In 1995, the government of Uruguay undertook a first pillar-based reform of the pension system, as opposed to the second pillar-based Chilean-style reform. The paper's first section describes Uruguay's pension system prior to reform. It demonstrates quite clearly that the crisis faced by that...

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...

The topics covered in the chapters of the report were presented and discussed in a conference organized by the IDB in Port of Spain on July 13th, 2004. After more than a decade of economic growth and despite encouraging prospects for the future, the Trinidad and Tobagp economy remains overly...

The purpose of this paper is to describe the performance of the Venezuelan labor market between 1982 and 1995, and to analyze its impact on the evolution of poverty. This time period is one wherein Venezuela suffered from the consequences of both changes in the international financial market...

People and their jobs: What could be more basic to a person's well being? Where people work determines how they live, how their families live, and how economies perform. The quantity and quality of jobs available has implications for individuals and countries alike. That is why the problems with...

People and their jobs: What could be more basic to a person's well being? Where people work determines how they live, how their families live, and how economies perform. The quantity and quality of jobs available has implications for individuals and countries alike. That is why the problems with...

The topics covered in the chapters of the report were presented and discussed in a conference organized by the IDB in Port of Spain on July 13th, 2004. After more than a decade of economic growth and despite encouraging prospects for the future, the Trinidad and Tobagp economy remains overly...

The adoption of emergency employment and short-term training programs to provide income support to the population affected by the episodes of economic volatility since 1995 reveals the failure of the traditional, labor law-based income support mechanisms in the region. These emergency programs...

Empirical work suggests the presence of a public sector wage premium, the reasons for which are investigated in this paper. The results demonstrate a higher premium paid to women and premium decreases concurrent with skills. Job security undermines the incentive to work hard and forces the...

This paper exploits a rich collection of household surveys to investigate the wage differential between the public and private sectors in 17 Latin American countries during the 1980s and 1990s. The paper also studies how the sector of employment affects the gender wage gap. The paper finds very...