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on Central and South America |
| By: | Gutiérrez - Meave, Raúl; Núñez, Héctor; Rosellón, Juan |
| Abstract: | This research analyzes the potential economic effects of accelerated electrification and decarbonization in selected Latin American countries. Using an economic equilibrium model, four scenarios were evaluated: 1) a Business-as-Usual (BAU) scenario, 2) a BAU scenario with increased electricity interconnections, 3) a green scenario with an emphasis on higher renewable energy growth rates, and 4) a green scenario integrating both higher energy growth rates and interconnection improvements. We aim to assess the impact of these strategies on significant economic indicators by comparing the optimal solutions of each scenario, and determine the difference in gains. Our approach prioritizes the complexities of the energy sector while underscoring economic factors, enabling the identification of necessary compensatory redistributions. The comparison of these scenarios will provide policymakers and stakeholders with valuable insights into the costs and benefits of transitioning to a more sustainable energy system in Latin America. |
| Keywords: | Economía, |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dbl:dblwop:2252 |
| By: | Abril, Veronica; Norza, Ervyn; Perez-Vincent, Santiago; Tobon, Santiago (Universidad EAFIT); Weintraub, Michael (Universidad de los Andes) |
| Abstract: | We study how improving police-citizen interactions increases public trust by experimentally evaluating a police training program in Colombia. The National Police retrained officers in procedural justice principles—such as fairness and respect—while instructing them to intensify citizen interactions. The intervention improved policing frequency, perceptions of fair treatment, and public trust. Our analysis points to strong complementarities between more and better policing: more interactions that lack good behavior or good behavior without increased interactions do not improve trust. We find no impacts on officers’ trust in citizens or beliefs about public trust, implying that institutional change may require more profound efforts. |
| Date: | 2024–10–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:mrh5q |
| By: | Magalhães, Júlia; Ziebold, Carolina; Evans-Lacko, Sara; Matijasevich, Alicia; Paula, Cristiane Silvestre |
| Abstract: | Background The Bolsa Família cash transfer Program (BFP) aims to break the poverty cycle by providing a minimum income to poor families conditioned on their investment in human capital (such as, education and health) and currently is the largest Program in the world in terms of the number of beneficiaries. Because there is a scarcity of reviews grouping studies on the impacts of the BFP, the objective of this scoping review was to identify and describe studies which evaluate the impact of the BFP on poverty, health, education, and other related outcomes. Methods We searched for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method articles that assessed the impact of the BFP on any aspect of the beneficiaries' lives between 2003 and March 2021. We included quantitative articles that used experimental, quasi-experimental or pre and post comparison designs. We excluded articles that analyzed impacts on political outcomes. There was no age restriction for the participants. The search was done in seven electronic databases. Results One thousand five hundred forty-six papers were identified and 94 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Poverty and health outcomes were the most common outcomes studied. We found consistent evidence of the positive impact of the BFP on poverty reduction, as well as employment outcomes. We also found positive impacts in relation to mortality rates for children and adults, school dropout and school attendance among children and adolescents, and violence related outcomes such as homicide, suicide, crime, and hospitalization. However, we also found some evidence that BFP increased intimate partner violence and gender stereotypes among women and no evidence of impact on teenage pregnancy. Conclusions Overall, the studies included found that BFP showed positive impacts on most poverty, health and education outcomes. More studies are needed to confirm some results, especially about violence and stereotype against women as there were few evaluations on these outcomes. |
| Keywords: | Bolsa família; employability; food insecurity; gender roles; mortality; poverty; social inclusion; social protection; UKRI fund |
| JEL: | J1 |
| Date: | 2024–10–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:125534 |
| By: | Cecilia Velázquez (CEDLAS-IIE-FCE-UNLP, CENEP & CINVE) |
| Abstract: | Following abortion legalization in Uruguay in late 2012, adolescent fertility rate fell by more than half. This paper aims at establishing a causality relationship. To estimate the impact of the abortion reform on adolescent fertility I use the Synthetic Control Method by comparing trends of Uruguay with Latin America and the Caribbean countries with restrictive abortion laws. Results suggest adolescent fertility rate was reduced in the postreform period by an average of 8.3 births per 1, 000 girls aged 15-19, a decline of almost 15% with respect to the synthetic control unit. In-space placebos indicate this effect is statistically significant at the 5% level. This conclusion holds after conducting an in-time placebo test and a leave-one-out test. To the present time, evidence on the impact of Uruguayan abortion legalization on adolescent fertility that has addressed endogeneity is mixed, and based entirely on identification strategies that exploit different sources of exogenous within-country variation that determines the exposure to the reform. My contribution here is to exploit between-country variation, bringing new evidence to the on-going debate. |
| JEL: | I18 J13 J18 |
| Date: | 2024–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dls:wpaper:0339 |
| By: | Otaviano Canuto; Hinh T. Dinh; Karim El Aynaoui |
| Abstract: | This paper examines Brazil's economic growth patterns over the last three decades and identifies a missed opportunity for the country to attain high-income status by the mid-2010s. Instead, Brazil has suffered from low productivity growth, and has made little progress in transforming its production and export structures in favor of higher value-added activities. This premature de-industrialization makes it challenging for Brazil to transition from its long- standing upper-middle-income status. Brazil now has a limited, two-decade window to catch up with high-income nations before losing its demographic dividend, potentially leaving the country with an aging population without achieving high-income status. Therefore, it is crucial for Brazil to raise productivity growth through competition policies, and by embracing technological change. Achieving this goal requires comprehensive trade reforms to improve domestic competition, and to harness technology advancements effectively. This paper discusses key elements of such a policy framework within the broader context of a development strategy aimed at breaking free from the middle-income trap. |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ocp:rpaeco:rp_05-24 |
| By: | Berniell, Inés (University of La Plata); Gasparini, Leonardo (Universidad Nacional de la Plata); Marchionni, Mariana (Universidad Nacional de la Plata); Viollaz, Mariana (CEDLAS-UNLP) |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the impact of economic fluctuations on social norms, specifically exploring the link between changes in unemployment and shifts in attitudes toward gender roles in the labor market. The results are not immediately obvious, as the literature suggests several potential mechanisms with conflicting outcomes. Using microdata from the World Values Survey for a panel of 103 countries that cover close to 90% of the world population, we estimate individual-level probability models of agreement with traditional gender roles over the period 1995 to 2021, including country and year fixed effects. We find that an increase in unemployment is associated to more conservative views about gender roles in the labor market. This result is remarkably robust across different groups and specifications. We also find that some contextual factors matter. In particular, the link between higher unemployment and more conservative views on gender roles is stronger in countries with, on average, higher gender inequality and lower female labor force participation. Overall, this study contributes to a growing body of research on the complex relationship between economic conditions, gender norms, and social change. |
| Keywords: | unemployment, business cycle, attitudes, social norms, gender values, gender |
| JEL: | J16 J21 J22 J31 |
| Date: | 2024–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17375 |