About US

The mission of the Research Department (RES) is to generate new ideas to enrich the knowledge base that supports the policy agenda of the Bank and its member countries for achieving sustainable and equitable development in Latin America and the Caribbean. To maximize the impact of its research, RES carries out a set of activities that serve as inputs to Bank Departments, governments, the academic community and public opinion in the region:

• Manages and executes comparative research projects on the development issues of greatest concern to the region today. Research topics are organized into the following categories: Macroeconomics; Finance; Labor and Social Issues; Politics and Institutions; Microeconomics and Competitiveness; Trade and Integration.
• Leverages its internal research capabilities by supporting the in-country research of the Latin American Research Network, which encompasses close to 300 public and private institutions in the region.
• Publishes annually a thematically-focused comparative socioeconomic analysis of the countries of the region: The Economic and Social Progress Report (IPES).
• Assists the authorities of the region through policy dialogue and advice.
• Coordinates three networks to disseminate RES Studies and to promote high-level policy discussions among the IDB, national authorities and the academic community:
• The Latin American Network of Central Banks and Finance Ministries, a forum for high-level discussions of macroeconomic policy and financial management.
• The Latin American Financial Network, which brings together academics, practitioners and policymakers to discuss current financial policy issues.
• The Capital Markets Network on Latin American Financial Issues, a forum in which Wall Street firms and Washington-based multilateral institutions exchange views on Latin American macroeconomic and financial issues.
• Disseminates the research findings to the academic community and policymakers: working papers, books, seminars and presentations.