The State of State Reforms in Latin America

The State of State Reforms in Latin America

Author: Eduardo Lora

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2006-10-23

Total Pages: 474

ISBN-13: 0821365762

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Latin America suffered a profound state crisis in the 1980s, which prompted not only the wave of macroeconomic and deregulation reforms known as the Washington Consensus, but also a wide variety of institutional or 'second generation' reforms. 'The State of State Reform in Latin America' reviews and assesses the outcomes of these less studied institutional reforms. This book examines four major areas of institutional reform: a. political institutions and the state organization; b. fiscal institutions, such as budget, tax and decentralization institutions; c. public institutions in charge of sectoral economic policies (financial, industrial, and infrastructure); and d. social sector institutions (pensions, social protection, and education). In each of these areas, the authors summarize the reform objectives, describe and measure their scope, assess the main outcomes, and identify the obstacles for implementation, especially those of an institutional nature.


Law and Employment

Law and Employment

Author: James J. Heckman

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2007-11-01

Total Pages: 585

ISBN-13: 0226322858

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Law and Employment analyzes the effects of regulation and deregulation on Latin American labor markets and presents empirically grounded studies of the costs of regulation. Numerous labor regulations that were introduced or reformed in Latin America in the past thirty years have had important economic consequences. Nobel Prize-winning economist James J. Heckman and Carmen Pagés document the behavior of firms attempting to stay in business and be competitive while facing the high costs of complying with these labor laws. They challenge the prevailing view that labor market regulations affect only the distribution of labor incomes and have little or no impact on efficiency or the performance of labor markets. Using new micro-evidence, this volume shows that labor regulations reduce labor market turnover rates and flexibility, promote inequality, and discriminate against marginal workers. Along with in-depth studies of Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Jamaica, and Trinidad, Law and Employment provides comparative analysis of Latin American economies against a range of European countries and the United States. The book breaks new ground by quantifying not only the cost of regulation in Latin America, the Caribbean, and in the OECD, but also the broader impact of this regulation.


Envisioning Reform

Envisioning Reform

Author: Linn Hammergren

Publisher: Penn State Press

Published: 2008-03-17

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 0271047992

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Judicial reform became an important part of the agenda for development in Latin America early in the 1980s, when countries in the region started the process of democratization. Connections began to be made between judicial performance and market-based growth, and development specialists turned their attention to “second generation” institutional reforms. Although considerable progress has been made already in strengthening the judiciary and its supporting infrastructure (police, prosecutors, public defense counsel, the private bar, law schools, and the like), much remains to be done. Linn Hammergren’s book aims to turn the spotlight on the problems in the movement toward judicial reform in Latin America over the past two decades and to suggest ways to keep the movement on track toward achieving its multiple, though often conflicting, goals. After Part I’s overview of the reform movement’s history since the 1980s, Part II examines five approaches that have been taken to judicial reform, tracing their intellectual origins, historical and strategic development, the roles of local and international participants, and their relative success in producing positive change. Part III builds on this evaluation of the five partial approaches by offering a synthetic critique aimed at showing how to turn approaches into strategies, how to ensure they are based on experiential knowledge, and how to unite separate lines of action.


The Judicial Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Judicial Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean

Author: Maria Dakolias

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1996-01-01

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 9780821336120

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"Professional analysis of essential elements of judicial reform, as provided in any country-specific review by the World Bank. As political and economic development continue, greater attention needs to be given to judicial reform. Basic elements of judicial reform include: guaranteeing judicial independence through changes in judicial budgeting, judicial appointment, and disciplinary systems; adopting procedural reforms; enhancing public access to justice; incorporating gender issues in the reform process; and redefining/expanding legal education and training"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.


Latin American and Caribbean International Institutional Law

Latin American and Caribbean International Institutional Law

Author: Marco Odello

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9789462650701

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This book is one of the few comprehensive works focusing on the sub-regional institutions in the Latin American and Caribbean region. These organisations and institutions enrich the co-operation at sub-regional level, but, in most cases, are neglected in legal literature. They have mainly economic purposes but they also contribute to new forms of institutional co-operation in other areas, including financial, political and social matters. The volume addresses some of the most representative of these institutions, such as the Mercosur, the Andean Community and sub-regional financial organisations (e.g. Central American Bank for Economic Integration and Andean Development Corporation) as well as new developments including the UNASUR and the Alliance for the Pacific. It provides updated information on the structure and changes of the institutions, and constitutes a valuable resource for those wishing to keep pace with legal developments in the fast-moving world of international institutional law. The book will appeal to a wide audience including researchers and practitioners specialising in international law and international organisations and related disciplines. Marco Odello, JD (Rome), LLM (Nottingham), PhD (Madrid) is a Reader in Law at Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK. Francesco Seatzu, JD (Cagliari), PhD (Nottingham) is Professor of International and European Law at the University of Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.


Crime and Violence in Latin America

Crime and Violence in Latin America

Author: H. Hugo Frühling

Publisher: Woodrow Wilson Center Press

Published: 2003-06-02

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 9780801873843

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Offers timely discussion by attorneys, government officials, policy analysts, and academics from the United States and Latin America of the responses of the state, civil society, and the international community to threats of violence and crime.


At a Crossroads

At a Crossroads

Author: María Marta Ferreyra

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2017-05-18

Total Pages: 387

ISBN-13: 146481015X

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"Higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean has expanded dramatically in the past 15 years, as the average gross enrollment rate has more than doubled, and many new institutions and programs have been opened. Although higher education access has become more equitable, and higher education supply has become more varied, many of the 'new' students in the system are, on average, less academically ready than are their more advantaged counterparts. Furthermore, only half of higher education students, on average, complete their degree, and labor market returns to higher education vary greatly across institutions and programs. Thus, higher education is at a crossroads today. Given the region's urgency to raise productivity in a low-growth, fiscally constrained environment, going past this crossroads requires the formation of skilled human capital fast and efficiently. 'At a Crossroads: Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean' contributes to the discussion by studying quality, variety, and equity of higher education in Latin America and the Caribbean. The book presents comprehensive evidence on the recent higher education expansion and evolution of higher education labor market returns. Using novel data and state-of-the-art methods, it studies demand and supply drivers of the recent expansion. It investigates the behavior of institutions and students and explores the unintended consequences of large-scale higher education policies. Framing the analysis are the singular characteristics of the higher education market and the market segmentation induced by the variety of students and institutions in the system. At this crossroads, a role emerges for incentives, information, accountability, and choice."


Promessas Não Cumpridas

Promessas Não Cumpridas

Author: Inter-American Dialogue (Organization)

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 9781733727617

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The volume takes a broad view of recent social, political, and economic developments in Latin America. It contains six essays, focused on salient and cross-cutting themes, that try to construct a thread or narrative about the highly diverse region, highlighting its main idiosyncrasies and analyzing where it might be headed in coming years. While the essays recognize considerable advances, they also point out setbacks and missed opportunities that have stood in the way of sustained progress. Strengthening state capacity emerges as a significant challenge.