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This article presents and critically discusses evidence on the determinants of mortality reductions in developing countries. It argues that increases in life expectancy between 1960 and 2000 were largely independent of improvements in income. The author characterizes the age and cause‐of‐death profile of changes in mortality and assesses what can be learned about the determinants of these changes from the international evidence and from country‐specific studies. Public health infrastructure, immunization, targeted programs, and the spread of less palpable forms of knowledge all seem to have been important factors. Finally, the article suggests that the evolution of health inequality across and within countries is intrinsically related to the process of diffusion of new technologies and to the nature of these new technologies, public or private.

This paper develops a model where reductions in mortality are the main force behind economic development. The model generates a pattern of changes similar to the demographic transition, where gains in life expectancy at birth are followed by reductions in fertility and increases in the rate of human capital accumulation. The onset of the transition is characterized by a critical level of life expectancy at birth, which marks the movement of the economy from a Malthusian equilibrium to an equilibrium with investments in human capital and the possibility of long-run growth.

Developing countries have long been struggling to fight informality, focusing on instruments such as labor legislation enforcement, temporary contracts, and changes in taxes imposed on small firms. However, improvements in the labor force's schooling and skill level may be more effective in reducing informality in the long term. Higher-skilled workers are typically employed by larger firms that use more capital, and that are more likely to be formal. Additionally, when skilled and unskilled workers are complementary in production, unskilled workers' wages tend to increase, adding yet another force toward reducing informality.

This paper analyzes the experience of information sharing, coordination, and
integration of actions of the civil and military police forces in the state of Minas
Gerais, Brazil, in the context of the IGESP program. The IGESP was based on the
introduction of information management systems and organizational changes akin to those
associated with the CompStat system originally developed in New York City. The evidence
points to a causal effect of the IGESP on crime. The most conservative estimates
indicate a reduction of 23 percent in violent property crimes due to the introduction of
the program. There is also evidence that the IGESP is associated with improved police
response, measured by apprehension of weapons and clearance rates. We present one of the
few estimates available with a clear identification strategy of the impact of
CompStat-like programs. The results suggest that coordination of actions and efficient
use of information may constitute first-order factors in the fight against crime.
JEL Classifications: H11, K00, K42