El desempleo es uno de los fenómenos más temidos de nuestros tiempos. Pocos fenómenos económicos son reportados tan amplia y sistemáticamente por la prensa, y menos aún generan tal nivel de debate en la opinión pública. Hay razones para este nivel de interés. Los costos económicos 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 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...

Since the beginning of the 1980s, the world has undergone a major shift in thinking about the appropriate economic role of the state. Privatization of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has been at the heart of this change. The track record on privatization, however, is still very limited. This...

(Available only in Spanish) Unemployment is one of the most feared phenomena of our times. Few economic phenomena are reported so widely and systematically by the press, and even fewer generate such a level of discussion in public opinion. There are reasons for this level of interest. The...

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) En este trabajo se pasa revista a las normas que rigen la contratación y el despido de trabajadores, así como el trabajo en tiempo extra, los aportes al régimen de seguridad social, el salario mínimo y la negociación de contratos colectivos en la...

(Disponible en idioma inglés únicamente) En este artículo, que hace las veces de introducción de un conjunto de estudios preparados por la Oficina del Economista principal del BID, presenta las percepciones de ciudadanos y empresas latinoamericanas sobre el problema del empleo. Se compara...

This paper reviews the regulations governing hiring, firing, overtime work, social security contributions, minimum wages, and collective bargaining in the region, examining their impact on labor market outcomes.