7962 research outputs found
Sort by
Covid-19 Pandemic and SMEs\u27 Performance in Latin America
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic generated a large negative external shock to the global economy. Businesses worldwide were affected by economic, health, and mobility restrictions that impacted consumers ability to access goods and services and firms profitability and survival rates. In this paper, we study the economic performance of Latin American MSMEs during the pandemic using disaggregated and high-frequency administrative banking deposits and income data from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru. We observe a sharp short-term decline in firm earnings due to the implementation of lockdowns during the second half of March 2020. We show this decline had a heterogeneous impact by economic sector, firm size, and transaction type (in-person vs. online). Focusing on financial technology adoption by studying the migration from in-person to online banking transactions, we find that MSMEs managed to recover revenues to pre-pandemic levels in early 2021 thanks to an increased share of online transactions and that industries facing higher physical exposure to the public (e.g., retailers) experienced a more considerable decline and a slower recovery
Discrimination Against Gay and Transgender People in Latin America: A Correspondence Study in the Rental Housing Market
Get PDFWe assess the extent of discrimination against gay and transgender individuals in the rental housing markets of four Latin American countries. We conducted a large-scale field experiment building on the correspondence study methodology to examine interactions between property managers and fictitious couples engaged in searches on a major online rental housing platform. We find evidence of discriminatory behavior against heterosexual couples where the female partner is a transgender woman (trans couples): they receive 19% fewer responses, 27% fewer positive responses, and 23% fewer invitations to showings than heterosexual couples. However, we find no evidence of discrimination against gay male couples. We also assess whether the evidence is consistent with taste-based discrimination or statistical discrimination models by comparing response rates when couples signal high socioeconomic status (high SES). While we find no significant effect of the signal on call-back rates or the type of response for high-SES heterosexual or gay male couples, trans couples benefit when they signal high SES. Their call-back, positive-response, and invitation rates increase by 25%, 36% and 29%, respectively. These results suggest the presence of discrimination against trans couples in the Latin American online rental housing market, which seems consistent with statistical discrimination. Moreover, we find no evidence of heterosexual couples being favored over gay male couples, nor evidence of statistical discrimination for gay male or heterosexual couples
The Gig Economy and Financial Inclusion of Women in Latin America
Get PDFThe development and expansion of platforms, as an opportunity to identify and connect labor demand and supply, has generated favorable expectations of job opportunities for less integrated groups such as women. This expansion, however, raises questions about the generation of sustainable income and opportunities for job stabilization and formalization. How should we leverage digital channels to improve women\u27s financial inclusion? What is their financial profile and their demand for financing in platforms in the region? Is it possible for these platforms to be a solution in situations of economic vulnerability? Financial inclusion goes hand-in-hand with financial development and remains a challenge for Latin America. This paper follows a novel path by focusing on the conditions associated with gig economy women workers in the household services segment, as surveyed in four Latin American countries. The results show that gig economy platforms: i) have the potential to contribute to improving women\u27s financial inclusion; ii) enable an "activity effect" and a "formalization effect"; and iii) identify lack of trust in payment instruments as the main obstacle to improve financial inclusion
Two-Sided Market Power in Firm-to-Firm Trade
Get PDFWe develop a quantitative theory of prices in firm-to-firm trade with bilateral negotiations and two-sided market power. Markups reflect oligopoly and oligopsony forces, with relative bargaining power as weight. Cost pass-through elasticities into import prices can be incomplete or complete, depending on the exporters and importers bargaining power and market shares. In U.S. import data, we find that U.S. importers have substantial market power and disproportionate leverage in price negotiations. The estimated model produces accurate predictions of the impact of Trump tariffs on pair-level prices. At the aggregate level, ignoring two-sided market power could exaggerate tariff pass-through by about 60 percent
Climate Action and the Paris Agreement: the Role of Cities in Latin America and the Caribbean
Get PDFMore than 6 years after the entry into force of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the implementation of the consensus reached needs to be accelerated to ensure the achievement of ambitious climate goals. Recognizing that local governments have competence over the potential for climate change mitigation as well as for implementing adaptation strategies in Latin America and the Caribbean, this publication highlights the relevance of translating and adapting national goals to local contexts and needs in a collaborative manner. It provides recommendations for moving towards localizing climate initiatives in cities and improving capacities for multilevel climate governance in a local context. It aims to show the capacity of cities to lead transformative climate action in light of the main challenges of climate change, the profile of greenhouse gas emissions generated by the region, and the climate commitments made at national and local levels. It assesses the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the countries in the region and the cities\u27 climate action plans, providing a pragmatic approach to translate the global objectives of the Paris Agreement into implementable actions at all scales. Finally, the publication makes visible climate solutions led by cities in Latin America and the Caribbean, setting precedents and offering ideas and experiences for more cities to contribute to the necessary climate action. This publication is aimed primarily at subnational decision-makers in Latin America and the Caribbean, and is considered a useful reference for multiple climate action managers, especially those interested in promoting and facilitating coordinated climate action at all levels
Environmental, Health, Safety, and Social Management of Green Hydrogen in Latin America and the Caribbean
Get PDFThis study analyzes the main risks, impacts, and mitigation measures for activities related to green hydrogen including production, transportation, storage and associated energy carriers, including ammonia and methanol. This technical note also summarizes, analyzes, and compares international best practices on Environmental, Health, Safety and Social matters for hydrogen management. Finally, the authors analyze these practices as they relate to the IDBs new Environmental and Social Policy Framework (ESPF) approved by the Bank in September 2020
Economic Impacts of a Supporting Scheme on Domestic Energy Consumption in Bolivia: A Quasi-experimental Approach
Get PDFThe Bolivian government fostered an electricity cost supporting scheme to attenuate the effect of the nationwide full lockdown on domestic consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper evaluates its effect on the levels of energy consumption during lockdown, and the monetary savings it implied for beneficiaries. It finds that the absolute gains of the scheme are concentrated among better-off households as measured by income or years of schooling. However, the relative gains of the supporting scheme are clearly concentrated in the worse-off part of the population
Agricultural R&D Indicators Factsheet: Dominican Republic
No full textThe IDB has been financing the collection of data from Latin America and the Caribbean for several years for the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) program. ASTI is an open-access and reliable source of data on agricultural research systems in developing countries, linked to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and part of the CGIAR Program. ASTI works with a broad network of national partners to collect, compile, and publish data on human, financial, and institutional resources, at the national and regional levels, from government organizations, higher education institutions, non-profit entities, and (where possible) private for-profit agricultural research organizations
The Invisible Factor: How Well-being and Mental Health Can Improve the High Impact Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean
Get PDFAll across the high-impact entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), entrepreneurs are sharing stories about how difficult it is to successfully maintain and grow their enterprises every day. The daily pressure they feel is commonly associated with factors that are easy to see and measure, such as finances, operations, and those related to sustainability and scalability. However, there isnt much we can know about the impact and possible consequences of such pressure on the personal sphere, such as the daily life of the human beings behind every enterprise and their families. Its an invisible factor. The time has come, though, to make it visible. High-impact enterprises are an essential part of our countries dynamic economies. However, in many cases the entrepreneurs behind them face circumstances and challenges that are very particular to the region. Besides everyday financial and operational pressure, they must navigate constantly changing political, economic, and social contexts, as well as in more recent times: the massive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This caused an environment of high uncertainty and tension, where entrepreneurs struggle to maintain and grow their initiatives while maintaining their commitments to their workforce. The fact that this personal challenge looks often invisible, and tends to be faced in solitude because of prejudice or stigmatization, makes the HIEE sector “more prone to suffer from well-being and mental health alterations, such as anxiety, fatigue, depression or burnout syndrome, compared to the population in general” (Endeavor, 2020). In order to understand and make visible the situation of well-being and mental health, specifically in the regions HIEE, this research performed an exploratory study to identify and interview a diverse group of entrepreneurs in several LAC countries. They are founders or collaborators, of different genders and industries, involved in enterprises at different stages and varying market and geographical reach, who volunteered to share their experiences and opinions. Based on this exploration, which focused on analyzing the current situation of the participants, we believe it is possible to project what is potentially affecting a larger part of the ecosystem. This can help bring visibility to the importance of addressing well-being and mental health issues among entrepreneurs, but also among those who incubate them, accelerate them, or invest in them. Helping to potentiate these good practices, funding research, and offering programs or tools to provide specialized assistance to the regions entrepreneurship ecosystem, will be fundamental. Given the moment the region is having, and in order to strengthen the ecosystems growth, we need a new strategic focus: if the entrepreneurs are healthy, the enterprises will perform better
Wealth Inequality in Latin America
Get PDFHow much wealth has accumulated in the region and how is it distributed across households? Despite being widely recognized for its extreme income inequality, reliable data on wealth is scarce, partial and oftentimes contradictory, making it difficult to answer these basic questions. In this study, we estimate aggregates based on macroeconomic data, and inequality based on recently available surveys. We contrast our results with the literature, with a handful of state-of-the-art estimates from administrative sources, and with more available but extrapolated estimates from Credit Suisse and wid.world. Considering all the evidence, we distinguish reliable facts from what can only be conjectured or speculated. We find that aggregate wealth increased over two decades in four countries, now ranging close to 3.5 the national income for market value estimates and 5-6 times at book values. We also find that wealth inequality is amongst the highest in the world were it can be measured. Given data limitations, one can only speculate about aggregates in opaque countries and about inequality trends in any country in the region. Although recent research in the developed world has focused in combining data sources to better understand wealth, the region lags behind and urgently requires more and better public information