While policy evaluation is essential for improving labor programs, a significant knowledge gap exists regarding the impact of local labor market policies in developing countries. This article analyzes the impact of three employment programs in Chile aimed at enhancing employability and wages,...

This article explores new evidence from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) on the extent to which “house lock”--the reluctance of households to sell their homes in a declining house price environment--has contributed to the elevated unemployment rate...

This paper estimates the impact of the enforcement of core labor standards on FDI in the region and contains the following: 1) Introduction; 2) Survey of the literature on the determinants of FDI: theoretical models, empirical estimation of the determinants of FDI, and the few studies that have...

This paper highlights the importance of youth entrepreneurship in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the challenges and opportunities faced by young entrepreneurs. The authors analyze the differences between youth who become entrepreneurs by necessity or by opportunity, and also review...

China's emergence has raised pointed questions about the future of manufacturing in Latin America. Once saw as its economic future, the viability of this activity in the region has long been challenged by traditional trade theory and, in practical terms, by at least three generations of Asian...

This study asks a simple question that has significant implications for gender equality. After decades of increasing female participation in the labor market, advances in the labor legislation and persistent gender wage gaps, what are the effects of motherhood on labor force participation and...

Workfare programs aim to reduce poverty by providing low-wage work to those who need it. They are often turned to in a crisis when there is no time for a rigorous evaluation. This paper offers some simple analytic tools for a rapid ex-ante appraisal of an existing workfare program. For pedagogic...

Sri Lanka as a developing economy that achieved gender equity in education and a higher literacy rate (both adult and youth) in the South Asian region still records a low labor force participation and high unemployment rate of females when compared to their male counterparts. With the suggestion...

This publication examines job creation and the work of the IDB from two supporting policy perspectives: (i) policies and programs to improve the business climate and investment for private sector-driven growth; and, (ii) labor market policies and programs. For each of these two pillars, the...

In this paper, the authors examine levels and trends of labor market outcomes for women in the 1990's using household survey data for 18 Latin American countries covering several years per country. The outcomes analyzed include labor force participation rates, the distribution of employment of...