The Program for the Sustainable Development of Darién Province in Panama is a $70 million operation approved in 1998 and a major component of the program involves the resurfacing of the Pan American highway, which runs roughly north south through the province to a point about 70 kilometers from...

This working paper addresses the issues: 1) whether there is a simultaneous equations problem when estimating demand for water with multipart rate schedules and, if there is one, what techniques should be used to correct for it; and 2) whether average or marginal price is the relevant measure in...

The last decade has seen a significant increase in the exports of several Latin American and Caribbean countries to destinations within and beyond the region. The increase in trade links has not, however, been accompanied by a proportional increase in reciprocal investments among the trading...

This paper reviews the Bank's lending experience in rural finance and extracts the lessons learned from that experience. It is based on a review of project documents, evaluation reports, and interviews. A sample of 27 projects were studied in detail. Although the review of IDB projects is far...

The Bank has developed and implemented several initiatives to reduce poverty and to improve rural competitiveness during the past decade. This document updates and establishes operational principles to guide action in this area so that the stated goals of the Mandate can be effectively achieved....

This document identifies priorities for Bank action in the sector to guide the allocation of resources in support of the strategic elements and objectives it describes. The paper aims to facilitate the preparation of loans and technical cooperation programs and to improve their quality, building...

This technical paper provides us with an in-depth explanation of how losses due to catastrophes are insured and who absorbs the costs of compensating the insured assets. In the absence of an effective insurance market, the government often becomes the de facto financier of postdisaster...

The purpose of this report is to carry out for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) a strategic analysis of specific medium-sized cities in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region that could present opportunities for linking greenhouse gas mitigation and sustainable urban...