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The IDB has more than 30 researchers producing working papers on economic and social topics. Many of these documents constitute background research for the IDB’s flagship publication "Development in the Americas" prepared by the Research Department. In addition, the IDB also finances and mentors studies conducted by other institutions in order to build knowledge and research capacity. The Bank supports two organizations: the Institute for the Integration of Latin America and the Caribbean, also known as INTAL; and the Inter-American Institute for Economic and Social Development, or INDES.
The Economics of Natural Disasters
Evidence indicates that the extent of adverse impact is related to the ability to mobilize significant funding for reconstruction. Poorer countries are likely to suffer more from future disasters, but these countries are also unlikely to be able to adopt the counter-cyclical fiscal policies that can pay for reconstruction. This constraint will make disasters‘ adverse consequences more severe in poorer developing countries. A better-targeted reconstruction that is informed by identified channels of transmission can potentially alleviate some of these resource constraints.
December 2009
Transportation Costs and Productivity
High transportation costs in Latin America and the Caribbean undermine trade and have harmful impacts on the productivity of the entire economy, protecting inefficient companies and preventing competitive producers from expanding their output.
November 2009
Bridging Regional Trade Agreements
This new IDB book offers a roadmap for countries to use their existing regional trade agreements to foster greater integration and trade liberalization. The study reveals that liberalization in these agreements is similarly sequenced, and that these accords share common regulations in areas such as investment, services, customs procedures, and competition policy.
November 2009
