This paper focuses on the geographic distribution of banking activity in Brazil, with the objective of building several quantitative indicators of said spatial distribution. In addition, it puts forward some conjectures regarding the nature and intensity of the changes in the geographic...

To this day, policy makers, policy advisers, and economists in development institutions do not have any practical tools to help them to assess the impacts of policies aimed at promoting gender equality and quantify the effect of these policies on growth. Yet, there has been limited effort in...

The global financial crisis of 2008-09 did not just change the global economic order. It also changed the way we think about that order. Principles and practices that were once accepted wisdom are now in doubt or discredited. New, fundamental questions opened. And the search for answers has...

The Great Recession of 2009-11 was not simply a severe business cycle slowdown or even a combined credit, housing, and asset market collapse. It left permanent scars, especially on the advanced economies. In its wake, policy makers must navigate uncharted economic territory where 'business as...

The 2008 financial crisis has highlighted the challenges associated with global financial integration and has emphasized the importance of macro financial linkages. Specifically it has shown how real (business cycles) can interact with and be amplified by the financial sector, resulting in high...

With decentralization and urbanization, the debts of state and local governments and of quasi-public agencies have grown in importance. Rapid urbanization in developing countries requires large-scale infrastructure financing to help absorb influxes of rural populations. Borrowing enables state...