Launch of the UNDP Latin America and the Caribbean Working Paper Series

June 8, 2021

June 9, 10, 15 and 16, 2021

Agenda (EST Time)

DAY 1. JUNE 9, 2021

10:15 - 10:30 AM. OPENING DAY 1: Marcela Meléndez (UNDP)

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM. INEQUALITY AND SOCIAL MOBILITY:

● “The Changing Picture of Inequality in Latin America: Evidence for Three Decades”

Leonardo Gasparini (CEDLAS). Co-author: Guillermo Cruces (CEDLAS) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Facundo Alvaredo (The World Inequality Lab) (10 min)

● “Longer-run Perspectives on Intergenerational Mobility in Latin America: 1933-1992”

Guido Neidhöfer (ZEW Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Ximena Del Carpio (Banco Mundial Grupo de Pobreza) (10 min)

● “Intergenerational Mobility in Latin America in Comparative Perspective”

Florencia Torche (Stanford University) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Francisco H.G Ferreira (London School of Economics) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Sandra García (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia)

12:30 – 1:30 PM. PRODUCTIVITY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH:

● “The Latin American Growth Shortfall: Productivity and Inequality”

Eduardo Fernández-Arias (Independent consultant). Co-author: Nicolás Fernández-Arias (Princeton University) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Marcela Eslava (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Pablo Sanguinetti (CAF)

1:30 – 2:30 PM. SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS 1:

● “Time for a New Course: An Essay on Social Protection and Growth in Latin America”

Santiago Levy (Brookings Institution y PNUD). Co-author: Guillermo Cruces (CEDLAS) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Orazio Attanasio (Yale University) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Norbert Schady (Banco Mundial).

DAY 2. JUNE 10, 2021

10:45 - 11:00 AM. OPENING DAY 2: Santiago Levy (Brookings Institution y PNUD)

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM. SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS 2 (PARALLEL SESSION 1):

● “Informal and small: How labor market institutions affect inequality, income volatility and labor productivity in Brazil”

Sergio Firpo (Insper Institute of Education and Research).

Co-author: Alysson Portella (Insper Institute of Education and Research) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: André Portela (Fundación Getulio Vargas) (10 min)

● “Políticas de protección social y laboral en el Perú. Una espiral de buenas intenciones, malos resultados y peores respuestas”

Hugo Ñopo (GRADE) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Toni Alva (ONG Acasus) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Adriana Camacho (PNUD y Universidad de los Andes, Colombia)

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM. SISTEMAS DE PROTECCIÓN SOCIAL 2 (SESIÓN PARALELA 2)

Registro: https://undp.zoom.us/j/84434497966

● “¿Cuán efectiva es la protección social en Honduras?”

Andrés Ham (Universidad de los Andes de Colombia). Coautor: Sergio Membreño-Cedillo (PNUD) (20 min)

DISCUTE: Hernán Winkler (Banco Mundial) (10 min)

● “¿Informalidad o exclusión? Mercados fragmentados bajo el Sistema de Protección Social colombiano”

Marcela Meléndez (PNUD). Coautores: Francisco Alvarado (PNUD) y Marcela Pantoja (PNUD) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Santiago Levy (Brookings Institution y PNUD) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Mauricio Cárdenas (Columbia University)

12:30 – 2:00 PM. VIOLENCE:

● “The Effects of Violence on Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Research Agenda”

Ana Arjona (Northwestern University) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Ana María Ibáñez (BID) (10 min)

● “Inequality and Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean: New Data for an Old Question”

Ernesto Schargrodsky (Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, CAF y CONICET). Co-author: Lucía Freira (Universidad Torcuato Di Tella) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Daniel Ortega (CAF) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Juan Fernando Vargas (Universidad del Rosario)

DÍA 3. JUNIO 15 DE 2021

9:45-10:00 AM: Marcela Meléndez (UNDP)

10:00 - 11:00 AM. CONCENTRATION OF POWER: MARKET POWER:

● “Market concentration, market fragmentation, and inequality in Latin America”

Marcela Eslava (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia). Coautores: Marcela Meléndez (PNUD) y Nicolás Urdaneta (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Andrés Gómez-Lobo (Universidad de Chile) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Santiago Levy (Brookings Institution y PNUD)

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM. CONCENTRATION OF POWER: BIG BUSINESS POLITICAL POWER:

● “Lobbying for Inequality? How Different Business Elites Navigate the Policy-Making Process in Central America”

Mónica Pachón (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia).

Co-author: Javier Brolo (Universidad Francisco Marroquín) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Ana De La O (Yale University) (10 min)

● “Big Business and the Inequality Trap in Latin America: Taxes, Collusion, and Undue Influence”

Ben Ross Schneider (MIT) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Alisha Holland (Harvard University) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Luis Felipe López-Calva (PNUD)

DÍA 4. JUNIO 16 DE 2021

9:45-10:00 AM: Marcela Meléndez (UNDP)

10:00 - 11:00 AM. CONCENTRATION OF POWER: UNIONS POLITICAL POWER:

● “How do Labor Unions affect Inequality and Efficiency in Latin America and the Caribbean?”

Lucas Ronconi (Universidad de Buenos Aires) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Candelaria Garay (Harvard University) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Julián Messina (BID)

11:00 AM - 12:30 PM. CONCENTRATION OF POWER: MONOPSONY POWER AND LABOR MARKETS:

● “The impact or labor market institutions on markups and markdowns: evidence from manufacturing and service sectors in Uruguay”

Nestor Gandelman (Universidad ORT Uruguay). Coautor: Carlos Casacuberta (Universidad de la República) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Eduardo Fernández-Arias (Independent consultant) (10 min)

● “Labor-Market Concentration and Earnings: Evidence from Chile”

Alvaro García-Marin (Universidad de los Andes, Chile) (20 min)

DISCUSSANT: Marcela Meléndez (PNUD) (10 min)

Open discussion (30 min)

MODERATOR: Marcela Eslava (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia)

English