prejudice in male-dominated societies. In a recent … [Read more...] about How Gender Discrimination Stops Women from Getting Loans
Baker or Brady: Lessons of Past Financial Crises for the Pandemic Recovery
The Covid-19 pandemic is different both in nature and in magnitude from the financial crises that have afflicted the region repeatedly in the past. However, the experience of previous crises can provide lessons to help make the recovery from the pandemic more vigorous. Specifically, we should learn from the successes of the Brady Plan of the 1990s, while avoiding the errors of … [Read more...] about Baker or Brady: Lessons of Past Financial Crises for the Pandemic Recovery
Investing to Create Better Societies Without Sacrificing Returns
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
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