This paper presents an integrated overview of the literature linking institutions, financial development and economic growth. From the large body of research on institutional development, the paper first selects those contributions that make it possible to study the role of institutional...

A segunda edição da série Instituições para o Povo mostra os bancos públicos de desenvolvimento da América Latina e do Caribe frente a um novo paradigma.Nos seis capítulos que compõem o estudo, o tema dos bancos públicos de desenvolvimento é abordado a partir de uma perspectiva...

This technical paper provides us with an in-depth explanation of how losses due to catastrophes are insured and who absorbs the costs of compensating the insured assets. In the absence of an effective insurance market, the government often becomes the de facto financier of postdisaster...

This presentation was commissioned by the Trade and Integration Network of the Regional Policy Dialogue for the 5th Hemispheric Meeting celebrated on August 14 and 15, 2003. This paper presents principles and a methodology that may contribute to improve the preparation of Financial Services...

This paper presents the experiences of the housing finance market in Chile. It was first presented at a regional conference on the development of mortgage securitization held at the Inter-American Development Bank. The paper focuses on the evolution of housing finance in Chile, including the...

This paper discusses the topic of deforestation in Latin America and the Caribbean and the use of incentives as support for private forestry investments. The paper develops the idea of using targeted and cost-effective incentives that must take into account cultural and social factors. In...

This study deals with the appropriate macroeconomic policies toward international capital flows. It argues that countries in a position to integrate themselves into world capital markets should develop specific policies to deal with capital flows. This paper first shows that foreign capital...

This report is one of a series of best practice papers that stem from a regional conference on the development of mortgage securitization held at the IDB. Using Mexico as an example, this paper focuses on the elements of the primary mortgage market that are relevant to establish a secondary...

This paper marshals substantial arguments and data to support the contention that improving the access of micro and small enterprises to financial services could have an important salutary impact on a country's income distribution. To demonstrate this, the paper shows first that many poor own or...

This paper discusses the conditions under which policy-based lending may further economic development within a Latin American and Caribbean context, given the current state of financial markets in most countries of the region. The discussion is intended as a conclusion to the articles presented...