Fifteen years ago, few people would have bet on blueberries as a profitable crop for Peru's northern coast. The region, consisting largely of desert lacked the necessary cold temperatures and a tradition of producing the fruit. But between 2010, when the country exported almost no blueberries to 2020, Peru became a powerhouse in blueberry production and the world's largest … [Read more...] about Blueberries and the Promise of Agricultural Innovation in Latin America
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Reforming Regulations that Harm Productivity and Worker Welfare
An uncomfortable reality lies behind Latin America’s poor growth performance: gains in productivity have been anemic over the last three decades. The costs in long-term GDP growth, as well as higher wages and living standards for Latin America's people, are steep. Over the last decades most Latin American nations adopted a broad agenda of economic liberalization and … [Read more...] about Reforming Regulations that Harm Productivity and Worker Welfare
When Poverty Is No Obstacle to Educational Success
Villa Esperanza, is a shantytown of unpaved streets and low-slung tin-roofed house, a place where the prospects for children would seem grim. Most adults in the town outside Lima work selling goods on the street or in other low-paying jobs. Many are illiterate, and the social problems, ranging from gangs to high levels of alcoholism, disease and domestic violence, might snuff … [Read more...] about When Poverty Is No Obstacle to Educational Success
Financial Literacy Programs Can Benefit Both Children and Adults
To become an adult without knowing how to manage money is to risk financial instability, debt, and a meager retirement. Moreover, most evidence suggests it is extremely difficult to change the financial behavior of adults. They may not have time for financial literacy programs and, besides, may be too set in their ways. On the other hand, working with children and teenagers … [Read more...] about Financial Literacy Programs Can Benefit Both Children and Adults
Can Domestic Violence Be Accurately Measured?
Education has long been promoted as a means for changing women’s position in society. Growing income, opportunity and exposure to more equal social norms, it is thought, should help protect women against abuse, not least by allowing them to choose better partners. However, recent evidence shows that the role of education as a protective factor may be limited. Physical and … [Read more...] about Can Domestic Violence Be Accurately Measured?