Social Panorama of Latin America 2007

Per capita GDP has grown more in 2003-2007 than at any other time since the 1970s. ECLAC projections indicate that this trend will continue in 2008, which will thus be the fifth year in a row in which per capita GDP has risen at over 3% per annum. This increase has made further progress in poverty reduction possible, together with a decline in unemployment. Some countries have seen improvements in income distribution as well. A number of problems persist, however, and Latin America continues to lag behind other regions in various areas. Levels of social and economic inequality remain extremely…

Millennium development goals: progress towards the right to health in Latin america and the Caribbean

Enormous differences in health within and between countries intertwine closely with degrees of social disadvantage, and when People's health is at the mercy of their individual situations, health-care inequalities can entail dramatic individual risks and costs. Promoting health equity can also be defended on the grounds that it simultaneously fosters economic development, since investments in health and its determinants contribute to economic growth, productivity and prosperity. On the other hand, economic growth by itself without appropriate policies to ensure reasonable fairness in the …

Institutions and public policies for rural development in Guatemala

This article reviews the formal institutional framework forimplementing rural development policies in Guatemala, which originatedin the State modernization process promoted through the Peace Accords.The main thesis is that rural development policies will be more efficientif they are based on the institutional framework that the Peace Accordsprovided, which distinguishes between three levels of government: central,deconcentrated and decentralized. While the two sub-national levelsexecute 43% of total public investment, central government needs to targetthe budget on poor zones, cut subsidies to…

The financial protection impact of the public health system and private insurance in Brazil

This research assesses the effectiveness of the Brazilian public healthsystem and of private insurance in Brazil in providing financial protectionin health care. The determinants of catastrophic health expendituresare estimated by probit regressions with Heckman selection adjustmentcontrolling for health-care need. Findings show that the public systemprovides a significant reduction (47%); in the probability of a householdhaving catastrophic health expenditures, and that private insurancemakes such expenditures more likely by 36%. Recommendations includeimprovements in the quantity, accessibil…

The impact of gender discrimination on poverty in Brazil

This paper analyses the effects of gender discrimination on povertyin Brazil between 1992 and 2001, using data obtained from the NationalHousehold Survey. A counterfactual distribution of per capita householdincome was estimated, based on a hypothetical scenario in which thelabour market pays equal wages to men and women in accordance withtheir qualifi cations. The results show that, when gender discrimination iseliminated, the percentage of poor persons tends to decline by an average of10%. Results were even more striking among the most vulnerable segmentsof the population, such as members of…

Macroeconomic modelling in central banks in Latin America

Abstract This paper presents an overview of current developments in macroeconomic modelling for forecasting and policy analysis in Latin America, based on material presented at a REDIMA project meeting at the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Santiago de Chile, in September 2007. Some particular issues that arise in modeling emerging economies are described, in the context of recent developments in modeling developed economies.…

Structural change and productivity growth 20 years later: old problems, new opportunities. Summary

IntroductionNearly 20 years ago, ECLAC put forward a proposal for structural change and productivity growth with social equity. At the time, the countries of the region were emerging from the severe crisis of the 1980s, with all its associated difficulties in terms of internal stabilization and external adjustment, and heading into a decade of structural reform which heeded the call of the Washington Consensus. In the midst of perplexity and pessimism regarding the region's prospects, ECLAC espoused a view of the situation that ran counter to the orthodox line of thought that marked econo…

Capital flows to Latin America: recent developments

In the midst of broad global market turmoil and mounting fears of a recession in the U.S., emerging markets have shown strong growth and economic resilience. For the first time in recent history, the external meltdown has not sparked capital flight from Latin America. Quite the contrary, Latin American markets have been seen by investors as a safe haven from the supbprime woes afflicting the U.S. economyDespite showing significant resilience, Latin American debt spreads widened in the first quarter of 2008, and after reaching record lows in May 2007, they are now re-approaching pre-Asian crisi…

Structural change and productivity growth, 20 years later: old problems, new opportunities

IntroductionNearly 20 years ago, ECLAC put forward a proposal for structural change and productivity growth with social equity. At the time, the countries of the region were emerging from the severe crisis of the 1980s, with all its associated difficulties in terms of internal stabilization and external adjustment, and headed into a decade of structural reform which heeded the call of the Washington Consensus. In the midst of perplexity and pessimism regarding the region's prospects, ECLAC espoused a view of the situation that ran counter to the extremely orthodox line of thought that mar…

The United States subprime mortgage crisis and its implications for the Caribbean

The bursting of the property bubble – subprime mortgage crisis – in 2007 in the United States has engendered panic, recession fears and turmoil in the global financial system. Although the United States economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2007, down from 4.9 per cent in the previous quarter, day by day worsening scenarios emerge, from escalating oil prices, to a depreciating dollar and financial institutions’ bailout by the Federal Reserve. Many economists and policy makers share the view that a subprime-led recession – i.e. two consecutive quarters with negative growth – is in…

The global information society: a statistical view

The aim of this publication is twofold. The first is to present a coherent picture of the state of the information society in the world. To achieve this, the publication presents available statistical data based on a core set of internationally agreed information and communication technology (ICT) indicators. The second aim of the publication is to show recent developments in ICT measurement and, importantly, highlight the considerable gaps that remain.…

The middle class and the development process

Stable, higher income democracies often have both a strong middle class and relatively low levels of inequality. In contrast, lower and middle income countries with highly unequal patterns of income distribution and stratified social structures often have a weak middle class, more social conflict and a tendency to populist and/or authoritarian politics. This paper investigates, for a sample of more than 120 countries, some empirical correlations between the size of the middle class and the following set of variables: the level (mean); of per capita income and wealth, the degree of inequality (…

Female-headed single-parent households and poverty in Costa Rica

Average real family incomes rose in Costa Rica in the late 1990 sand at the start of the new decade, but poverty rates did not fall. Hereit is argued that economic growth in the country did not translate intoreduced poverty during this period because of changes that took placein household structure and in the labour market, and that these changeshad an important gender dimension Specifically, a rising proportion offemale-headed single-parent households led to an increase in the numberof women with children entering the labour force, many of them for thefirst time. Many of these mothers were un…

United States economic outlook: quarterly developments

Anuario Estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe 2007 = Statistical Yearbook of Latin America and the Caribbean 2007

En la presente edición del Anuario estadístico de América Latina y el Caribe 2007 se mantienen los cambios de contenido y de diseño introducidos en el año 2005. El propósito es responder a las nuevas exigencias de los usuarios analizan la situación económica y social de la región e incorporar los avances tecnológicos que modifican la difusión y el uso de la información estadística. El Anuario cuenta con cuatro capítulos. En el primer capítulo se presentan los indicadores demográficos y sociales, que reflejan el esfuerzo especial realizado para incluir la dimensión de género en la información …

Trade, investment and fragmentation of the global market: is Latin America lagging behind?

This document has the purpose of contributing to the analysis of trends and prospects of Latin America's insertion into the new global scenario, characterized by a growing integration of national economies – through trade, investment, finance, etc. – and the increasing internationalization of the so-called global value chains (GVCs).The opportunities and challenges presented by this GVC phenomenon are different and their effects not always homogeneous. In this paper, we study their impact on the developing economies, focusing particularly on Latin America. The insertion into the GVCs may …

Impact of changes in the European Union import regimes for sugar, banana and rice on selected CARICOM countries

This document examines the effects on CARICOM countries of changes in the EU import regimes for banana, rice and sugar. Changes have been pursued by the EU since the formation of the Single Market in 1992 and were determined by both internal and external factors - cost to the EU budget and WTO requirements, respectively. Changes were made to tariff quotas affecting mainly non ACP exports of bananas to the EU market; reduction in the price of sugar in the EU market and reduction in both price and tariffs in the EU rice market.…

Tourism in the Caribbean: competitiveness, upgrading, linkages and the role of public private partnerships (PPP) and public policy

The main purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the contributions that publicprivate partnerships and public policy have made in the development of tourism in the Caribbean as tools for enhancing competitiveness in the Caribbean tourism industry. The paper explores these contributions mainly in the context of the upgrading strategies that Caribbean countries have pursued over the past 15 years or so and using the lens of the tourism value chain and tourism cluster approach. The paper also analyzes the potential roles that public-private partnerships and public policy will continue to …

Tourism in the Caribbean: competitiveness, upgrading, linkages and the role of public private partnerships (PPP) and public policy

The main purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the contributions that publicprivate partnerships and public policy have made in the development of tourism in the Caribbean as tools for enhancing competitiveness in the Caribbean tourism industry. The paper explores these contributions mainly in the context of the upgrading strategies that Caribbean countries have pursued over the past 15 years or so and using the lens of the tourism value chain and tourism cluster approach. The paper also analyzes the potential roles that public-private partnerships and public policy will continue to …

Selected statistical indicators of Caribbean countries Vol. XX