nep-lam New Economics Papers
on Central and South America
Issue of 2025–10–13
two papers chosen by
Maximo Rossi, Universidad de la RepÃúºblica


  1. Private and public school efficiency gaps in Latin America-A combined DEA and machine learning approach based on PISA 2022 By Marcos Delprato
  2. Machine learning-based model to predict topics contributing to Sustainable Development Goals: A study of Latin American and European Countries By Lancho Barrantes, Barbara Sandra

  1. By: Marcos Delprato
    Abstract: Latin America's education systems are fragmented and segregated, with substantial differences by school type. The concept of school efficiency (the ability of school to produce the maximum level of outputs given available resources) is policy relevant due to scarcity of resources in the region. Knowing whether private and public schools are making an efficient use of resources -- and which are the leading drivers of efficiency -- is critical, even more so after the learning crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, relying on data of 2, 034 schools and nine Latin American countries from PISA 2022, I offer new evidence on school efficiency (both on cognitive and non-cognitive dimensions) using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) by school type and, then, I estimate efficiency leading determinants through interpretable machine learning methods (IML). This hybrid DEA-IML approach allows to accommodate the issue of big data (jointly assessing several determinants of school efficiency). I find a cognitive efficiency gap of nearly 0.10 favouring private schools and of 0.045 for non-cognitive outcomes, and with a lower heterogeneity in private than public schools. For cognitive efficiency, leading determinants for the chance of a private school of being highly efficient are higher stock of books and PCs at home, lack of engagement in paid work and school's high autonomy; whereas low-efficient public schools are shaped by poor school climate, large rates of repetition, truancy and intensity of paid work, few books at home and increasing barriers for homework during the pandemic.
    Date: 2025–09
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2509.25353
  2. By: Lancho Barrantes, Barbara Sandra
    Abstract: This paper examines publications related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from Latin American and European countries, specifically focusing on whether the issues and challenges faced by these regions differ significantly. Latin American countries may be addressing region-specific health concerns or environmental challenges different from the European countries. A bibliographic universal classification of SDGs may overlook such crucial issues and nuances vital to the development of these countries. This study emphasises the differing priorities between Latin America and certain countries in the Global North regarding the health and well-being of all individuals. It focuses on improving reproductive, maternal, and child health, ending epidemics of major contagious diseases, reducing non-communicable diseases, promoting mental health and well-being, and addressing behavioral and environmental health risk factors. While Latin American countries often focus on topics like infections or mental health, the Global North tends to priorities Covid 19 and cancer. These differences reflect distinct economic, social, and political contexts, with us Global North sometimes overlooking the foundational needs of Global South countries. The research employs a sample from the Open Alex database, focusing on the ten most productive countries in Latin America and the ten most productive countries in Europe in SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being in the period of 2023-2024. The study, which falls under the framework of SDG 3 publications and employs data analytics techniques, identifies priority topics for Latin America and Europe, as well as common interests across both regions. Utilising predictive models based on machine learning, the study forecasts the topics that these countries are likely to prioritize in the near future with an accuracy of 60%. This level of accuracy may be influenced by the sample size used; therefore, future analyses will incorporate additional data, such as examining abstracts to determine whether European countries continue to diverge in their focus or if they find common ground on certain topics. This approach will provide valuable insights into regional priorities and the potential evolution of research related to the Sustainable Development Goals. The contrast between Latin America and Europe is valuable and quite original, since many global analyses tend to homogenize realities.
    Date: 2025–10–03
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:cfk2g_v1

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