Are students ready to thrive in an interconnected world?

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on Tue, 11/10/2020 - 21:15

Andreas Schleicher is Director for Education and Skills and Special Advisor on Education Policy to the Secretary-General at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris. Mr. Schleicher is an expert in the field of education and is also a special guest in our blog series about the development of #skills21 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Code Caribbean: building human capital across the region

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on Tue, 11/10/2020 - 16:19

This blog was written jointly with Leonardo Ortiz Villacorta who is Vice President of International Partnerships at Code.org. Code.org is a non-profit organization, dedicated to expanding access to computer science to all students in all schools, with an emphasis on increasing the participation of women and underrepresented groups.

3 reasons why countries should purchase COVID-19 Vaccines at Risk

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on Mon, 11/09/2020 - 17:45

The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting lives and economies. The World Bank estimates global GDP losses of US$12 trillion over 2020-2021, implying a US$500 million benefit to ending the pandemic just one month sooner. In this context, we need access to a safe and effective vaccine on a faster schedule than ever before achieved for a new disease. This will require significant private and government resources. A recent publication shows the considerable gains of accelerating access to a COVID-19 vaccine. Learn more in this article.

Parent Migration and Education Outcomes of Children Left Behind in El Salvador

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on Thu, 11/05/2020 - 15:34

Nearly one quarter of El Salvador's population resides abroad as a result of historically high levels of violence, which have led to increasing family disintegration and many children being left behind in country of origin. Parental migration can have both positive and negative consequences on children left behind, where there are opposite forces taking place simultaneously. Remittances sent by migrant parents can increase financial resources previously unavailable which can be invested toward children's health and education.

Immigration, Crime, and Crime (Mis)Perceptions

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on Thu, 11/05/2020 - 15:25

Does immigration affect crime or beliefs about crime? We answer this question in the context of Chile, where the foreign-born population almost tripled in five years. To identify a causal effect, we use two strategies: a two-way fixed effects model at the municipality level and a 2SLS model, which is based on immigration toward destination countries other than Chile. First, we show that immigration increases concerns about crime and public security.

Care is a gender issue

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on Wed, 11/04/2020 - 00:41

Latin America and the Caribbean is the fastest-aging region in the world. In three decades, one in four people will be over 60 years old. This irreversible trend will disproportionately affect women. Why? The existing supply of formal long-term care services is insufficient to meet the demand; therefore, the vast majority of people receive care from the women in their family informally.

Who takes care of older people in Latin America and the Caribbean?

Submitted by SPH DIGITAL on Thu, 10/29/2020 - 20:17

More than 8 million older people are dependent on long-term care in Latin America and the Caribbean. These people are not able, on their own, to perform at least one basic activity of daily living, such as bathing or showering, eating, using the toilet, dressing, getting around a room, or getting in and out of bed. In this region, care dependence affects 12% of people over age 60 and almost 27% of people over age 80.