Abstract. In this paper we present an analysis of optimal public debt management and its interaction with debt sustainability and apply it to Colombia. Optimal public debt management, already a difficult and complex issues for emerging market economies, becomes even more challenging when a...

The main goal of this paper is to study the efficiency of Colombian schools with an eye on understanding what drives school productivity and how much is to be gained by increasing efficiency. The paper uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to study efficiency and a Tobit model to study the...

Abstract: This paper investigates the distribution of crime and violence across victims in Colombia. Property and violent crimes as well as incidents of domestic violence are considered. The paper shows that rich households bear a disproportionate share of the burden of property crime: they are...

Abstract: This paper uses a new data set to study household responses to adverse income shocks in seven Latin American countries. The results show (i) that households respond to income shocks mainly by increasing their abor force participation, selling assets, and cutting on human capital...