Current insurance schemes for the self-employed in Latin America are, in general, adaptations of the model created for salaried employees. These mechanisms need to respond better to their needs and characteristics to reflect better levels of insurance. The optimization of the schemes can be an optimal way to improve this situation. This document illustrates the path self-employed workers must follow to access and contribute to social security in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.

Public employment services have a crucial role in the search for quality jobs, worker placement, labor market adaptation, and mitigating impacts during economic transitions. Globally, these services have been leveraging on digital technologies to transform, and those in Latin America and the Caribbean are no exception. These technologies are enabling the creation of new channels to expand outreach and service delivery, centralizing, and sharing data, facilitating collaboration, and improving processes. However, rapid technological advancements also pose risks in terms of access and equity.

The IDB Group's Laboratory of Digital Social Security and Beat, the mobility platform, partnered to identify innovative solutions for individuals who use digital platforms as an occupational alternative. This alliance began with a survey of more than 4,500 Beat drivers in Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru aimed at understanding their background, general use of mobility apps to generate income, financial health and literacy, and social security coverage.

The Unified Digital Health Record (EDUS) project is an initiative that Costa Rica launched in 2010 to organize in a single digitalized file the medical and social security information of people enrolled in the services of the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS). This case study explains what EDUS is, how it works and what its challenges and benefits have been. The document includes a list of best practices for the design, development and implementation of digital health records.

The Unified Digital Health Record (EDUS) project is an initiative that Costa Rica launched in 2010 to organize in a single digitalized file the medical and social security information of people enrolled in the services of the Costa Rican Social Security System (CCSS). This case study explains what EDUS is, how it works and what its challenges and benefits have been. The document includes a list of best practices for the design, development and implementation of digital health records.

We estimate the efficiency of health spending in 145 middle and high-income and the potential gains from improving efficiency for a range of health system outputs using Data Envelopment Analysis for 2010-2014 and 2015-2019 and examine associations with health system characteristics. Focusing on Latin American and Caribbean countries, we find large variability in efficiency and overall substantial potential gains in the later period, despite improvements over time.

We estimate the efficiency of health spending in 145 middle and high-income and the potential gains from improving efficiency for a range of health system outputs using Data Envelopment Analysis for 2010-2014 and 2015-2019 and examine associations with health system characteristics. Focusing on Latin American and Caribbean countries, we find large variability in efficiency and overall substantial potential gains in the later period, despite improvements over time.