96 research outputs found

    Revisiting Economic Growth in Colombia: A Microeconomic Perspective

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    This paper revisits economic growth in Colombia using the growth diagnostics methodology proposed by Hausmann, Rodrik and Velasco (2005), to identify the most binding constraints for economic growth and the policies that, if implemented, can have the largest positive impact. To rank public policy priorities the HRV (2005) methodological approach is complemented with an econometric analysis of micro-data, aimed at exploring the impact that the various potential constraints to growth have had on firm-level investment decisions. The data shows economic reactivation in areas with falling violence. Results from analysis at the microeconomic level, however, give a particular spin to this conclusion by showing that investment decisions at the firm level are also explained by the restoration of some form of public order connected to the cessation of paramilitary violence and not only by the reduction of violence. From a public policy perspective, perhaps the most relevant result is the confirmation that in Colombia investment decisions are negatively affected by the cost of financing. Empirical results, robust across model specifications, single out the provision of access to financing at fair prices as a policy priority for economic growth, relevant across country regions and independent of whether uncertainties from poor protection to property rights are resolved.

    Revisiting economic growth in Colombia. A microeconomic perspective

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    This paper revisits economic growth in Colombia using the growth diagnostics methodology proposed by Hausmann, Rodrik and Velasco (2005), with the purpose of identifying the most binding constraints for economic growth and the policies that, if implemented, can have the largest positive impact. To rank public policy priorities the HRV (2005) methodological approach is complemented with an econometric analysis of micro-data, aimed at exploring the impact that the various potential constraints to growth have had on firm-level investment decisions. The data shows economic reactivation in areas with falling violence. Results from analysis at the microeconomic level, however, give a particular spin to this conclusion by showing that investment decisions at the firm level are also explained by the restoration of some form of public order connected to the cessation of paramilitary violence and not only by the reduction of violence. From a public policy perspective, perhaps the most relevant result is the confirmation that in Colombia investment decisions are negatively affected by thecost of financing. Empirical results, robust across model specifications, single out the provision of access to financing at fair prices as a policy priority for economic growth, relevant across country regions and independent of whether uncertainties from poor protection to property rights are resolved.Crecimiento económico, Colombia

    Price cap regulation in the Colombian pharmaceutical market : an impact evaluation

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    We evaluate the impact of a price cap regulation implemented in the Colombian pharmaceutical market between 2011 and 2014. To do so, we take advantage of a unique data set where we observe three sources of variation: i) differences across eighteen groups in the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system of the WHO, ii) the existence of regulated treated) and unregulated (control) groups within each of these eighteen ATC groups, and iii) differences in time (before and after regulation) for the eighteen ATC groups. A triple dierences model with fixed time effects and cluster errors is used to identify the impact of this regulation. We find that the price-cap regulation contributed to reduce prices in three of the eighteen groups and increase average prices for ten of them. We confirm then that the focal point effect generated by a price-cap regulation can generate unintended distortions. More specifically, our results reveal that the implementation of this price cap regulation potentially increased -public and ;private- expenditure by 30%, only for the 2,422 drugs in the eighteen ATC groups we study

    Price cap regulation in the Colombian pharmaceutical market : An impact evaluation

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    We evaluate the impact of a price cap regulation implemented in the Colombian pharmaceutical market between 2011 and 2014. To do so, we take advantage of a unique data set where we observe three sources of variation: i) differences across eighteen groups in the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system of the WHO, ii) the existence of regulated treated) and unregulated (control) groups within each of these eighteen ATC groups, and iii) differences in time (before and after regulation) for the eighteen ATC groups. A triple dierences model with fixed time effects and cluster errors is used to identify the impact of this regulation. We find that the price-cap regulation contributed to reduce prices in three of the eighteen groups and increase average prices for ten of them. We confirm then that the focal point effect generated by a price-cap regulation can generate unintended distortions. More specifically, our results reveal that the implementation of this price cap regulation potentially increased -public and ;private- expenditure by 30%, only for the 2,422 drugs in the eighteen ATC groups we study

    Validación del Índice del Derecho a la Educación (IDE) para Colombia, empleando la metodología Delphi

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    El presente documento expone los resultados de la validación del Índice del Derecho a la Educación (IDE) para Colombia. El IDE está compuesto por cuatro dimensiones: Disponibilidad, Accesibilidad, Adaptabilidad y Acepta-bilidad. La validación tiene como objetivo establecer qué indicadores dan cuenta de cada dimensión. Para llegar a un consenso se usó la metodología Delphi, implementada en un aplicativo Web. Este proceso contó con la participación de 158 expertos del sector educativo, quienes, en dos rondas, clasificaron cada uno de los 12 indicadores analizados en una de las cuatro dimensiones

    Implementing psychosocial support models in contexts of extreme adversity: lessons from a process evaluation in Colombia

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    IntroductionHigh quality investments during early childhood allow children to achieve their full potential by setting developmental foundations. However, challenges in the scale-up of evidence-based interventions make across-the-board implementation a non-trivial matter. Moreover, extreme contextual conditions -such as community violence, forced displacement, and poverty- impose a double threat. First, by directly affecting early childhood development (ECD), forced displacement and exposure to violence during early childhood, coupled with deficits in nurturing relationships, can trigger toxic stress, affecting children’s mental health and social and emotional learning. Second, contexts of extreme adversity exacerbate common implementation pitfalls in the scale-up of interventions. Recognizing and documenting “what it takes” to successfully implement “what works” can contribute to the expansion and effectiveness of evidence-based programs that promote ECD in these settings. Semillas de Apego (SA, onward), a community-based psychosocial support model for caregivers, materialized as a strategy to promote ECD in communities affected by violence and forced displacement.MethodsThis article presents the results of the process evaluation of SA during the 2018–2019 implementation in Tumaco, a violence ridden municipality in the south-west border of Colombia, South America. In this phase, the program reached 714 families, 82% direct victims of violence and 57% were internally displaced. The process evaluation combined qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches to produce evidence of factors that promoted implementation quality.ResultsFindings identified salient components of the program that promoted the program’s acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, fidelity and sustainability: a rigorous cultural adaptation; well-structured team selection and training methodologies; and a team support and supervision protocol to provide continuous capacity building and prevent burn-out and other occupational hazards common among professionals in mental health and psychosocial support interventions. The statistical analysis using monitoring data identified key predictors of the dosage delivered (a measure of fidelity). Evidence suggests that initial attendance to the program and observable characteristics -such as educational attainment, violence victimization and employment status-predict a successful compliance (in terms of dosage to benefit from the program).DiscussionThis study provides evidence for the development of structural, organizational, and procedural processes for the adoption, appropriate adaptation, and high-fidelity delivery of psychosocial support models delivered in territories affected by extreme adversity

    Poor mental health of victims and former FARC members represents a significant challenge for peace process in Colombia

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    The peace accord between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian Government has been widely lauded by the international community, and rightly so. Yet, formidable challenges remain to its implementation. One substantial challenge is the high percentage of former guerillas as well as victims of the conflict in need of mental health care

    Examining intersections between violence against women and violence against children:Perspectives of adolescents and adults in displaced Colombian communities

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    BackgroundResearch examining the interrelated drivers of household violence against women and violence against children is nascent, particularly in humanitarian settings. Gaps remain in understanding how relocation, displacement and ongoing insecurity affect families and may exacerbate household violence.MethodsEmploying purposive sampling, we used photo elicitation methods to facilitate semi-structured, in-depth interviews with female and male adolescents and adults aged 13–75 (n = 73) in two districts in Colombia from May to August of 2017. Participants were displaced and/or residing in neighborhoods characterized by high levels of insecurity from armed groups.ResultsUsing inductive thematic analysis and situating the analysis within a feminist socioecological framework, we found several shared drivers of household violence. Intersections among drivers at all socioecological levels occurred among societal gender norms, substance use, attempts to regulate women’s and children’s behavior with violence, and daily stressors associated with numerous community problems. A central theme of relocation was of family compositions that were in continual flux and of family members confronted by economic insecurity and increased access to substances.ConclusionsFindings suggest interventions that systemically consider families’ struggles with relocation and violence with multifaceted attention to socioecological intersections
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