This paper uses a large cross-country survey of business firms to assess their influence on government policies. It is found that influence is associated with larger, government-owned firms that have a high degree of ownership concentration. In contrast, foreign ownership matters little. It is...

This paper documents the high level of job security protection in Latin American labor markets and analyzes its impacts on employment. The authors show that job security policies have a substantial impact on the level and the distribution of employment in Latin America. These policies reduce...

El objetivo de la estrategia de modernización del Estado (GN-2235-1) es establecer los conceptos básicos que deben guiar las intervenciones del Banco en esta área. El documento identifica cuatro campos prioritarios para la acción del Banco. Se opta por una definición transversal, basada en...

This book presents the proceedings of a seminar on the need for administrative, judicial and legislative reform in Latin American and the Caribbean, held in San José, Costa Rica, February 4-6,1993. Issues addressed include judicial management, training, and administration.Abstract: Esta...

The strategy document was favorably reviewed by the IDB Board of Executive Directors on July 23, 2003. The objective of this strategy is to establish the basic concepts that should guide Bank operations with regards to modernization of the State.

The strategy document was favorably reviewed by the IDB Board of Executive Directors on July 23, 2003. The objective of this strategy is to establish the basic concepts that should guide Bank operations with regards to modernization of the State.

Abundant empirical evidence links well-functioning institutions and good governance to better economic and social outcomes. It is thus an important challenge to determine which conjunction of factors produces better institutions. Along this line, the objective of this paper is twofold. First, it...

This paper discusses the ways in which macroeconomic developments can put stress on banks, and in extreme cases lead to banking crises. These macroeconomic causes of bank vulnerability and crisis have important implications for regulatory regimes, and for macroeconomic policy itself. Much of the...

Natural disasters are an important source of vulnerability in the Caribbean region. Despite being one of the more disaster-prone areas of the world, it has the lowest levels of insurance coverage. This paper examines the vulnerability of Belizes public finance to the occurrence of hurricanes and...

This paper presents theory and evidence on the determinants of the size of the informal sector. We propose a simple theoretical model in which the informal sector's size is negatively related to institutional quality and positively related to income inequality. These predictions are then...