The report quantifies the rising demand for long-term care workers in one of the most rapidly aging regions worldwide. It highlights the precarious working conditions of paid care workers, the consequences of caring for unpaid carers as well as the limited training opportunities and the particular burden on women for both groups of workers.
Many countries in the Americas impose restrictions on Indigenous land transactions to preserve Indigenous ownership, but these policies may inhibit economic growth. This paper evaluates the impact of Chiles 1993 Indigenous Law, which restricts the transfer, lease, and mortgaging of land in Mapuche territories. Using property records, we find that the law has slowed Mapuche territorial loss. However, its effectiveness has declined over time, coinciding with a reduction in properties registered in the Public Registry of Indigenous Territories (PRIT), a key enforcement tool.
Congenital disorders are a principal cause of early mortality, long-term disabilities, impaired cognitive development and constitute a major challenge to families, communities, and health care systems. The origins of congenital disorders are, however, not yet well understood. Using a high-dimensional fixed-effects model that includes municipality specific time and locality-by-month fixed effects, this study provides the first causal evidence on the role of high ambient temperature during pregnancy in affecting the onset of congenital disorders.
This paper examines the impact of racial concordance between mothers and healthcare providers on childbirth practices and health outcomes in Brazilian public hospitals. Using a novel dataset linking patients and providers across 15 million births, we compare deliveries where providers and patients share the same race to those where they do not. We find that racial concordance slightly increases vaginal delivery anesthesia use, emergency medication and modestly reduces cesarean section rates, tubal ligation, hospital stay length, and medical exams performed.
Did you know that women make up 60% of university graduates in Latin America and the Caribbean? Despite this significant potential, only 10% serve on boards of directors and just 5.6% hold executive roles in large companies. These numbers highlight a critical gap: although talent is abundant, it remains far from being fully leveraged in the labor market and leadership roles.
How early robotics can boost computational thinking, challenge gender stereotypes, and open doors for girls in STEM.
This report describes effective practices for educational inclusion in Latin America, focusing on key case studies from Costa Rica, Chile, Uruguay, and the state of Sergipe in Brazil. It highlights the importance of institutional governance, early warning systems, timely interventions, and outcomes achieved through a comprehensive approach to the protection of educational pathways. The document serves as a guide for policymakers and educators seeking to promote complete educational trajectories, especially for the most vulnerable populations.
By 2050, most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are expected to experience per capita health spending growth rates that outpace the growth of their national income. According to a recent IDB-financed study, per capita health spending in the region could nearly triple by 2050, with annual growth rates above 3% between 2030 and 2050.
Latin America and the Caribbean could create millions of jobs but only if we develop the right skills to turn this opportunity into sustainable growth and equity.
Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) face significant challenges in the context of climate change, but they also have a unique opportunity to lead the transition toward more sustainable and low-carbon economies. To achieve this, it is essential to have a workforce capable of adapting to the demands of both emerging sectors and traditional ones that are undergoing changes, thereby contributing effectively to the economic transformation required by the green transition. However, the region faces a considerable gap between the skills available and those required to meet these objectives.