Can internet access at home stimulate learning among children? It is an especially urgent question in developing countries where digital access and educational achievement lag considerably behind those in developed ones. Ofer Malamud, Santiago Cueto, Diether Beuermann and I decided to address the issue in an experiment where we provided both laptops and internet access to … [Read more...] about Can the Internet Boost Learning in Latin America?
Tougher Sentences: The Key to Fighting Crime in Latin America?
Latin America and the Caribbean is in a punitive mood. The penitentiary population doubled in 17 countries to 1.2 million between 2002 and 2014 as a result of tougher sentencing of criminals and could triple to almost 3.4 million people by 2030. Citizens, meanwhile, demand harsher sentences. In Chile, one of the region's safest countries, a government-sponsored poll released … [Read more...] about Tougher Sentences: The Key to Fighting Crime in Latin America?
A Walk on the Dark Side: Learning from Corporate Use of Behavioral Economics
I recently attended the IlleXBehavior Meeting in Chicago, a gathering of behavioral and tech consultancies and some of the largest companies in the United States. The meeting focuses on the latest insights from behavioral economics and neuroscience, and I must admit I was a bit skeptical at first. I half-expected the meeting to be a festival of manipulation, in which … [Read more...] about A Walk on the Dark Side: Learning from Corporate Use of Behavioral Economics
IDB Research Department Seeks Research Economist
Do you want to combine your analytical skills and research drive with an opportunity to influence policymakers and improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean? The Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is currently accepting applications from research economists with well-developed technical skills, a record of—or prospects of—high quality … [Read more...] about IDB Research Department Seeks Research Economist
How the Financing of Firms Affects Prices
Firms in the developed world rely heavily on bank credit. But firms in developing countries, and particularly those in Latin America, rely much more heavily on trade credit--i.e. credit from their suppliers --and that has immense implications for pricing decisions and inflation. Most studies that have looked at inflation in emerging economies have examined the role of domestic … [Read more...] about How the Financing of Firms Affects Prices