This paper examines the effects of the expansion of the water network in urban shantytowns in Argentina. The authors find large reductions in the presence, frequency, and severity of diarrhea episodes among children in the households reached by network expansions relative to the control group....

This paper examines the short and long-run average causal impact of catastrophic natural disasters on economic growth by combining information from comparative case studies. The counterfactual of the cases studied is assessed by constructing synthetic control groups, taking advantage of the fact...

There are few reliable estimates of the effects of violence on economic outcomes. This study exploits the manifold increase in homicides in 2008-2011 in Mexico resulting from its war on organized drug traffickers to estimate the effect of drug-related homicides on housing prices. Using an...

The creation of non-contributory pension schemes is becoming increasingly common as countries struggle to reduce poverty. Drawing on data from Mexico's Adultos Mayores Program (Older Adults Program) --a cash transfer scheme aimed at rural adults over 70 years of age-- we evaluate the effects of...

En este documento se exploran, en un contexto experimental, el impacto de dos intervenciones dirigidas a incentivar la formalización empresarial en Bogotá, Colombia, y el impacto de la formalización sobre varias dimensiones de desempeño de los negocios. El diseño experimental de la...

This paper compares the optimal dynamic choices between policies of mitigation and adaptation for three economies: Brazil, Chile and the United States. The focus is on the optimal role of mitigation and adaptation for "environmentally small economies", i. e. , economies that are witnessing an...

This paper provides empirical evidence on the causal effects that upgrading slum dwellings has on the living conditions of the extremely poor. In particular, we study the impact of providing better houses in situ to slum dwellers in El Salvador, Mexico and Uruguay. We experimentally evaluate the...

TRAZAR program (from traceability in English) is a very successful example of the application of ICT methods in rural areas to increase the efficiency and potentialities of small/medium-scale cattle farmers. This program took place in Santa Fe province, Argentina, between 2004 and 2006 and...

En el presente documento se analiza el programa TRAZ.AR que tuvo lugar en la Provincia de Santa Fe, Argentina entre 2004 y 2006. El programa tuvo como principales beneficiarios a productores rurales de pequeña/mediana escala dedicados a la ganadería, que se nuclearon en PROGAN, una...

This research agenda outlines pertinent issues needed to produce an informed assessment of the strategies and policies LAC and international organizations should adopt with respect to climate change. The report makes three contributions: i) identifying actions that could be valuable but have not...