RSS

Socio-economic strata are categories assigned to subdivisions of Colombian cities according to housing and environmental characteristics. They were established in 1994 to aid to cross-subsidize the price of utilities. At the time, they were considered an effective targeting alternative due to their easy application and their positive correlation with household income, for which good information is not always available.

A recent paper from the journal Essays on Economic Policy (ESPE in Spanish) by Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia) deals with the financial and fiscal aspects of the Colombian health care system and includes a chapter focusing on the macroeconomic risks it faces.

A recent paper published in Ensayos sobre Política Económica (ESPE) a journal of Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia), examines the constraints faced by Colombian smallholder farmers in accessing credit. Among other findings, the paper presents the results of a study done by Camilo Bohórquez, Margarita Gáfaro, Karelys Guzmán, and Alex Pérez analyzing the effects of climate risk on credit access using small-scale potato producers as a case study.

Un documento reciente publicado en la revista Ensayos sobre Política Económica (ESPE) del Banco de la República examina las barreras que enfrentan los pequeños agricultores colombianos para acceder al crédito. El documento presenta, entre otros, los resultados de un estudio realizado por Camilo Bohórquez, Margarita Gáfaro, Karelys Guzmán y Alex Pérez, que analiza los efectos del riesgo climático sobre el acceso al crédito, tomando como caso de estudio a los pequeños productores de papa.

Education is the fundamental mechanism for accumulating human capital that allows social mobility across generations, overcoming poverty, and mitigating inequality. However, in Colombia, as in other developing countries, access to quality education has historically been unequal, mainly affecting vulnerable social and ethnic groups.

As part of the accountability process required by law, the Board of Directors of Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia) submits twice a year a report to Congress on the situation and outlook of the Colombian economy, along with the results of its management.

As a complement to the Blog published on 07 November 2023, this new entry continues with the review of the Technical Remarks prepared by two members of the Board of Directors of Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia) (only in Spanish) —Bibiana Taboada and Mauricio Villamizar.

Monetary policy decisions require taking into account the multiplicity of factors that affect price levels and their increase, considering that the interest rate can only influence some of them. Likewise, such decisions must also contemplate the time horizon in which the benefits for society are to be maximized and frame the dilemma between price stability and economic growth that monetary policy may face in the short term in this context. Both issues are highly relevant for the monetary policy design and give rise to frequent public debates.

En ejercicio del proceso de rendición de cuentas que exige la Ley, dos veces al año la Junta Directiva del Banco de la República (JDBR) presenta al Congreso un informe de la situación y perspectivas de la economía colombiana, y de los resultados de su gestión.

Labor regulation protects workers, but it also imposes costs on employers. There is evidence that such costs may cause informality and unemployment, as they hinder the hiring of formal employees and the formalization of self-employed workers.