Mariano Bosch
Economics Principal Advisor · IDB Vice Presidency of Sectors

Mariano Bosch

Inter-American Development Bank

I have spent 20 years producing evidence that has contributed to the policy debate around pension reform and labor markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. My research on informality, retirement savings, and social protection has been published in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, AEJ: Economic Policy, Journal of Development Economics, European Economic Review, Journal of Human Resources, and Labour Economics, among others. I hold a PhD in Economics from the London School of Economics.

I have spent 20 years working at the intersection of research and public policy on labor markets and pension systems in Latin America and the Caribbean. My research has informed pension reform debates and labor market reforms in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, El Salvador, and other countries across the region, and shaped IDB advisory engagements at the highest level. Before joining the IDB in 2011, I was a consultant at the World Bank and an assistant professor at the University of Alicante. I coordinate the knowledge agenda for the Vice Presidency of Sectors and Knowledge at the IDB.

Most Cited
Ranked by Google Scholar citations — 5,272 total citations

These are the works that academics and policymakers have found most relevant — ranked by Google Scholar citations.

1
rank
524
citations
2010 Labour Economics Journal Article 524citations
Bosch, M. & Maloney, W. F.
Key Finding
Markov chain analysis reveals informal sectors function as flexible countercyclical buffers rather than inferior queues, challenging standard segmented-market theories of developing-country labor markets.
2
rank
368
citations
2012 Journal of Development Economics Journal Article 368citations
Bosch, M. & Esteban-Pretel, J.
Key Finding
Informal labor markets act as strong countercyclical buffers — worker flows between formal and informal sectors mean standard job-creation/destruction models substantially underestimate true labor-market volatility in developing economies.
3
rank
361
citations
2013 IDB Publications (Book) Book 361citations
Bosch, M., Melguizo, Á. & Pagés, C.
Key Finding
Universal pension coverage requires aligning incentives for formalization — expanding non-contributory programs without tackling informality risks entrenching the very problem they aim to solve.
4
rank
317
citations
2012 Labour Economics Journal Article 317citations
Bosch, M., Goñi-Pacchioni, E. & Maloney, W.
Key Finding
Brazil's rise in informality (1983–2002) was driven primarily by constitutional reforms raising labor costs — trade liberalization played only a minor role.
5
rank
279
citations
2010 American Economic Journal: Applied Economics Journal Article 279citations
Bosch, M. & Manacorda, M.
Key Finding
The decline of Mexico's minimum wage in the 1980s–90s accounts for a substantial share of rising earnings inequality, particularly at the bottom of the wage distribution, through direct and spillover effects.
6
rank
277
citations
2010 Regional Science and Urban Economics Journal Article 277citations
Bosch, M., Carnero, M. A. & Farré, L.
Key Finding
A correspondence experiment in Spain finds landlords 12% less likely to respond to foreign-sounding applicants — a discrimination barrier that sustains ethnic residential segregation.
7
rank
261
citations
2014 American Economic Journal: Economic Policy Journal Article 261citations
Bosch, M. & Campos-Vázquez, R. M.
Key Finding
Mexico's universal health insurance significantly increased informality — each 10% expansion in coverage reduced formal employment by ~1.3%, revealing a fundamental trade-off between welfare provision and formalization.
8
rank
215
citations
2008 World Bank Publications Working Paper 215citations
Bosch, M., Maloney, W.
9
rank
206
citations
2005 The World Bank Economic Review Journal 206citations
Aroca, P., Bosch, M., Maloney, W.F.
10
rank
200
citations
2017 NBER Book Chapter — The Economics of Poverty Traps (2017) Book Chapter 200citations
Araujo, M. C., Bosch, M. & Schady, N.
Key Finding
Ecuador's conditional cash transfer generated lasting improvements in children's cognitive development, suggesting targeted transfers can break inter-generational poverty traps when paired with early childhood investments.