The effects of market and policy reforms on poverty and inequality in Latin America have been of considerable concern. The region continues to have relatively great income inequalities. Two different societies with the same income distribution may have different levels of social welfare because...

This paper argues for a multi-level explanatory model for understanding institutional reform. Using the case of Uruguay, the authors seek to show how a changed political environment combined with sector- specific configurations and political strategies of reformist leaders allowed for successful...

School-based management programs aim to improve education outcomes by involving parents in allocation decisions about external funds transferred to the school. This paper explores the effects of two school-based management programs on parental investment in schools via voluntary contributions....

This study is designed to help practitioners prepare and evaluate institutional reforms for education and health programs. It provides an analytic framework for use by public officials and researchers, with case studies that illustrate a wide range of actual practice, and a set of lessons...

In the continuing debate over how to improve education systems, many people argue that teachers' salaries need to be increased. This paper seeks to establish a reliable method for analyzing the issue using household survey data from Bolivia.

This paper examines the current status of secondary education in Latin America in the context of world-wide economic changes and identifies a wide variety of policy options for ensuring that secondary education can play a positive role in the region's economic and social development. The paper...

This book compares the superlative performance of Asia's conventional systems with the poor performance of Latin America's schools, despite higher spending by the latter. The book showcases a variety of educational innovations developed to respond to Latin America's poor educational...

This paper examines the current status of secondary education in Latin America in the context of world-wide economic changes and identifies a wide variety of policy options for ensuring that secondary education can play a positive role in the region's economic and social development. The paper...

This study represents a collaborative effort between the two Banks, developed in close consultation with brazilian government officials and education authorities, both at the federal and state level. The report is based on new research commissioned to brazilian social scientists focusing on both...

This note speaks to the progress made in expanding access of education as well as to the challenges that remain. Drawing on household survey data from ten countries, it presents quantitative information to show that, compared with the recent past, access to education has become more universal...