Productivity and Growth

Call for Research Proposals

In 2009 the IDB will dedicate its Flagship Report (Economic and Social Progress Report IPES) to an analysis of the determinants of growth and productivity. Coordinated by the Research Department (RES), the report seeks to better understand the effects--intentional or inadvertent--of different government policies on productivity levels and growth. Topics to be addressed include the effects of credit policies, social programs, infrastructure, trade openness, small- and medium-firm promotion, tax structure, labor regulations, and human capital policies, among others. Another objective is to examine the political economy behind the policies that affect productivity.

To this end, RES is launching three different calls for research proposals on different issues related to productivity. RES is now inviting researchers specializing in the areas of economic and social development to now present research proposals on the following subjects:

• Understanding Productivity Levels, Dispersion and Growth in Latin American and Caribbean Industries

• Estimating the Effect of Economic Policies on Productivity Growth in Latin America and The Caribbean

• The Political Economy of Productivity