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...

Recognizing the need to improve the quality of financial disclosure by private sector firms in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter-American Development Bank sponsored a conference in September 29-30, 1997 entitled Financial Disclosure and the Development of Financial Markets: The Impact...

Despite a recent expansion in housing finance, Brazil still faces a severe housing shortage, especially among lower-income people, and it is important to examine the development, limitations and prospects of the country's housing finance market. This paper investigates the recent evolution of...

This paper raises fundamental questions about how banks in Latin America ought to be supervised. The concentration of wealth holders in Latin America and the equity markets' resulting illiquidity permit investors who control banks to subvert the intent of capital requirements, even when the bank...

After decades of trial, error, and occasional regress, the pieces of a successful Latin American economic model can be seen scattered among the leading economies of the region. The most traditional macroeconomic maladies of the emerging world, such as chronic fiscal imbalances and monetary...

This paper argues that the experiences with banking crises in Latin America have been different from those in the industrial world because of the peculiarities of Latin American financial systems. Hence, applying the lessons derived from crisis resolution in the industrial world is not...

The growth prospects of a nation are stymied by the burden of government debt. This study has two goals: first, it tests whether public debt hinders growth; and, second, it explores whether economic policy ameliorates this effect. A large panel data of countries for 1970-2010 reveal a negative...

The literature on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) finance highlights linkages with large firms in value chains as a possible way to enhance access to credit. However, much of the literature on value chains emphasizes issues of coordination and governance of those linkages and their...

This paper investigates the international spillovers of housing demand shocks on real economic activity. The global economy is modeled using a Global VAR, with a novel house price data set for both advanced and emerging economies. The impulse responses to an identified US housing demand shock...

This paper analyzes the consequences of alternative financial structures for financial efficiency and stability. The focus is on the organizational structure of banks. Alternative bank structures range from 'narrow banks' to broad 'universal banks.' Each banking structure is assessed in its...