This paper analyzes social mobility as realized by students of a high quality public flagshipuniversity in Brazil, the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), applying the methodology of
Chetty et al. 2017 in the paper "Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational
Mobility". Intergenerational income mobility is analyzed using the family income of students
matriculating to the university in 2005-2006 and individual earnings 8-9 years later. Upward
mobility is defined as the percentage of students who attain the highest quintile of individual

Population aging and the growing burden of chronic disease are causing many countries to explore new options as they reorganize their health systems from acute care toward increased chronic care provision. There are several modalities to deliver recuperative intermediate care at a level between the hospital and primary care, but some patients will require a bed-based solution. For these individuals, inpatient non-acute facilities may provide superior outcomes at a lower cost than traditional care on a hospital ward.

The development of a country depends to a large extent on its labor force, and public employment services play a central role so that people can find good jobs and companies can get qualified workers according to their needs.
The Inter-American Development Bank created the Red SEALC in 2009 to support the efforts of Latin American and Caribbean governments to build and strengthen their public employment services. The initiative aims at improving the labor opportunities for workers and increasing the productivity of businesses and countries.

The Colombian 2012 tax reform reduced payroll taxes and employer contributions to health insurance by 13.5%, while also increasing corporate income taxes, and leaving untouched the benefits to workers financed through these taxes. Shifting taxation from formal employment to other business activities is a policy recipe under heated discussion in Latin America. In this context, the reform offers an ideal laboratory to study empirically the potential distortions against formal employment associated with payroll taxes in contrast to other taxes to firms.

We study the determinants of math achievement among children in early elementary school using data from a unique experiment. We find steep socioeconomic gradients and a substantial boy-girl gap in math test scores. However, among children of mothers with university education, there is no difference in the math achievement of girls and boys, which suggests that maternal education specifically, and home environments generally, are important.

Teachers vary considerably in their effectiveness, but identifying teacher characteristics that predict their impact on learning outcomes has been elusive. We analyze a teacher evaluation that is used to make teacher tenure decisions in Ecuador. The evaluation includes a written test, a demonstration class, and a points system that gives higher scores to teachers with more experience, degrees, and in-service training. We find no evidence that children taught by teachers with higher scores on the evaluation learn more.

This paper presents new data documenting the cost of salaried labor in 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries. We gather data on the three main costs associated to hiring salaried labor; (i) minimum wages and other monetary benefits, (ii) mandated contributions for social insurance and other benefits and (iii) job security provisions. We present two new indicators. First, we calculate the average non-wage cost of salaried labor (NWC).

This paper presents new data documenting the cost of salaried labor in 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries. We gather data on the three main costs associated to hiring salaried labor; (i) minimum wages and other monetary benefits, (ii) mandated contributions for social insurance and other benefits and (iii) job security provisions. We present two new indicators. First, we calculate the average non-wage cost of salaried labor (NWC).

We study the impact of welfare payments in Ecuador on the probability that women and men work, and on whether they are employed in the formal or informal sectors. Our analysis is based on two distinct identification strategies and two separate sources of data spanning more than 10 years. We find no evidence that welfare discouraged work.

We study the effects of conditional cash transfers to pregnant women on stillbirths and child survival in Bolivia. Payments are conditional on compliance with medically recommended prenatal care and skilled birth attendance. At a value equivalent to just 1% of monthly household consumption, the payments are the smallest amongst national cash transfer programs in Latin America.