This paper puts forth an explanation of the recent escalation of violent crime in Colombia. The paper considers three implicit models that isolate different types of externalities among criminals. In the first model criminals make crime more appealing to nearby residents by congesting the law...

Social exclusion is closely linked with many economic problems in Latin America, as it prevents people from reaching their full productive potential -in turn constraining growth and revenues- and makes them more likely to incur public health and social service costs. Who's In and Who's Out...

Social exclusion is closely linked with many economic problems in Latin America, as it prevents people from reaching their full productive potential -in turn constraining growth and revenues- and makes them more likely to incur public health and social service costs. Who's In and Who's Out...

This paper uses a survey of private firms to assess the effects of corruption on the economic prospects of firms. The paper studies whether corruption and crime affect sales, investment and employment growth at the firm level, and whether bribes and illegal payments by firms reduce bureaucratic...

This book is organized as follows: Introduction: Is Geography Destiny? Chapter 1 discuses The Channels of Influence of Geography: Latin America from an International Perspective. Chapter 2 discusses The Other Side of The Mountain: The Influence of Geography Within Countries. Chapter 3 discusses...

En Colombia el debate acerca de la movilidad social, debido a la carencia de datos, se ha basado principalmente en anécdotas y opiniones. El presente trabajo exhibe una propuesta metodológica, a partir de encuestas con preguntas retrospectivas, que no solo busca aportar información al debate,...

For decades, the prevailing sentiment was that, since geography is unchangeable, there is no reason why public policies should take it into account. In fact, charges that geographic interpretations of development were deterministic, or even racist, made the subject a virtual taboo in academic...

En Latinoamérica, el crimen y la violencia acaparan los titulares de los periódicos, las palabras de los políticos y las angustias de los ciudadanos. En esta región, 140.000 personas son asesinadas cada año y una de cada tres familias es víctima de una agresión criminal en el mismo lapso....

This report moves beyond the conventional scope of economics to examine three entrenched structural factors -demography, geography and institutions- that are closely connected to economic and social development. Historical in nature and slow to evolve, these variables are not always in the...