This publication, co-authored by JOI Brazil, a J-PAL LAC initiative, and the Inter-American Development Bank analyzes the available evidence on microcredit programs and discusses their implications for public policy formulation in Brazil. Microcredit programs can be a tool to help entrepreneurs overcome financial constraints by providing access to small loans aimed at fostering growth and alleviating poverty through increased income-generating opportunities.

This publication, co-authored by JOI Brazil, a J-PAL LAC initiative, and the Inter-American Development Bank analyzes the available evidence on microcredit programs and discusses their implications for public policy formulation in Brazil. Microcredit programs can be a tool to help entrepreneurs overcome financial constraints by providing access to small loans aimed at fostering growth and alleviating poverty through increased income-generating opportunities.

Over the past decade, migration flows in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have grown significantly, characterized by complex patterns of origin, transit, destination, and return migration. This has deeply impacted families, particularly young children (aged 0 to 5). Parental migration has mixed effects on children left behind: while increased family income can provide benefits, the absence of parents may harm their emotional and cognitive development.

Over the past decade, migration flows in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have grown significantly, characterized by complex patterns of origin, transit, destination, and return migration. This has deeply impacted families, particularly young children (aged 0 to 5). Parental migration has mixed effects on children left behind: while increased family income can provide benefits, the absence of parents may harm their emotional and cognitive development.

We examine the impact of public hospitals openings in Mexico on maternal and neonatal mortality. Using administrative data from 2001 to 2019 and taking advantage of the variation in the timing of the opening of public hospitals across Mexican municipalities, we estimate a staggered difference-in-differences (DiD) model using the Callaway and SantAnna (2021) (CS) estimator. In doing so, we compare municipalities where a public hospital started to operate to municipalities without a hospital in operation, before and after the opening.

Recent technological innovation in fields such as robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence have reduced the number of workers required in a range of sectors, while lowering costs and increasing reliability. This trend has led policymakers, academics, CEOs, and entrepreneurs to ask what types of jobs will be most affected, what new skillsets will be needed for the jobs of tomorrow, and how governments can ease the transition.