In this study, the authors use a newly developed panel data set for Venezuela in the period between 1994 and 2002 to analyze three basic questions. The first relates to the influence of personal characteristics and previous labor market experience in the choice of different search methods. The...

The Venezuelan experience in the 1980s is a particularly fertile ground for the analysis of negative shocks. Two large shocks took place under very different control regimes, thus highlighting the role the institutional setting plays in determining the response. Moreover, the experience can shed...

This case study of Venezuela's democratic institution and policymaking processes is part of the broader regional project based on the theoretical framework developed by Spiller, Stein and Tommasi (2003). The framework focuses on the conditions that foster political cooperation among political...

Latin America spends large amounts of resources on social services, yet its life expectancy and education levels are low compared to other regions with similar levels of income. A key reason is the inherent difficulty of making social services produce efficiently in response to demands and...

El presente informe provee una visión general del sector municipal en la República Bolivariana de Venezuela. Incluye una síntesis de la estructura administrativa del estado, el marco normativo y la organización municipal, una descripción y análisis de las responsabilidades municipales...

Understanding the complex relations between trade integration and poverty reduction is now a priority for Latin American policymakers. The chapters of this book, penned by eminent authors with a long-standing record in the field, represent the current state of knowledge about trade and poverty...

Previous studies indicate that Colombian farmers make production decisions based on informal sources of information, such as family and neighbors or tradition. In this paper the authors randomize recipients of price and weather information using text messages (SMS technology). The authors find...