Summary Report: Evaluation of the Policy-Based Loan Portfolio: Phase III

The purpose of this document (RE-239) is to analyze the way in which the Bank has been supporting sector reform policies in various countries in recent years. It is based on a sample based on the principal evaluation results from 14 sector loans that were approved between 1990 and 1995, in eight member countries of the Bank. Drawing on elements both of theory and of empirical evidence, the document establishes a set of features that are necessary for achieving sustained growth of the kind that will contribute to reducing poverty. The sector operation evaluations analyzed here focus on the impact of sector lending in supporting policies and institutions in those areas where major efforts are being made to consolidate stabilization and improve growth prospects, and thereby to reduce poverty

Diálogo social en América Latina: Un camino hacia la democracia ciudadana

En 1996, el BID junto a la Corporación Justicia y Democracia de Chile, presidida por el ex presidente Patricio Aylwin, dio inicio al Proyecto Regional Diálogo de Política Social (DPS) o Iniciativa Aylwin. Durante sus siete años de ejecución, la Iniciativa Aylwin realizó múltiples actividades en apoyo a los procesos de diálogo en los países de la región y contribuyó al intercambio de lecciones aprendidas de estos importantes procesos. En este sentido, organizó una serie de seminarios, entre ellos "Diálogos de medio ambiente y social: lecciones aprendidas de los consejos de medio ambiente de Brasil" junto al Ministerio de Medio Ambiente de ese país, en marzo de 2002; y "El papel del diálogo en la política social: implicaciones para la estrategia de desarrollo social del BID", realizado ese mismo año en Santiago de Chile. Las ponencias y documentos presentados en ambos encuentros fueron la base para los capítulos que conforman este libro

La cohesión social en América Latina y el Caribe: Análisis, acción y coordinación

Este documento tiene como objetivo hacer avanzar la discusión generada alrededor del tema de cohesión social así como informar sobre las acciones emprendidas por el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) desde que tuviese lugar la Cumbre de Guadalajara en mayo de 2004, que reunió a 58 Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno de países de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) y de la Unión Europea (UE). El documento pretende igualmente orientar las reflexiones en el marco del esfuerzo conjunto que la Comisión Europea (CE) y el BID han emprendido con el propósito de intercambiar experiencias y aunar acciones en la cooperación al desarrollo y el aumento de la cohesión social en ALC

The Stubborn Trainers vs. The Neoliberal Economists: Will Training Survive the Battle?

This paper discusses problems with demand-driven training in Latin America. With the collapse of the supply-driven training model, a difficult adjustment was required to redeploy training program efforts to new markets and to the informal sector. This paper employs examples of Latin American governments responding to the demand of training institutions by radically changing their approach. Instead of trying to control institutions by administrative means, one of the changes they made was to implement more contract training systems. Lastly, the paper concludes with observations on what may happen to these institutional training programs in lieu of budget cuts

Government Policies Affecting Forests in Latin America: An Agenda for Discussion

This paper identifies policy issues that affect the extent, distribution, and condition of forests in Latin America. Forest management policies are only one element in the framework; policies related to agricultural development and land tenure can have potentially negative consequences for forests. Mineral exploration, hydroelectric reservoirs, highway projects, and urban expansion also have impacts on forest conversion. Finally, macroeconomic policies affect forests through their impact on investment, public spending, foreign trade, and other economic variables that have consequences for land use. Examples of the Bank's lending for forests as integrated with agricultural structural adjustment loans (AGSALs) in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Peru are presented

Strategies and Financial Instruments for Disaster Risk Management in Latin America and the Caribbean

This technical paper investigates potential avenues for reducing economic losses resulting from natural hazards, and discusses ex ante and ex post issues affecting disaster risk management. It also assesses how both types of measures can be jointly used to reduce the economic impact of disasters on sovereign governments and the IDB. Opportunities and instruments for risk transfer, particularly at the higher layers of risk, are discussed in detail. The proposed risk management framework utilizes financial instruments to enable the government to transfer risk as potential losses begin to exceed its ability to cover them. To this end, this paper proposes a balanced risk management strategy, both for the borrowing member countries and the IDB, which includes specific components to address different layers of risk

Private Sector Performance Contracting in the Water Sector: The Case of SABESP: Case Study

Water systems in Latin America are inefficient in part because of very low relative investment and in part because of the lack of availability of necessary management tools. One way to address both of these issues at the same time is the performance financing of micro-metering by private sector companies. This case study is written to highlight the counter-intuitive fact that the great inefficiencies in Latin American water systems offer strong opportunities for public/private risk sharing. Specifically addressed is the case of the water company Sabesp in São Paulo and their affect on the market

Crecimiento, empleo y estabilidad del ingreso en Chile: Propuestas de reforma al seguro de desempleo

En este trabajo se presenta la evidencia nacional e internacional de los beneficios y costos de la alta rotación de trabajadores en Chile. Por el lado de los beneficios se analiza la literatura teórica y empírica que analiza el efecto que tiene la reasignación de empleos en el crecimiento de la productividad agregada. Por el lado de los costos, se estudia el impacto de una alta rotación, y por ende de la inestabilidad laboral, en el bienestar de los hogares. En particular, se estudia el impacto del desempleo del jefe de hogar en el ingreso familiar y, específicamente, la existencia de mecanismos de autoseguro o de transferencias públicas y privadas que permitan suavizar la caída de ingresos que genera el desempleo del jefe de hogar. Por último, tomando en consideración este análisis de los costos y beneficios de una alta reasignación de trabajadores, se discuten políticas públicas para enfrentar el problema de la inestabilidad de los ingresos de los trabajadores