Indonesia has made considerable progress over the years in improving the social conditions of its population, especially among disadvantaged groups, not least by raising government spending and strengthening social protection programmes. Nevertheless, in some respects social outcomes remain...

Social institutions face many challenges. The recent economic crisis has provided a stress test as it has left a legacy of high unemployment and high government debt in many countries. It also lowered potential output and thus the revenue base for social protection schemes. At the same time,...

The recent economic crisis has provided a stress test for the vulnerability of social institutions. This paper assesses the vulnerability of social institutions in light of the current crisis, and surveys past episodes, when social institutions faced similar challenges. Public pay-as-you-go...

This paper reviews the main elements of social security reform in Brazil since 1998 and discusses areas where further policy action is yet to be taken to ensure the sustainability of the social-security system over time. Outlays on pensions paid to private-sector workers have risen as a result...

Neste continente, os efeitos negativos das reformas liberais afetaram substancialmente o precário equilíbrio de boa parte das economias nacionais e do tecido social. A necessidade de construção de um novo equilíbrio social, que faça avançar o desenvolvimento dos países, está claramente...

Seguro Popular (SP) is a social program introduced by the Mexican government in 2002 to provide health insurance to the 50 million Mexicans without coverage. The program has raised a debate on whether the program has had unintended consequences and distorted incentives facing workers,...

This paper studies the incentive effects of social security benefits on labor market informality following a policy reform in Uruguay. The reform extended health benefits to dependent children of private sector salaried workers, and thus altered the incentive structure of holding formal jobs...

Available evidence suggests that workers may have a low willingness or ability to pay for social security (via a reduction in their wage) and that this is particularly so for low-income workers. The end result is that social security contributions are borne by employers, effectively reducing the...

"Women at Work: Challenges for Latin America" presents a series of empirical studies that use household survey data from Latin America to analyze trends in female labor force participation rates, the impact of trade liberalization on women's work, tendencies in gender wage differentials and...

"Women at Work: Challenges for Latin America" presents a series of empirical studies that use household survey data from Latin America to analyze trends in female labor force participation rates, the impact of trade liberalization on women's work, tendencies in gender wage differentials and...