Implementing an Electronic Health Record System in the State of Bahia: Partial Results

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on

The purpose of this Case Study is to research: (i) how digital tools can redesign health and social protection services; (ii) what is the impact of the use of the AGH Use system in the daily life of health professionals; (iii) how the digital transformation should be aligned with the best technological practices (collaborative software, systems developed in a platform format and modular structure, digital scalability) to generate innovative and integrated information systems, and (iv) what are the direct benefits and indirect effects of the EHR systems, both in care and diagnosis practices,

A Year in the Life of an American Family during the Pandemic (part I)

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on

It is inevitable that many of the issues affecting families over the last year predate the pandemic and remain once infection rates fade out and masks come off. These are issues that have been long-demanded but have not received adequate attention. We must keep them in focus during the recovery period in all countries and regions. That is why in this two-part post, we look back at three overarching findings from the first year of the RAPID-EC national survey, which includes 10,707 families across all 50 states of the United States.

How Does it Feel to Be Part of the Minority?: Impacts of Perspective Taking on Prosocial Behavior

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on

Can taking the perspective of an out-group reduce prejudice and promote prosociality? Building on insights from social psychology, we study the case of Colombian natives and Venezuelan immigrants. We conducted an online experiment in which we randomly assigned natives to either play an online game that immersed them in the life of a Venezuelan migrant or to watch a documentary about Venezuelans crossing the border on foot.

Lessons from Behavioral Economics to Improve Treatment Adherence in Parenting Programs: An Application to SMS

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on

A growing literature shows how insights from behavioral economics can be successfully adopted in simple interventions through SMS or other types of low-cost communications. In this short, note we provide concrete basic guidelines to design behaviorally informed messages, based on theory and our own experience. We provide examples applied to parenting interventions.

Do Longer School Days Improve Student Achievement?: Evidence from Colombia

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on

This paper analyzes the impact of longer school days on student achievement in Colombia. To identify the impact of longer schools days, this study exploits plausibly exogenous within school variation in the length of the school day. Using test score data from 5th and 9th graders in 2002, 2005, and 2009, along with school administrative data, this research uses school fixed effects models to estimate variation in average test scores across cohorts for schools that switched from a half school day to a full school day or vice versa.

PLAC Network Best Practices Series: Target-Income Design of Incentives, Benchmark Portfolios and Performance Metrics for Pension Funds

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on

In defined contribution systems, at the end of the accumulation phase the assets in the retirement account are exchanged for a pension. The conversion rate from assets to retirement income (which depends on the level of interest rates) is very volatile, and its variations constitute the main investment risk facing pension fund affiliates. In this sense, performance metrics, management fees and benchmark portfolios that focus on assets (and asset returns) and ignore the variations in the conversion rate, embed several problems: i.

Automation in Latin America: Are Women at Higher Risk of Losing Their Jobs?

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New technological trends, such as digitization, artificial intelligence and robotics, have the power to drastically increase economic output but may also displace workers. In this paper we assess the risk of automation for female and male workers in four Latin American countries Bolivia, Chile, Colombia and El Salvador. Our study is the first to apply a task-based approach with a gender perspective in this region.

Accelerate Learning for All – Education in Latin America and the Caribbean over the Next Several Years

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on

Authors: Emma Nälsund-Hadley & Noam Angrist

Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) school systems are enduring a challenge to learning and skill development without precedent. No other region in the world, has lost as many school days.