The Research Department generates innovative ideas that support the strategic policy agenda of the IDB and its member countries to achieve inclusive and sustainable economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. To maximize the impact of its research, we carry out activities that serve as inputs to bank departments, governments, the academic community and public opinion in the region.
We advise management on economic and development issues, conducts research and analysis on macro- and microeconomic trends, and oversees development of the IDB’s quantitative and analytical databases. It dons a team of researchers with excellent academic credentials, superior research and policymaking experience, and expertise in different areas.

- Latin America and the Caribbean needs to implement macroeconomic policies to lower inflation and mitigate the impacts of an adverse global context in 2023.
- A baseline scenario sees the region growing by 1% in 2023 after better-than-expected growth of 3.9% in 2022. Growth is predicted to reach 1.9% in 2024.
- Countries are facing a triple social, fiscal and growth challenge that is limiting their development and that of their population. They have the tools to address this challenge if they make the appropriate policy choices.

- Despite significant advances in women's education, health, and labor force participation, substantial gaps remain in areas such as economic opportunity and leadership representation, and gender-based violence remains high.
- The region has also witnessed a greater, though incomplete, acceptance of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.
- Addressing persistent challenges requires evidence-based policies that expand opportunities to unlock the regions full talent potential and drive progress toward a more equitable and inclusive society.
- This book proposes a comprehensive policy framework structured around three pillars: foundational policies, policies that enable economic opportunity, and institutional reforms.

- Reliable disability data and evidence on policy effectiveness are essential to enhance inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean. Current studies reveal nuanced realities in education, healthcare, labor markets, and social protection.
- People with disabilities experience significant challenges, such as lower formal employment rates, higher health expenses, and income insecurity. Aging populations are expected to increase disability prevalence, particularly among women.
- Inclusive education, vocational rehabilitation, and antidiscrimination policies show potential but require further evaluation. Research should focus on education, health, and social protection to improve effective strategies.

Despite comprising less than 1% of all firms worldwide, multinational firms, companies that operate across multiple countries, drive roughly half of all international trade, contribute one-third of global output and GDP, and provide a quarter of global employment.

In 2012, we published a study showing that an ambitious and expensive program involving the disbursement of free laptops to primary school students generated few academic gains after 15 months of laptop exposure.

Brazil’s Ministry of Labor does not take labor informality lightly, carrying out inspections and cracking down on the many businesses that hire workers “off the books.”