Банк развития Латинской Америки призывает ученых изучить гендерное неравенство в экономике региона

Deadline: 24-Sep-2026 The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is inviting independent researchers and research teams to submit quantitative studies examining how regulation and fiscal policy affect economic opportunities for women and men across Latin America and the Caribbean. The call prioritizes causal research on regulatory simplification, digital government, access to credit, taxation, labor regulation, formalization, employment, income, and other policy outcomes. What Is the IDB Research Call? The Inter-American Development Bank research opportunity aims to generate rigorous, policy-relevant evidence on how government regulations and fiscal policies influence economic participation across Latin America and the Caribbean. A central premise of the call is that a regulation can be formally identical for everyone while still producing different economic outcomes for women and men. Researchers are therefore encouraged to investigate: - Whether these differences exist. - When they emerge. - What mechanisms explain them. - Which policy reforms can reduce barriers. - How governments can expand economic opportunities more effectively. Main Research Areas The call identifies four broad policy areas. Regulatory Simplification and Digital Government Research may examine how government procedures and digitalization affect people’s ability to participate in formal economic activity. Relevant topics may include: - Business registration. - Licensing and permits. - Administrative procedures. - Digital public services. - Compliance costs. - Access to government programmes. - Formalization of businesses and workers. Studies can explore whether simplifying or digitizing government procedures produces different outcomes for women and men. Financial Regulation and Access to Credit The call also supports research on how financial rules affect access to credit and formal markets. Potential research questions may cover: - Access to bank accounts. - Business credit. - Consumer credit. - Financial inclusion. - Collateral requirements. - Formal financial markets. - Credit regulations. - Financing constraints affecting entrepreneurs. Researchers may investigate whether particular financial regulations expand or restrict opportunities differently across population groups. Tax Design and Economic Participation Tax rules can influence decisions about employment, entrepreneurship, formalization and investment. Research may examine: - Personal income taxation. - Business taxation. - Tax registration. - Tax compliance. - Incentives for formalization. - Household economic decisions. - Participation in formal markets. - Effects of tax reforms on employment or income. The objective is to understand how tax design and fiscal policy interact with economic opportunities. Labor Regulation and Formal Employment Studies may also investigate the effects of labor-market rules on employment and job quality. Potential topics include: - Parental leave. - Hiring and dismissal rules. - Employment protections. - Formal employment. - Worker benefits. - Labor-market participation. - Job quality. - Earnings. - Employment transitions. Research should identify how labor regulations affect workers and whether impacts differ between women and men. What Outcomes Can Research Examine? Proposed studies may evaluate policy effects on a range of economic outcomes, including: - Business formalization. - Employment. - Formal employment. - Income. - Earnings. - Job quality. - Access to credit. - Access to formal markets. - Access to public services. - Regulatory compliance costs. - Entrepreneurship. - Economic participation. Researchers should clearly connect the policy intervention being studied with measurable outcomes. Quantitative and Causal Research Requirement Proposals must use quantitative research methods capable of identifying causal relationships. This means projects should go beyond documenting correlations or descriptive differences. The research should seek to determine whether a particular regulation, policy, or reform caused a measurable change in economic outcomes. Suitable approaches may include rigorous empirical methods such as: - Randomized evaluations where feasible. - Natural experiments. - Difference-in-differences approaches. - Regression discontinuity designs. - Instrumental variable strategies. - Other credible causal inference methodologies. The exact method should fit the policy question, data availability, and institutional context. Why Gender-Differentiated Effects Matter One important concept behind the call is that formally neutral policies can produce unequal outcomes. For example, the same business-registration requirement could affect entrepreneurs differently because of differences in: - Access to time. - Household responsibilities. - Financial resources. - Digital connectivity. - Mobility. - Property ownership. - Social networks. - Employment patterns. Research should therefore investigate not just whether a reform works overall, but also who benefits, who does not, and why. Geographic Focus Research should contribute to policy knowledge relevant to Latin America and the Caribbean. The call is particularly interested in evidence that can inform governments and policymakers across the region. Studies should therefore demonstrate a clear connection between the research question and the economic, regulatory, or institutional context of the region. Who Is Eligible? Applications are open to: - Independent researchers. - Research teams. - Researchers affiliated with universities. - Researchers affiliated with research centers. - Researchers working with public entities. - Researchers working with private entities. All team members must be citizens of one of the 48 IDB member countries and satisfy the other eligibility requirements established by the call. Can IDB Specialists Participate? Yes. IDB Group specialists may participate in collaboration with external research teams. This can allow external researchers to combine academic or empirical expertise with institutional knowledge from IDB specialists. What Makes a Strong Research Proposal? A competitive proposal should clearly connect a policy question, causal methodology, data source, and policy implication. Strong proposals should demonstrate: - A clearly defined regulation or policy intervention. - A significant economic question. - A credible causal identification strategy. - Access to suitable quantitative data. - Clear outcomes to be measured. - Analysis of potentially different effects on women and men. - Strong relevance to Latin America and the Caribbean. - Practical implications for policy design. How to Prepare an Application Step 1: Select a Policy Area Choose a research question related to: - Regulatory simplification and digital government. - Financial regulation and access to credit. - Tax design and economic participation. - Labor regulation and formal employment. Step 2: Define the Policy Question Identify a specific regulation, reform, programme, or policy change. Rather than asking a broad question such as whether regulation affects women’s employment, define the exact intervention and expected mechanism. Step 3: Identify the Outcomes Specify what the project will measure. These could include: - Employment. - Formalization. - Credit access. - Income. - Job quality. - Compliance costs. - Earnings. - Public-service access. Step 4: Develop the Causal Methodology Explain how the research design will identify the causal effect of the policy. The application should clearly distinguish the proposed methodology from descriptive or correlational analysis. Step 5: Address Differences in Outcomes Explain how the project will examine whether effects differ between women and men and what may explain those differences. Step 6: Demonstrate Policy Relevance Describe how findings could inform governments, regulators, or other policymakers in Latin America and the Caribbean. Step 7: Confirm Team Eligibility Ensure that every member of the research team is a citizen of an eligible IDB member country and meets all other requirements specified by the call. Tips for Applicants Applicants can strengthen proposals by: - Focusing on a specific policy reform rather than a broad topic. - Using data capable of supporting causal analysis. - Explaining the identification strategy in clear terms. - Demonstrating why gender-differentiated effects may occur. - Including outcomes that policymakers can act on. - Showing relevance beyond a single academic question. - Connecting results to concrete regulatory or fiscal-policy decisions. - Demonstrating appropriate quantitative research expertise. Common Mistakes to Avoid Applicants should avoid: - Submitting purely descriptive studies. - Using correlations as evidence of causation. - Failing to identify a specific regulatory or fiscal intervention. - Treating women and men as homogeneous groups without examining underlying mechanisms. - Providing weak justification for the proposed causal methodology. - Failing to demonstrate relevance to Latin America and the Caribbean. - Using outcomes that have little connection to the policy studied. - Including research team members who do not meet the IDB citizenship requirements. Frequently Asked Questions What is the purpose of the IDB research call? The call seeks rigorous evidence on how regulation and fiscal policy influence economic opportunities for women and men in Latin America and the Caribbean. What research topics are eligible? Priority areas include regulatory simplification and digital government, financial regulation and credit access, tax design and economic participation, and labor regulation and formal employment. What type of methodology is required? Research must use quantitative methods capable of identifying causal relationships and producing policy-relevant evidence. What outcomes can researchers study? Studies may examine formalization, employment, job quality, income, earnings, access to credit, public services, compliance costs, and other relevant economic outcomes. Who can apply? Independent researchers and teams affiliated with universities, research centers, public entities, or private entities may apply, subject to the call’s eligibility requirements. Is there a citizenship requirement? Yes. All research team members must be citizens of one of the 48 Inter-American Development Bank member countries. Can IDB staff collaborate on proposals? Yes. IDB Group specialists may participate in collaboration with eligible external research teams. Conclusion The Inter-American Development Bank research call provides an opportunity for researchers to generate rigorous evidence on how regulations and fiscal policies shape economic participation across Latin America and the Caribbean. Strong proposals will combine a clearly defined policy question with a credible causal research design and explain not only whether a reform affects economic outcomes, but also whether its effects differ for women and men, why those differences emerge, and how policy can respond. For more information, visit IDB.