This paper studies the impact of access to electricity via solar-powered home systems (SHSs) in rural communities in Peru. Applying propensity score matching at the community as well as at the household level, the authors find that households with SHSs spend less on traditional sources of...

This is the Bank's sixth annual Sustainability Report. It covers sustainability progress and performance in the 2010 fiscal year for the Inter-American Development Bank. The document provides insights into key development trends and related sustainability dimensions in Latin America and the...

This document presents the IDB Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard user's guide. The primary objective of the Scorecard is to provide a tool to think through the complex issues associated with biofuels from the field to the tank, thereby encouraging higher levels of sustainability in such...

This paper deals with how to promote distributed generation (DG) done with renewable energy in emerging markets of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), with the purpose of increasing competitiveness and achieving sustainable economic growth. The paper argues that the key rationale for...

This paper aims to present a snapshot of some of the best practices in the promotion and use of renewable energy, and provide practical examples of the development of renewable energy markets that countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can replicate. This brief study provides an overview...

In a partnership spanning more than five decades, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and its member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have invested heavily in economic and social development. The IDB is prepared to meet LAC¿s growing demand for climate change support...

This document presents the IDB Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard user's guide. The primary objective of the Scorecard is to provide a tool to think through the complex issues associated with biofuels from the field to the tank, thereby encouraging higher levels of sustainability in such...

This paper shows, first, that non-commodity revenues are more volatile in oil- and mineral-rich countries and that quality of institutions is associated with lower volatility. We investigate the channels through which oil and mineral revenue volatility lead to non-commodity revenues volatility,...

This paper provides a rationale for developing countries to announce future credible commitments to reduce GHG emissions even if these are not to materialize in the short run, and for domestic reasons only. A simple framework is presented in which it is shown that it may be costly for an economy...