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2020 Development In The Americas Report
Download book

From Structures to Services
The Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean

Edited by

  • Eduardo Cavallo
  • Andrew Powell
  • Tomás Serebrisky
Executive Summary

Launch Event

Highlights
  • To close its infrastructure gap, Latin America and the Caribbean needs more than investment in hard assets. It needs simultaneous and decisive policy action to improve efficiency of the infrastructure investment process and regulation of services—what we refer to as software.
  • Our study provides an in-depth diagnostic of access, quality, and affordability of infrastructure services in the region as well as examples of regulatory policies that have achieved tangible progress in service provision.
  • Digitalization will disrupt the provision of infrastructure services and increase efficiencies. Our study develops scenarios of market organization for the energy, transport and water and sanitation sectors based on the extent of adoption of digital technologies.
  • For the promise to become a reality a supportive regulatory framework is needed to improve infrastructure in sustainable ways through adaptation, mitigation and the use of natural infrastructure. Our book explores the public policies needed to achieve this.
The False Choice of Renewable Energy
The False Choice of Renewable Energy

Ideas Matter - Juan Pablo Brichetti - Eduardo Cavallo - Tomás Serebrisky

Resilient infrastructure is critical for planning for an uncertain future
Resilient infrastructure is critical for planning for an uncertain future

Hablemos de sostenibilidad y cambio climático - Bridget Hoffmann

El impacto del COVID-19 en la demanda de servicios
El impacto del COVID-19 en la demanda de servicios

Volvamos a la fuente - Tomás Serebrisky - Juan Pablo Brichetti - Maria Eugenia Rivas Amiassorho - Maria Eugenia Sanin Vazquez

Acciones de política para mitigar los efectos del COVID-19 en los servicios de infraestructura
Acciones de política para mitigar los efectos del COVID-19 en los servicios de infraestructura

MobiliBlog - Juan Pablo Brichetti - Cristian Navas - Maria Eugenia Rivas Amiassorho - Tomás Serebrisky 

El gasto de los hogares en la región en tiempos de coronavirus
El gasto de los hogares en la región en tiempos de coronavirus

Energía para el futuro - Juan Pablo Brichetti - Maria Eugenia Rivas Amiassorho - Tomás Serebrisky

¿En la cola del diablo? La productividad de los servicios de infraestructura
¿En la cola del diablo? La productividad de los servicios de infraestructura

Energía para el futuro - Juan Pablo Brichetti - Tomás Serebrisky

Lo esencial no debería ser invisible: el desafío de acceso a los servicios de agua, electricidad y transporte en América Latina y el Caribe
Lo esencial no debería ser invisible: el desafío de acceso a los servicios de agua, electricidad y transporte en América Latina y el Caribe

MoviliBlog - Cinthya Pastor - Maria Eugenia Rivas Amiassorho - Tomás Serebrisky 

Digitizing Infrastructure Services Brings More Inclusive Growth
Digitizing Infrastructure Services Brings More Inclusive Growth

Ideas Matter - Juan Pablo Brichetti - Eduardo Cavallo - Tomás Serebrisky

How Better Electricity Storage Can Help Make Latin America’s Energy Generation Greener
How Better Electricity Storage Can Help Make Latin America’s Energy Generation Greener

Ideas Matter - Miguel Castro 

How We Measure the Productivity and Efficiency Gains of Improving Infrastructure Services
How We Measure the Productivity and Efficiency Gains of Improving Infrastructure Services

Ideas Matter - Juan Pablo Brichetti - Eduardo Cavallo - Tomás Serebrisky

The Importance of Good Regulations: When Investing Well Is Not Enough
The Importance of Good Regulations: When Investing Well Is Not Enough

Ideas Matter - Juan Pablo Brichetti - Eduardo Cavallo - Tomás Serebrisky 

Electric Vehicles: Towards Clean and Affordable Transportation
Electric Vehicles: Towards Clean and Affordable Transportation

Ideas Matter - Miguel Castro 

From Structures to Services: A New Vision for Infrastructure
From Structures to Services: A New Vision for Infrastructure

Ideas Matter - Eduardo Cavallo - Andrew Powell - Tomás Serebrisky

How do you face a pandemic without water or electricity?
How do you face a pandemic without water or electricity?

Improving Lives

La inversión en Infraestructura en América Latina y el Caribe no despega
La inversión en Infraestructura en América Latina y el Caribe no despega

Volvamos a la fuente

¿Sabías que tener un auto privado en la región cuesta 4.600 dólares anuales?
¿Sabías que tener un auto privado en la región cuesta 4.600 dólares anuales?

Moviliblog | Maria Eugenia Rivas Amiassorho | Tomás Serebrisky | Agustina Calatayud 

¿Imaginas cuánto podrían ahorrar los hogares de América Latina con la llegada de los vehículos autónomos?
¿Imaginas cuánto podrían ahorrar los hogares de América Latina con la llegada de los vehículos autónomos?

Moviliblog | Maria Eugenia Rivas Amiassorho | Tomás Serebrisky | Agustina Calatayud 

Events
Jul 30 2020
2020 Development in the Americas Report Launch: From Structures to Services

The Path to Better Infrastructure in Latin America and the Caribbean

More details here

To close its infrastructure gap, Latin America and the Caribbean needs more than investment in new structures. It needs to become more efficient at investing in infrastructure and regulating a new range of services that have the potential to disrupt the energy, transport, and water sectors. The technological revolution makes a future with quality services possible, but not inevitable. This book offers policy options for countries to improve the access, quality, and affordability of services today, to ensure that they will be sustainable in the future, and to harness emerging technological advances for the benefit of all. This report aims to provoke discussion and further research on those many important issues and mark a path that helps the region move from structures to services and improve infrastructure for all.

Edited by:
Date:
429 pages
Topics:
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  • English pdf ( Downloads)
  • English epub ( Downloads)
  • English mobi ( Downloads)
  • Español pdf ( Downloads)
  • Español epub ( Downloads)
  • Español mobi ( Downloads)
  • Português pdf ( Downloads)
  • Português epub ( Downloads)
  • Português mobi ( Downloads)
DOI
  • http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0002506
Executive summary
  • English ( Downloads)
  • Español ( Downloads)
  • Português ( Downloads)
  • Français ( Downloads)
News

Financial Times - LatAm political risk leaves investors wary

2021-03-28
https://www.ft.com/content/a54d2a25-ad11-4ac9-9144-a67eaeb476f5

El País - Menos hormigón y más agua potable para América Latina y el Caribe

2020-07-30
https://elpais.com/elpais/2020/07/29/planeta_futuro/1596041379_926772.amp.html

El País - Uruguay - El BID pide a la región pensar menos en ladrillos y apostar por infraestructura digital

2020-07-30
https://negocios.elpais.com.uy/amp/noticias/bid-pide-region-pensar-ladrillos-ap…

Devdiscourse - Latin America should focus on digital infrastructure in COVID recovery

2020-07-30
https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/business/1150111-latin-america-should-focu…

Infobae - Argentina - Pasar de los ladrillos a lo digital, clave para recuperación pospandemia en América Latina

2020-07-30
https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2020/07/30/pasar-de-los-ladrillos-a-lo…

Infobae - Argentina - Una mayor digitalización puede impulsar un 5,7% crecimiento de Latinoamérica en 10 años

2020-07-30
https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2020/07/30/una-mayor-digitalizacion-pu…

Estadão - Brazil - O material jornalístico produzido pelo Estadão é protegido por lei. As regras têm como objetivo proteger o investimento feito pelo Estadão na qualidade constante de seu jornalismo. Para compartilhar este conteúdo, utilize o link: https:

2020-07-30
https://economia.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,com-mais-eficiencia-infraestrutu…

Globo - Brazil - Brasil tem um dos menores investimentos públicos da América em infraestrutura

2020-07-30
https://g1.globo.com/globonews/globonews-em-ponto/video/brasil-tem-um-dos-menor…

Estadão - Brazil - O material jornalístico produzido pelo Estadão é protegido por lei. As regras têm como objetivo proteger o investimento feito pelo Estadão na qualidade constante de seu jornalismo. Para compartilhar este conteúdo, utilize o link: https:

2020-07-30
https://economia.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,com-mais-eficiencia-infraestrutu…

Diario Libre - Dominican Republic - Inversiones en servicios será clave para la recuperación en América Latina y el Caribe

2020-07-30
https://www.diariolibre.com/economia/inversiones-en-servicios-sera-clave-para-l…

La Jornada - Mexico - México, cuarta economía de AL que menos invierte en infraestructura

2020-07-30
https://www.jornada.com.mx/ultimas/economia/2020/07/30/mexico-cuarta-economia-d…

Europress - Spain - La digitalización generará 276.000 millones en América Latina para 2030, según el BID

2020-07-30
https://www.europapress.es/economia/macroeconomia-00338/noticia-digitalizacion-…

El observador - Uruguay - Estudio revela cómo inversión en infraestructura inteligente beneficia a hogares más pobres

2020-07-30
https://www.elobservador.com.uy/nota/estudio-revela-como-inversion-en-infraestr…

Gestión - Perú - Gobierno presentará proyecto para modificar ley de contrataciones públicas

2020-07-30
https://gestion.pe/economia/gobierno-presentara-proyecto-para-modificar-ley-de-…

Bnamericas - BID exige mayores estándares de infraestructura y más inversiones en la región

2020-08-17
https://www.bnamericas.com/es/noticias/bid-exige-mayores-estandares-de-infraest…

El Universal - Mexico - Pide BID, pasar de la era del concreto a servicios inteligentes

2020-07-30
https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/cartera/economia/bid-pide-pasar-de-la-era-del-co…

Bloomberg - Latin America Infrastructure Woes Add to Inequality

2020-08-08
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-08-08/latin-america-infrastruct…

Related Research

 
Previous editions
Trading Promises for Results

Trading Promises for Results

What Global Integration Can Do for Latin America and the Caribbean

Thirty years after the region embarked on large-scale liberalization, trade policy could have been expected to become all but irrelevant. Instead, a mismatch between expectations and what could realistically be delivered set the stage for much of the disappointment, skepticism, and fatigue regarding trade policy in the region, particularly in the early 2000s. By setting the bar unrealistically high, governments and analysts made trade policies an easy target for special interests that were hurt by liberalization and for those ideologically opposed to free trade.

Better Spending for Better Lives

Better Spending for Better Lives

How Latin America and the Caribbean Can Do More with Less

How can the puzzle of larger demands and fiscal strengthening be solved? This edition of the Development in the Americas (DIA) report focuses precisely on this question. The book suggests that the answer is about fiscal efficiency and smart spending rather than the standard solution of across-the-board spending cuts to achieve fiscal sustainability— sometimes at great cost for society. It is about doing more with less.

better

2017

Learning Better: Public policy skills development

Despite governments’ best efforts, many people in Latin America and the Caribbean don’t have the skills they need to thrive. This book looks at what policies work, and don’t work, so that governments can help people learn better and realize their potential throughout their lifetimes.

Ahorrar para desarrollarse

2016

Saving for development: How Latin America and the Caribbean Can Save More and Better

Why should people—and economies—save? The typical answer usually focuses on the need to protect against future shocks, to smooth consumption during hard times, in short, to save for the proverbial rainy day. This book approaches the question from a slightly different angle.

Early years

2015

The Early Years: Child Well-being and the Role of Public Policy

Child well-being matters for both ethical and economic reasons as children who flourish in the early years are more likely to become healthy, productive citizens later in life.

rethinking

2014

Rethinking Productive Development: Sound Policies and Institutions for Economic Transformation

Anemic economic growth in Latin America and the Caribbean is in need of a post-Washington-Consensus policy shot in the arm. Unfortunately, the ghost of industrial policy casts a shadow over all efforts because it has often done more harm than good.

more than revenue

2013

More than Revenue: Taxation as a Development Tool

More than Revenue aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the current state of taxation in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region, its main reform needs, and possible reform strategies that take into account the likely economic, institutional, and political constraints on the reform process.

development

2012

Room for Development: Housing Markets in Latin America and the Caribbean

This edition of the IDB's flagship publication, Development in the Americas, takes an in-depth look at the opportunities countries have to improve urban housing markets and pave the way for solutions that involve the private sector.

connections

2011

Development Connections:Unveiling the Impact of New Information Technologies

Policymakers and academics agree that computers, the Internet, mobile telephones and other information and communication technologies can be beneficial for economic and social development. But how strong is the impact?

productivity

2010

The Age of Productivity: Transforming Economiesfrom the Bottom Up

The book provides tools to ponder productivity growth beyond conventional aggregate analysis, focusing on the extreme heterogeneity of sectors and firms while emphasizing the importance of policies that allow high productivity firms to thrive and expand.

Calidad de vida

2009

Beyond Facts: Understanding Quality of Life

Using an enhanced version of the recently created Gallup World Poll, the Inter-American Development Bank surveyed people from throughout the region and found that perceptions of quality of life are often very different from the reality.

Meet the editors:
Eduardo Cavallo

Eduardo Cavallo

Eduardo Cavallo is a Principal Economist at the IDB Research Department. He holds a PhD in Public Policy and an MPP from Harvard University, and a BA in Economics from Universidad de San Andres (UdeSA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Andrew Powell

Andrew Powell

Andrew Powell is the Principal Advisor in the Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Andrew has a PhD from Oxford, was Chief Economist of the Central Bank of Argentina and has published numerous academic papers in leading journals in several areas including commodity markets, banking and international finance.

Tomás Serebrisky

Tomás Serebrisky

Tomás Serebrisky is the Principal Economic Advisor of the IDB's Infrastructure and Energy Department. Tomás holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Chicago and a BA in Economics (summa cum laude) from Universidad de San Andres in Buenos Aires, Argentina.