Why should people - and economies - save? This book on the savings problem in Latin America and the Caribbean suggests that, while saving to survive the bad times is important, saving to thrive in the good times is what really counts. People must save to invest in health and education, live...

This document was prepared by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) for the "Confronting Natural Disasters: A Matter of Development" Seminar held in New Orleans on 25 and 26 March 2000. Vulnerability reduction is a key...

The purpose of this document is to contribute to the ongoing discussion on climate change in light of the available evidence on the possible channels of transmission of the economic impact of this phenomenon and the results of the latest session of the Conference of the Parties to the United...

This policy brief is intended to serve as the basis for the discussion of the Ministers of Finance on action needed to promote physical infrastructure and reduce intra-regional trade costs, in the context of the Third Meeting of the Finance Ministers of the Americas and the Caribbean held in...

Europe faces challenges reminiscent of Latin American financial crises. The failure of recent liquidity support to normalize the situation in Europe suggests the need to refocus the policy debate on fundamentals: structural reform for growth and, where needed, restructuring to resolve banking...

The template presented in this note is concerned with the evaluation of the sustainability of total government debt, regardless of whether the creditor is a domestic or foreign resident, a public or private entity or the jurisdiction where the debt was issued (in the case of bonded debt). The...

Esta edición de IDEA fue inspirada por la gran cantidad de preguntas suscitadas por los desastres naturales registrados últimamente en el mundo en desarrollo. Pregunta porque algunas economías sean más resistentes que otras a las catástrofes naturales y analiza los efectos económicos a...

Latin America is growing fast and fundamentals look healthier. Are these achievements here to stay? Strong commodity prices may not last forever and a US recession could have major repercussions in the region. Should countries prepare now for tomorrow's crisis? What is the top-ten list on the...

Esta edición de IDEA se basa en un nuevo libro del BID, Lidiar con una situación de restricción del crédito a nivel internacional: políticas de respuesta a paradas súbitas en América Latina. A partir de investigaciones que han explorado la experiencia de la región con paradas súbitas de...