Rethinking, reimagining and transforming: the “whats” and the “hows” for moving towards a more productive, inclusive and sustainable development model

The Latin America and Caribbean region is mired in three development traps: a long-term inability to grow, high inequality, and low institutional and governance capacity. This article offers an analysis of development challenges that centres on a 10-point catalogue of gaps constituting priority areas of action for public policy and collective transformation efforts. To this is added an eleventh area concerned with how to move from the present situation to the desired scenarios, something that requires a focus on challenges related to governance, institutional capacities and opportunities for s…

Demographic Outlook for Population Aging in the Region of the Americas

With the object of summarizing the available knowledge about the health and well-being of older persons in the Region of the Americas at the start of the Decade on Healthy Aging 2021-2030 and reporting on population aging, this publication provides current information on the demographic outlook in the Region. The data paint a detailed picture of the effects of the demographic transition, major trends, and population profiles, taking into account the results of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rapid population aging in Latin America and the Caribbean is shaping the capacity of countries and health system…

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 12

The challenge of income inequality in Latin America

Seventy-five years after the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) was founded, reducing the concentration of income and wealth remains one of the key challenges in Latin America. This article firstly reviews the contributions made by ECLAC and Latin American structuralism to the analysis and measurement of the income distribution. It then describes the main trends of inequality in the region from 1990 to the present, and suggests items to be included on the agenda of inequality reduction in the coming years.…

Introduction: Special issue commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and reflecting on the present and the future of the region

“It’s messy, but we have to do it now” – Craig Ramlal, UN advisor, on AI regulation

Few technological advances created more global buzz in 2023 than artificial intelligence: One tool captured global attention by generating text in different formats based on simple prompts; another created new covers of recent songs by singers who passed away decades ago; and others created full works of art in distinct styles based on user descriptions.…

AI Governance for the Caribbean

This year, 2023, has seen the advent of increasingly powerful Artificial Intelligence systems becoming available to the public, and greater global discourse around the safety and accuracy of these systems. Caribbean countries are actively engaging with the question of how AI systems should be governed to ensure that this powerful technology is used safely, responsibly and ethically, with a focus on accountability, minimizing risks and maximizing benefits.…

The economics of climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2023: financing needs and policy tools for the transition to low-carbon and climate-resilient economies

Climate change is increasingly evident and is having damaging repercussions. Latin America and the Caribbean is no exception, and is in fact one of the most vulnerable regions, with droughts, forest fires and extreme storms increasing in frequency and intensity. This is occurring amid the backdrop of low growth in the region, reflected in a decade of stagnation, that jeopardizes the progress made in terms of development and, above all, limits the countries’ ability to improve the well-being of their populations in a sustainable manner. At this crossroads, climate action offers an opportunity t…

Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2023. Financing a sustainable transition: investment for growth and climate change action

The 2023 edition of the Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean, its seventy-fifth issue, consists of three parts. Part I outlines the region’s economic performance in 2022 and analyses trends in the early months of 2023, as well as the outlook for growth for the year and for 2024. It highlights the external and domestic factors that have influenced the region’s economic performance and how these factors will affect economic growth in the coming years. Part II of this edition analyses the macroeconomic repercussions of climate change on the economies of Latin America and the Caribbe…

The Sociodemographic and Economic Context of Aging in Latin America

With the aim of providing an overview of the current knowledge available on the health and well-being of older people in the Region of the Americas at the beginning of the United Nations Decade of Healthy Aging (2021-2030) as well as reporting on population aging in the Region, this report provides updated information on the sociodemographic and economic conditions of older people using a multidimensional and people-centered approach. It covers the demographic, geographical, sociocultural, and family characteristics of older people in Latin America, and describes their economic and health situ…

Digital Trade Regulatory Review for Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean

Economic integration and effective engagement in digital trade have been identified as key priorities in Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for accelerating recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and as engines of sustainable development. Digitalization increases the number of businesses and consumers accessible globally, helps diffuse ideas and knowledge, and raises productivity and consumer welfare. It also enables new business models and practices, bringing both opportunities and challenges. As Governments take steps to regulate the digital economy, the challenges are da…

International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2023. Structural change and trends in global and regional trade: challenges and opportunities

This edition of the International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean analyses the complex conditions facing the region’s trade in 2023, marked by weak global demand, falling commodity prices and the growing interconnections between trade and geopolitics. It also gives an overview of trade relations with China in recent decades: although this trade has expanded significantly, it remains characterized by the exchange of raw materials for manufactures. Lastly, the report examines the progress made and challenges faced by the region in the area of trade facilitation. It concludes th…

Preventing femicides: an obligation for States and a persistent challenge in the region

The UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign of the Secretary General of the United Nations, which has been under way since 2008, aims to prevent and eliminate gender-based violence against women and girls worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO, 2021) estimates that 31% of women aged 15–49 have experienced violence at the hands of an intimate partner and sexual violence inflicted by others. This multi-stakeholder campaign is part of the United Nations system’s efforts to support Latin American and Caribbean States in fulfilling their due diligence obligation to prevent, inve…

Methods for measuring internal migration and its sociodemographic effects, focusing on use of censuses and migration matrices

This document discusses the difficulties of measuring internal migration and examines the use of the migration module of population censuses to build migration matrices. Different ways of interpreting the intensity of internal migration are outlined and the corresponding existing indicators are explained. Four direct sociodemographic effects of internal migration —growth, redistribution, composition and inequality— are then described, along with the measurement procedures and indicators for all four. Selectivity of migration and indirect measurement of migration are also discussed. The last po…

United States-Latin America and the Caribbean Trade Developments 2023

United States trade in goods fell by 3.9% year-on-year in the first six months of 2023, ending a recovery that started in 2021. This was a result of goods exports declining by almost 1% and goods imports by 6.3%. In contrast, in 2022, United States services trade reached a record high, with US$ 697 billion in imports and US$ 929 billion in exports. United States-Latin America and the Caribbean Trade Developments provides an overview of selected developments in trade relations between the United States and Latin America and the Caribbean. In light of the global focus on the climate crisis and t…

Public policies for gender equality in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM): challenges for the economic autonomy of women and transformative recovery in Latin America

The fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, commonly referred to by the acronym STEM, have emerged as a promising area in which to address the current digital revolution and accelerated technological change, exacerbated and complicated by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Can STEM serve as a path to gender equality and economic autonomy for women in Latin America? The question is gaining ground. This report addresses an ongoing debate in the region in recent decades that must be reframed to meet an urgent need for new solutions and, above all, to transcend one-di…

Evaluation of tax expenditures: conceptual frameworks and international experiences

Tax expenditures are deviations from the benchmark tax system which provides preferential tax treatment. Governments use them to pursue different policy goals, such as boosting innovation, creating employment or greening the economy. Their fiscal cost can be significant since the global average revenue forgone, estimated at around 4% of GDP and 25% of tax revenue, has remained stable over the last 30 years. Evaluating tax expenditures against their stated policy objectives and the potential side effects or externalities they might trigger is a crucial step for the rationalization of tax expend…

Foresight for Development: contributions to Forward-looking Territorial Governance

Against the backdrop of cascading crises in the region and a volatile global context, there is a need to strengthen countries’ planning processes and the exercise of anticipatory governance to identify and shape possible futures and respond to changes in the environment. This document seeks to promote reflection on foresight for development and the importance of citizen deliberation in the ownership of future scenarios. It therefore draws on the forms that foresight exercises have taken in the region, led by the State at different territorial scales, the characteristics and approaches of these…

Transforming habitats and cities: towards urban development in Latin America and the Caribbean

This document is based on the statements and presentations delivered at the thirty-first General Assembly of the Forum of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Housing and Urbanism in Latin America and the Caribbean (MINURVI), held on 5 and 6 December 2022 at ECLAC headquarters in Santiago. At the meeting, authorities, leaders and experts in housing and urban planning met with the aim of positioning habitat and housing as pillars for achieving sustainable urban development in the region and for working towards cities that are more just, inclusive and resilient. The General Assembly explored …

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 10