This paper introduces preliminary evidence from a cross-country database of policy characteristics and potential uses of that database. While most databases have emphasized either the content of policies (e.g., size of government deficits) or countries’ formal institutions (e.g., political...

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) En este trabajo empleamos un enfoque de panel para estudiar el crecimiento de la población en las principales ciudades del mundo. Hallamos que las principales ciudades crecen con mayor rapidez en economías relativamente atrasadas y en economías más...

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) En este trabajo se emplea un nuevo conjunto de datos para analizar las respuestas de los hogares a las sacudidas adversas de los ingresos en siete países latinoamericanos. Los resultados demuestran que: (i) los hogares responden a las sacudidas del...

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) En este trabajo se cuantifica la movilidad social observando la medida en la que los antecedentes familiares determinan el éxito socioeconómico. En términos generales, la movilidad social se puede medir por medio de dos tipos distintos de...

This paper analyzes the evolution of gender differences in school attendance and attainment in Latin America and the Caribbean, for both adults who left the educational system and children in school. For individuals 21 years old and above the paper uses a cohort analysis of school attainment....

This paper argues that institutionalization is an equilibrium phenomenon and is associated with better policies and better results in terms of economic development. In support of this argument is presented a theoretical model that extends the space of feasible actions for political actors,...

This paper contributes to an agenda that views the effects of policies and institutional reforms as dependent on the structure of political incentives for national and subnational political actors. The paper studies political incentive structures at the subnational level and the mechanisms...

This paper examines the short and long-run average causal impact of catastrophic natural disasters on economic growth by combining information from comparative case studies. The counterfactual of the cases studied is assessed by constructing synthetic control groups, taking advantage of the fact...

This paper compares the optimal dynamic choices between policies of mitigation and adaptation for three economies: Brazil, Chile and the United States. The focus is on the optimal role of mitigation and adaptation for “environmentally small economies,” i. e. , economies that are witnessing...

There are few reliable estimates of the effects of violence on economic outcomes. This study exploits the manifold increase in homicides in 2008-2011 in Mexico resulting from its war on organized drug traffickers to estimate the effect of drug- related homicides on housing prices. Using an...