Despite the widespread debate about crime in Brazil and the alarming increase in homicides in recent years, few studies have analyzed or expos ed evidence of the impact of public security spending on det erring violence in the country . This may be due to issues of endogeneity when estimating...

Land titling and property rights have been the central tenant of agricultural and rural development policy for many years since land is one of the key assets for production of agricultural goods and services. Land titling facilitates access to credit through collateral arrangement,thereby...

This paper analyzes the association between quality of parenting programs and child development outcomes . It focuses on parenting programs delivered through home visits (i.e., home visiting programs) in which a par aprofessional works with the caregiver to improve parental practices, skills and...

Limited borrower information may create targeting distortions in credit markets. Community-based lending programs may reduce these distortions by exploiting information transmitted in local networks, but connections may create asymmetries in power. This paper analyzes how local leaders balance...

Transaction costs impose a barrier to savings, but lowering them may have smaller impacts than expected due to other constraints, such as psychological biases. Within the context of retirement savings under defined contributions in the privatized pension system in Mexico, we analyze two...

This paper develops a dynamic model of competitive equilibrium in electricity markets with thermal, hydro and intermittent power sources. Thermal generators have positive and increasing costs and use a marketable input. Hydro generators use a free and uncertain input, but one that is storable....

This study looks at the performance of livestock production in Uruguay and Paraguay, analyzing two situations with different implications for development: the displacement of livestock by soybean production as occurred in Uruguay and in the Eastern region of Paraguay, and the expansion of the...

Energy subsidies account for about 7% of Ecuador's yearly public spending, or two thirds of the fiscal deficit. Removing these subsidies would yield clear economic and environmental benefits and help implement climate targets set in the Paris Agreement. However, expected adverse effects on...

This paper evaluates the impacts of a public program that introduced access to part-time childcare centers for children younger than four years of age in poor urban areas in Nicaragua. We explore the effects of this program on several measures of children's and parental outcomes. Our...