The latest ranking of the world's deadliest cities continues a sad pattern: the overwhelming majority—43 out of 50—are in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Los Cabos in Mexico topping the list. Many of the reasons behind this state of affairs are chronic—weak institutions; impunity; poverty; inequality and growing urbanization—all feeding and, at the same time, … [Read more...] about Send Us Your Research Papers on Crime and Policy
Climate Policy: When the Expensive Options Make Sense
To stabilize climate change, we need to get to zero net carbon emissions by the end of the century. A key question then for policymakers is when and how to reduce emissions. Imagine you are a policymaker, and you have two options for reducing emissions. Energy efficiency measures in the building sector (LED lights instead of light bulbs, better thermal insulation) can reduce … [Read more...] about Climate Policy: When the Expensive Options Make Sense
How the Right to Vote Sparks Political Interest
Little more than half of the respondents captured in the latest regional survey of Chile-based Latinobarómetro thought democracy was the best form of government – a ten-year low that indicates weakness in Latin America's democracies. But does this mean citizens are losing their interest in voting, democracy's most sacred right? In a recently published study, Carlos Scartascini … [Read more...] about How the Right to Vote Sparks Political Interest
Are Female Politicians More Honest than Male Politicians?
Numerous studies show that female politicians on the whole are associated with less corruption than male ones. But Ugo Troiano and I were able to demonstrate the phenomenon with convincing evidence in a published study comparing male and female mayors in Brazil. We found that female mayors were not only less likely to engage in administrative irregularities and patronage, like … [Read more...] about Are Female Politicians More Honest than Male Politicians?
Boosting Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean
Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean has been disappointing. For commodity exporters, the exceptional 2002-2012 boom boosted investment and relaxed fiscal constraints, but many countries made little progress on improving underlying productivity and their medium-term growth potential. In other countries, particularly some in the Caribbean and Central America, negative … [Read more...] about Boosting Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean