This paper analyzes the effectiveness of public credit lines in promoting the performances of Brazilian firms. We focus on the impact of the credit lines managed by BNDES and FINEP in fostering growth measured in terms of employment, labor productivity and export. For this purpose, we use a...

This paper presents a retrospective review of several key areas of work of the Capital Markets and Financial Institutions Division (CMF) of the Inter-American Development Bank. Presented with each chapter as an independent piece, the paper analyzes the operations portfolio of CMF from 2006 to...

This report summarizes some of the milestones achieved by the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) in 2010. 2010 has been a transformational year for the MIF. In the spirit of continuous improvement, the MIF pushed its own boundaries and began devising new ways to increase its developmental...

This paper presents a synopsis of the current state of the microfinance industry in Latin America. It provides a rough assessment of the achievement and outreach of the industry; it offers revealing information on the financial performance of 20 microfinance institutions; and it outlines some of...

This paper seeks to measure the impact on small businesses in Chile of the Seed Capital Program implemented by Chile's Technical Cooperation Services (Servicio de Cooperación Técnica SERCOTEC). The results are mixed. On the one hand, the impact of sales is positive but its statistical...

This issue of MicroEnterprise Americas features a series of articles including topics such as how communication and information technology is fostering growth in the microcredit industry; the role of the State as governments are responding to persistent high rates of unemployment and lack of...

This publication aims to help donors, creditors and investors evaluate the performance, condition and risk of individual microfinance institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean, in hopes of strengthening the microfinance industry and building the microenterprise sector. It provides concrete...

This document describes the efforts of the Department of Labor of Rio de Janeiro to build a comprehensive institutional framework focused on the promotion of a long run, micro-firm based local economic development model and to create a path to sustainable economic growth, job creation and...