Crime in Latin America: Implications for Economic Policymakers

November 11, 2024

Crime in Latin America is a major challenge to economic development, with security being the top concern for households in the region. This conference, co-organized by the Western Hemisphere Department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), will showcase innovative research on the relationship between the economy and crime. It will also bring together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss strategies for reducing crime and its impact on economic and social development, with a focus on the interplay between economic, security, and judicial policies.


Agenda

Monday, November 11, 2024

9:00–9:20 am

Welcoming address: Gita Gopinath (IMF First Deputy Managing Director)

Introductory Remarks: Ilan Goldfajn (President of the IDB)

9:20–10:20 am

Keynote Lecture.

Melissa Dell (Harvard U.). Unemployment, crime, and trade-induced job losses.

 

Video recording:

 

10:20 am–11:40 pm

Session A – The Costs of Crime and Violence

1. Santiago Perez (IDB). The development costs of crime and violence
2. Raphael Espinoza (IMF). Crime, violence and the macroeconomy in Latin America and the Caribbean
3. Ana María Tribín (World Bank). The gendered impact of exposure to crime
4. Alberto Gonzalez Pandiella (OECD). National policy approaches to crime


Chair: Florence Jaumotte (IMF)

 

Video recording:

 

12:00–1:30 pm

Lunch talk 

Moises Naim (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, former Minister of Trade and Industry of Venezuela). – The illegal economy and globalization

Moderator: Luis Cubeddu (IMF) 

Video recording:

 

1:30–3:00 pm

Session B – Organized Crime and Development

Keynote Lecture.

Chris Blattman (U. Chicago). Bad medicine: Varieties of urban organized crime, and how different systems demand different solutions. Learn more.

Papers

1. Micaela Sviatschi (Princeton U.). Organized crime: causes, consequences and potential policies.

2. Juan Pablo Luna (UC-Chile). Organized crime and development in contemporary Latin America

Chair: Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas (IMF)

Video recording:

 

3:00–3:10 pm

*** Coffee break

3:10–4:10 pm

Session C – Illicit Economies and Money Laundering

1. Joras Ferwerda (Utrecht U.)
2. Luis Urrutia (IMF)
3. Scott Rembrandt, (U.S. Treasury)
4. Maurizio Cintura, (Italy’s Guardia di Finanza)

Chair: Emilio Pineda (IDB)

Video recording:

 

4:10–5:30 pm

Session D - Policies in the security and justice sector

1. Patricia Bullrich, Minister of Security of Argentina
2. Juan Carlos Vega, Minister of Economy and Finance of Ecuador
3. Monica Palencia, Minister of Interior of Ecuador
4. Mauricio Cardenas, Columbia U., former Minister of Finance of Colombia
5. Felipe Jaramillo, Vice-President for the Latin America and Caribbean Region, World Bank

Moderator: Ana María lbañez (IDB)

Video recording:

 

5:30–5:45 pm

Concluding remarks:  Rodrigo Valdés (IMF)