Since the mid-1990s, governments in Latin America have used conditional cash transfers (CCTs) to reduce poverty, improve health, and boost school enrollment for tens of millions of people. But like any social program that increases income and hence demand, CCTs pose their own risks if they allow for goods and services to be purchased in a non-competitive environment. That is … [Read more...] about Promoting Competition to Boost Welfare Through Social Programs
#poverty
Guatemala: The Crisis of Rule of Law and a Weak Party System
In mid-2015, tens of thousands of ordinary Guatemalans poured into the streets to protest against a multimillion-dollar corruption scheme at the highest levels of government and demand reform. By September, key ministers and advisers had been fired. The nation's president sat in jail. But today, two years after that euphoric demonstration of people power, little has changed in … [Read more...] about Guatemala: The Crisis of Rule of Law and a Weak Party System
When Parenting Programs Confront Cultural Taboos
In the mid-1990s, researchers in the United States revealed a stunning gap in the developmental path of rich and poor children. By age three, the researchers found, children of professionals had heard 30 million more words than low-income children. This endowed privileged youngsters with skills that allowed them to acquire richer vocabularies and more sophisticated language … [Read more...] about When Parenting Programs Confront Cultural Taboos