Carlos Scartascini is Head of the Development Research Group at the Research Department and Leader of the Behavioral Economics Group of the Inter-American Development Bank. He has published eight books and more than 70 articles in academic journals and edited volumes. He is a member of the Executive Committee of IDB's Gender and Diversity Lab, member of the Scientific Committee of Elcano Royal Institute, member of the Board of Advisors of the Master of Behavioral and Decision Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, Associate Editor of the academic journal Economía, and Founding Member of LACEA's BRAIN (Behavioral Insights Network). A native of Argentina, Dr. Scartascini holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Economics from George Mason University.
This paper may be freely reproduced provided credit is given to the Research Department, Inter-Am... more This paper may be freely reproduced provided credit is given to the Research Department, Inter-American Development Bank. The Research Department (RES) produces a quarterly newsletter, IDEA (Ideas for Development in the Americas), as well as working papers and books on diverse economic issues.
This paper may be freely reproduced provided credit is given to the Research Department, Inter-Am... more This paper may be freely reproduced provided credit is given to the Research Department, Inter-American Development Bank. The Research Department (RES) produces a quarterly newsletter, IDEA (Ideas for Development in the Americas), as well as working papers and books on diverse economic issues.
Documents published in the IDB working paper series are of the highest academic and editorial qua... more Documents published in the IDB working paper series are of the highest academic and editorial quality. All have been peer reviewed by recognized experts in their field and professionally edited. The information and opinions presented in these publications are entirely those of the author(s), and no endorsement by the Inter-American Development Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the countries they represent is expressed or implied.
Methodology designed to investigate the e ect of an event on a specific dependent variable, explo... more Methodology designed to investigate the e ect of an event on a specific dependent variable, exploiting time-series variation around a salient event.
Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be s... more Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC-IGO license. Following a peer review process, and with previous written consent by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a revised version of this work may also be reproduced in any academic journal, including those indexed by the American Economic Association's EconLit, provided that the IDB is credited and that the author(s) receive no income from the publication. Therefore, the restriction to receive income from such publication shall only extend to the publication's author(s). With regard to such restriction, in case of any inconsistency between the Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license and these statements, the latter shall prevail. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Inter-American Development Bank, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent.
Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be s... more Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC-IGO license. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Feb 1, 2020
Sending messages and providing information to individuals tends to affect their behavior (e.g., r... more Sending messages and providing information to individuals tends to affect their behavior (e.g., reduce energy consumption, increase donations, reduce tax evasion). Most studies to date have concentrated on evaluating the effect of different types of messages but they have avoided discussing if the method to communicate those messages could affect the effectiveness of the intervention. This study shows that the effectiveness of a message is not independent of the communication method used. We conducted a field experiment in Colombia that varies the way the National Tax Agency contacts delinquent taxpayers. More than 20,0 0 0 taxpayers were randomly assigned to a control or one of three delivery mechanisms (letter, email, and personal visit). Conditional on delivery of the treatment, a personal visit is more effective than an email, and both are more effective than a letter (the more traditional method used by tax administrations and researchers worldwide). The findings show that identifying the mechanisms through which policies are informed and publicized should be fully incorporated in the literature to assess the effectiveness of an intervention. Tax administrations should explicitly evaluate what is the right vector of communication methods that maximizes their policy objectives.
Willingness to pay for crime reduction: evidence from six countries in the Americas / Patricio Do... more Willingness to pay for crime reduction: evidence from six countries in the Americas / Patricio Domínguez, Carlos Scartascini. p. cm. -(IDB Working Paper Series; 1367) Includes bibliographic references. 1. Willingness to pay-Latin America-Econometric models. 2. Willingness to pay-United States-Econometric models. 3. Crime-Economic aspects-Latin America-Econometric models. 4. Crime-Economic aspects-United States-Econometric models. I. Scartascini, Carlos G., 1971-II. Inter-American Development Bank. Department of Research and Chief Economist. III. Title. IV. Series.
Participatory programs can reduce the informational and power asymmetries that engender mistrust.... more Participatory programs can reduce the informational and power asymmetries that engender mistrust. These programs, however, cannot include every citizen. Hence, it is important to evaluate not only if they affect allocations and trust among those who participate, but also if they could also affect trust among those who do not participate. We assess the effect of an informational campaign about these programs in the context of a survey experiment conducted in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Results show that providing detailed information about a participatory budget initiative shapes voters' assessments of government performance and political trust. Effects are larger for individuals with ex ante more negative views about the local governments quality and for individuals who believe in the ability of their communities to solve the type of collective-action problems that the program seeks to address. Because mistrustful individuals tend to shy away from demanding the government public goods that increase overall welfare, well-disseminated participatory budget programs could affect budget allocations directly and through their effect on trust. Investing in these programs could be worthwhile.
Data on political engagement of newly eligible young voters in 34 countries during 2004-2016 indi... more Data on political engagement of newly eligible young voters in 34 countries during 2004-2016 indicate that voting eligibility is associated with higher political engagement, casting doubt on the view that voters are rationally ignorant. Voting eligibility is associated with higher political interest, more discussion of political issues and attendance of political meetings, and more political knowledge. These effects are stronger in countries with enforced mandatory voting. The increase in political engagement is larger closer to the prior election, and it is driven by the engagement of eligible voters, implying that young voters acquire political information in anticipation of elections rather than ex post.
This paper introduces preliminary evidence from a cross-country database of policy characteristic... more This paper introduces preliminary evidence from a cross-country database of policy characteristics and potential uses of that database. While most databases have emphasized either the content of policies (e.g., size of government deficits) or countries' formal institutions (e.g., political regime, electoral system), the variables in this database reflect the policymaking capabilities of different polities. The paper attempts to explain these policy characteristics as depending on the workings of political institutions, using a logic emphasizing intertemporal political compromise. The paper also contrasts this logic with alternatives such as the veto players approach. The paper concludes by suggesting the use of these policy characteristics or state capabilities as explanatory variables for the effectiveness of public spending in various social areas.
Trust is the most pressing and yet least discussed problem confronting Latin America and the Cari... more Trust is the most pressing and yet least discussed problem confronting Latin America and the Caribbean. Whether in others, in government, or in firms, trust is lower in the region than anywhere else in the world. The economic and political consequences of mistrust ripple through society. It suppresses growth and innovation: investment, entrepreneurship, and employment all flourish when firms and government, workers and employers, banks and borrowers, and consumers and producers trust each other. Trust inside private and public sector organizations is essential for collaboration and innovation. Mistrust distorts democratic decision-making. It keeps citizens from demanding better public services and infrastructure, from joining with others to control corruption, and from making the collective sacrifices that leave everyone better off. The good news is that governments can increase citizen trust with clearer promises of what citizens can expect from them, public sector reforms that enable them to keep their promises, and institutional reforms that strengthen the commitments that citizens make to each other. This book guides decision-makers as they incorporate trust and social cohesion into the comprehensive reforms needed to address the regions most pernicious challenges.
Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be s... more Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC-IGO license. Following a peer review process, and with previous written consent by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a revised version of this work may also be reproduced in any academic journal, including those indexed by the American Economic Association's EconLit, provided that the IDB is credited and that the author(s) receive no income from the publication. Therefore, the restriction to receive income from such publication shall only extend to the publication's author(s). With regard to such restriction, in case of any inconsistency between the Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license and these statements, the latter shall prevail. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.
While effective preventive measures against COVID-19 are now widely known, many individuals fail ... more While effective preventive measures against COVID-19 are now widely known, many individuals fail to adopt them. This paper provides experimental evidence about one potentially important driver of compliance with social distancing: social norms. We asked each of 23,000 survey respondents in Mexico to predict how a fictional person would behave when faced with the choice about whether or not to attend a friend's birthday gathering. Every respondent was randomly assigned to one of four social norms conditions. Expecting that other people would attend the gathering and/or believing that other people approved of attending the gathering both increased the predicted probability that the fictional character would attend the gathering by 25%, in comparison with a scenario where other people were not expected to attend nor to approve of attending. Our results speak to the potential effects of communication campaigns and media coverage of, compliance with, and normative views about COVID-19 preventive measures. They also suggest that policies aimed at modifying social norms or making existing ones salient could impact compliance.
Gingerich, Daniel W., 1977-A heavy hand or a helping hand?: information provision and citizen pre... more Gingerich, Daniel W., 1977-A heavy hand or a helping hand?: information provision and citizen preferences for anticrime policies / Daniel W. Gingerich, Carlos Scartascini. p. cm. -(IDB Working Paper ; 927) Includes bibliographic references. 1. Crime-Panama-Public opinion. 2. Crime prevention-Panama-Public opinion. 3. Crime-Government policy-Panama. I. Scartascini, Carlos G., 1971-II. Inter-American Development Bank. Department of Research and Chief Economist. III. Title. IV. Series.
This paper may be freely reproduced provided credit is given to the Research Department, Inter-Am... more This paper may be freely reproduced provided credit is given to the Research Department, Inter-American Development Bank. The Research Department (RES) produces a quarterly newsletter, IDEA (Ideas for Development in the Americas), as well as working papers and books on diverse economic issues.
This paper may be freely reproduced provided credit is given to the Research Department, Inter-Am... more This paper may be freely reproduced provided credit is given to the Research Department, Inter-American Development Bank. The Research Department (RES) produces a quarterly newsletter, IDEA (Ideas for Development in the Americas), as well as working papers and books on diverse economic issues.
Documents published in the IDB working paper series are of the highest academic and editorial qua... more Documents published in the IDB working paper series are of the highest academic and editorial quality. All have been peer reviewed by recognized experts in their field and professionally edited. The information and opinions presented in these publications are entirely those of the author(s), and no endorsement by the Inter-American Development Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the countries they represent is expressed or implied.
Methodology designed to investigate the e ect of an event on a specific dependent variable, explo... more Methodology designed to investigate the e ect of an event on a specific dependent variable, exploiting time-series variation around a salient event.
Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be s... more Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC-IGO license. Following a peer review process, and with previous written consent by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a revised version of this work may also be reproduced in any academic journal, including those indexed by the American Economic Association's EconLit, provided that the IDB is credited and that the author(s) receive no income from the publication. Therefore, the restriction to receive income from such publication shall only extend to the publication's author(s). With regard to such restriction, in case of any inconsistency between the Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license and these statements, the latter shall prevail. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Inter-American Development Bank, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent.
Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be s... more Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC-IGO license. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.
Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, Feb 1, 2020
Sending messages and providing information to individuals tends to affect their behavior (e.g., r... more Sending messages and providing information to individuals tends to affect their behavior (e.g., reduce energy consumption, increase donations, reduce tax evasion). Most studies to date have concentrated on evaluating the effect of different types of messages but they have avoided discussing if the method to communicate those messages could affect the effectiveness of the intervention. This study shows that the effectiveness of a message is not independent of the communication method used. We conducted a field experiment in Colombia that varies the way the National Tax Agency contacts delinquent taxpayers. More than 20,0 0 0 taxpayers were randomly assigned to a control or one of three delivery mechanisms (letter, email, and personal visit). Conditional on delivery of the treatment, a personal visit is more effective than an email, and both are more effective than a letter (the more traditional method used by tax administrations and researchers worldwide). The findings show that identifying the mechanisms through which policies are informed and publicized should be fully incorporated in the literature to assess the effectiveness of an intervention. Tax administrations should explicitly evaluate what is the right vector of communication methods that maximizes their policy objectives.
Willingness to pay for crime reduction: evidence from six countries in the Americas / Patricio Do... more Willingness to pay for crime reduction: evidence from six countries in the Americas / Patricio Domínguez, Carlos Scartascini. p. cm. -(IDB Working Paper Series; 1367) Includes bibliographic references. 1. Willingness to pay-Latin America-Econometric models. 2. Willingness to pay-United States-Econometric models. 3. Crime-Economic aspects-Latin America-Econometric models. 4. Crime-Economic aspects-United States-Econometric models. I. Scartascini, Carlos G., 1971-II. Inter-American Development Bank. Department of Research and Chief Economist. III. Title. IV. Series.
Participatory programs can reduce the informational and power asymmetries that engender mistrust.... more Participatory programs can reduce the informational and power asymmetries that engender mistrust. These programs, however, cannot include every citizen. Hence, it is important to evaluate not only if they affect allocations and trust among those who participate, but also if they could also affect trust among those who do not participate. We assess the effect of an informational campaign about these programs in the context of a survey experiment conducted in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Results show that providing detailed information about a participatory budget initiative shapes voters' assessments of government performance and political trust. Effects are larger for individuals with ex ante more negative views about the local governments quality and for individuals who believe in the ability of their communities to solve the type of collective-action problems that the program seeks to address. Because mistrustful individuals tend to shy away from demanding the government public goods that increase overall welfare, well-disseminated participatory budget programs could affect budget allocations directly and through their effect on trust. Investing in these programs could be worthwhile.
Data on political engagement of newly eligible young voters in 34 countries during 2004-2016 indi... more Data on political engagement of newly eligible young voters in 34 countries during 2004-2016 indicate that voting eligibility is associated with higher political engagement, casting doubt on the view that voters are rationally ignorant. Voting eligibility is associated with higher political interest, more discussion of political issues and attendance of political meetings, and more political knowledge. These effects are stronger in countries with enforced mandatory voting. The increase in political engagement is larger closer to the prior election, and it is driven by the engagement of eligible voters, implying that young voters acquire political information in anticipation of elections rather than ex post.
This paper introduces preliminary evidence from a cross-country database of policy characteristic... more This paper introduces preliminary evidence from a cross-country database of policy characteristics and potential uses of that database. While most databases have emphasized either the content of policies (e.g., size of government deficits) or countries' formal institutions (e.g., political regime, electoral system), the variables in this database reflect the policymaking capabilities of different polities. The paper attempts to explain these policy characteristics as depending on the workings of political institutions, using a logic emphasizing intertemporal political compromise. The paper also contrasts this logic with alternatives such as the veto players approach. The paper concludes by suggesting the use of these policy characteristics or state capabilities as explanatory variables for the effectiveness of public spending in various social areas.
Trust is the most pressing and yet least discussed problem confronting Latin America and the Cari... more Trust is the most pressing and yet least discussed problem confronting Latin America and the Caribbean. Whether in others, in government, or in firms, trust is lower in the region than anywhere else in the world. The economic and political consequences of mistrust ripple through society. It suppresses growth and innovation: investment, entrepreneurship, and employment all flourish when firms and government, workers and employers, banks and borrowers, and consumers and producers trust each other. Trust inside private and public sector organizations is essential for collaboration and innovation. Mistrust distorts democratic decision-making. It keeps citizens from demanding better public services and infrastructure, from joining with others to control corruption, and from making the collective sacrifices that leave everyone better off. The good news is that governments can increase citizen trust with clearer promises of what citizens can expect from them, public sector reforms that enable them to keep their promises, and institutional reforms that strengthen the commitments that citizens make to each other. This book guides decision-makers as they incorporate trust and social cohesion into the comprehensive reforms needed to address the regions most pernicious challenges.
Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be s... more Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC-IGO license. Following a peer review process, and with previous written consent by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), a revised version of this work may also be reproduced in any academic journal, including those indexed by the American Economic Association's EconLit, provided that the IDB is credited and that the author(s) receive no income from the publication. Therefore, the restriction to receive income from such publication shall only extend to the publication's author(s). With regard to such restriction, in case of any inconsistency between the Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license and these statements, the latter shall prevail. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.
While effective preventive measures against COVID-19 are now widely known, many individuals fail ... more While effective preventive measures against COVID-19 are now widely known, many individuals fail to adopt them. This paper provides experimental evidence about one potentially important driver of compliance with social distancing: social norms. We asked each of 23,000 survey respondents in Mexico to predict how a fictional person would behave when faced with the choice about whether or not to attend a friend's birthday gathering. Every respondent was randomly assigned to one of four social norms conditions. Expecting that other people would attend the gathering and/or believing that other people approved of attending the gathering both increased the predicted probability that the fictional character would attend the gathering by 25%, in comparison with a scenario where other people were not expected to attend nor to approve of attending. Our results speak to the potential effects of communication campaigns and media coverage of, compliance with, and normative views about COVID-19 preventive measures. They also suggest that policies aimed at modifying social norms or making existing ones salient could impact compliance.
Gingerich, Daniel W., 1977-A heavy hand or a helping hand?: information provision and citizen pre... more Gingerich, Daniel W., 1977-A heavy hand or a helping hand?: information provision and citizen preferences for anticrime policies / Daniel W. Gingerich, Carlos Scartascini. p. cm. -(IDB Working Paper ; 927) Includes bibliographic references. 1. Crime-Panama-Public opinion. 2. Crime prevention-Panama-Public opinion. 3. Crime-Government policy-Panama. I. Scartascini, Carlos G., 1971-II. Inter-American Development Bank. Department of Research and Chief Economist. III. Title. IV. Series.
Crime is a major problem in Latin America and the Caribbean. With 9 percent of the world's popula... more Crime is a major problem in Latin America and the Caribbean. With 9 percent of the world's population, the region accounts for 33 percent of global homicides. Using new, extensive survey data, we endeavor to identify what anti-crime policies citizens in the region demand from their governments. We also analyze who is demanding what and why. We find that harsher penalties appear to be the preferred weapon in the anti-crime arsenal but people are willing to spend public moneys not only for punishment, but also for anti-poverty and detection policies. Citizens recognize that allocating resources to the police is better than subsidizing private security for citizens. Nevertheless, most oppose raising taxes to fund the police, a reluctance that might stem from mistrust in governments' ability to manage these resources. Mistrust, misinformation, and impatience combine to create flawed anti-crime policy. Educating citizens both about crime and about the fiscal consequences of their policy preferences may help move the region's public opinion toward a better policy equilibrium. Governments should also invest in their capability to design and deliver evidence-based solutions for fighting crime, and work to increase trust levels among citizens.
Consecuencias imprevistas de la Constitución de 1991: La influencia de la política en las políticas económicas, 2010
El sistema político colombiano se transformó desde la Constitución de 1991. En la actualidad es m... more El sistema político colombiano se transformó desde la Constitución de 1991. En la actualidad es más participativo, más representativo y más descentralizado. Pero la transformación del sistema político produjo también una fragmentación de los poderes de decisión, lo que, combinado con la fragmentación del poder económico, multiplicó el número de actores involucrados en las decisiones de política económica y redujo las posibilidades de coordinación de las políticas. Estas consecuencias imprevistas de la Constitución de 1991 permiten entender por qué el desempeño económico es menos satisfactorio y menos destacado en el concierto latinoamericano que antes de 1991.
Who Decides Social Policy? Social Networks and the Political Economy of Social Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2020
This book combines an institutional political economy approach to policy making with social netwo... more This book combines an institutional political economy approach to policy making with social network analysis of social policy formulation processes. Based on extensive interviews with governmental and nongovernmental actors, the case studies of social policy formulation in Argentina, The Bahamas, Bolivia, and Trinidad and Tobago show that while societal actors are central in the networks in South American countries, government officials are the main participants in the Caribbean countries. The comparative analysis of the networks of ideas, information, economic resources, and political power across these cases indicates that differences in the types of bureaucratic systems and governance structures may explain the diversity of actors with decision power and the resources used to influence social policy formulation across the region. These analytical and methodological contributions-combined with specific examples of policies and programs-will help to enhance the efficiency, efficacy, and sustainability of public policies in the social arena.
Why do some social programs succeed while others do not? Because public policies are not designed... more Why do some social programs succeed while others do not? Because public policies are not designed and implemented in a vacuum: they are an integral part of the policymaking process. This book endeavors to understand how the decision-making process works in practice through a combined analysis of social networks and political economy. Use and application of these instruments make it possible to examine specific cases of social programs in the region. It is hoped that the evidence gleaned from this research helps us understand the outcomes of public policies, and leads to better design and more efficient implementation of social programs in Latin America.
What determines the capacity of countries to design, approve, and implement effective public poli... more What determines the capacity of countries to design, approve, and implement effective public policies? To address this question, this book builds on the results of case studies of political institutions, policymaking processes, and policy outcomes in eight Latin American countries, structured around a common methodology with foundations in game theory and institutional analysis. The result is a volume that benefits from both micro detail on the intricacies of policymaking in individual countries and a broad cross-country interdisciplinary analysis of policymaking processes in the region.
This book analyzes the budget process in ten Latin American countries over approximately the last... more This book analyzes the budget process in ten Latin American countries over approximately the last 25 years, stressing the role of the actors that participate in the process, their incentives, and the rules that bind their interaction. By doing so, it situates the budget process as one of the core policymaking arenas, where bargaining takes place not only for specific public goods, but also for a relevant share of the public policies of a country. Who Decides the Budget? goes a long way towards explaining how economies, institutions, and politics interact to produce budget outcomes in Latin America, a region in which informality dominates public governance.
Este libro representa un gran avance en la aplicación de la economía institucional a la toma de d... more Este libro representa un gran avance en la aplicación de la economía institucional a la toma de decisiones sobre presupuesto y gasto público. Su alcance es verdaderamente comparativo e indaga en lo que hay por debajo de las reglas formales del presupuesto para establecer cómo funciona en realidad el proceso. Los estudios publicados en este volumen tienen como foco América Latina, una región en la cual la informalidad domina la gobernabilidad pública, pero las conclusiones son aplicables a todos los países del mundo, desarrollados y en desarrollo.
¿Qué determina la capacidad de los países para diseñar, aprobar e implementar políticas públicas ... more ¿Qué determina la capacidad de los países para diseñar, aprobar e implementar políticas públicas efectivas? Para abordar esta pregunta, este libro analiza el proceso de formulación de políticas en ocho países latinoamericanos en base a una metodología común con fundamentos en la teoría de juegos y el análisis institucional. Este análisis sistemático se concentra en estudiar tanto las instituciones políticas, y el funcionamiento de las instituciones y organizaciones políticas, como los resultados de las políticas. El resultado es un texto que se beneficia tanto de un detallado análisis sobre las complejidades del proceso de formulación de políticas en cada país por separado, como de un análisis interdisciplinario y comparativo de los procesos de formulación de políticas en la región.
Over the past 30 years, democratic freedoms and competitive electoral processes have taken hold a... more Over the past 30 years, democratic freedoms and competitive electoral processes have taken hold as never before in Latin America. How Democracy Works takes a detailed look, from an institutional perspective, at each of the main actors on the policymaking stage in Latin America, emphasizing the extent to which institutions facilitate or hinder intertemporal political cooperation and compromise. It analyzes official political actors and arenas, as well as a number of societal actors, and explores the (formal) roles of these players, their incentives, capabilities, and the way in which they actually engage in the policymaking game. The conclusion: these political institutions and actors matter for policymaking in Latin America and leave an indelible imprint on the policy process and the resulting policies.
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