The Caribbean Outlook. Summary

Economic development patterns in the six nations of Central America (1950–2018): Executive summary

This publication presents an overview of the history of growth and structural transformations in the six Central American countries between the mid-20th century and the end of the 2010s. The authors identify lights and shadows in the historical experience of countries to illuminate reflection on future development strategies and policies. The analysis is based in the historical-structural approach of Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), whose purpose is to examine the movement in the national productive and social structures over time, considering the endowment of r…

Provisional agenda. Sixty-third meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

Capital flows to Latin America and the Caribbean: First eight months of 2022

Against a backdrop of tightening global financing conditions, total Latin American and Caribbean bond issuance in international markets in the first eight months of 2022 was down more than 50% from the same period in 2021. International bond issuance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) bonds —including green, social, sustainability and sustainability-linked bonds— from the region also slowed in the first eight months of 2022, albeit less markedly than total issuance. The share of these bonds in the region’s total issuance increased to 34% from 31% in the year-earlier period. Capital …

The Hummingbird Vol. 9 No. 10

Annotated provisional agenda. Twenty-ninth session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Provisional agenda. Twenty-ninth session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Proposed Programme of Work for 2022. Subprogramme 12: Subregional activities in the Caribbean. Twenty-ninth session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Implementation of the 2021 programme of work. Subprogramme 12: subregional activities in the Caribbean

Proposed Programme of Work for 2023. Subprogramme 12: Subregional activities in the Caribbean. Twenty-ninth session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Decentring GDP: Well-being, care and time

In recent years, a number of proposals have highlighted how restrictive it is to use gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of well-being. This document takes up those criticisms and also showcases the limitations of GDP as a measure of output. What GDP measures and what it excludes is a product of conventions that reflect androcentric biases. The failure to appraise natural resources and non-remunerated services produced by households results in a skewed perspective on the economy that focuses on markets and neglects other processes that are essential to human life. The Latin American and …

Addressing gender disparities in education and employment: A necessary step for achieving sustainable development in the Caribbean

Considering the vital importance of gender equality to development and the specific promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind, girls and boys should be provided with equal opportunities to achieve their fullest potential as promoted in specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related targets. Noting that the 2020–2029 decade has been termed the “Decade of Action” for sustainable development, there is the need for the Caribbean to urgently address its human capital development challenge even as the subregion deals with many economic, social, and envi…

Education in Latin America at a crossroads. Regional monitoring report SDG4 - Education 2030

In 2015, the United Nations General Assembly approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This agenda, through Sustainable Development Goal 4, defines the importance of an inclusive, equitable and quality vision for education. This publication takes stock of the implementation of SDG4-E2030 in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 2015-2021 cycle, analyzing the achievements and recognizing the challenges for the fulfillment of educational goals in the region. The report identifies the educational trends of the period, and highlights that, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the achiev…

Provisional agenda. Fifteenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean

Resilient and affordable housing in the Caribbean: Policy recommendations towards a transformative, green and inclusive recovery strategy. Policy Brief

The Caribbean faces multidimensional vulnerabilities driven by climate change and aggravated by Small Island Developing States’ natural and economic characteristics (SIDS). A critical natural feature of SIDS is the extreme vulnerability to climate-change-induced events. Economically, the Caribbean has followed the global trend of seeing its urban areas swell during the last decades. Moreover, the region’s coastal areas expose human settlements, infrastructure, and businesses to external shocks, such as climate change-induced extreme weather events. In addition, the 2019 novel coronavirus disea…

Natural Resources in Latin America and the Caribbean - No.4

Drinking water and electricity are basic services that proved essential to counter the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. At the same time, they represented an opportunity for investment to spur economic recovery in the countries of the region. Since the early months of 2022, they have been particularly threatened by the impact of the war in Ukraine on the world prices of fossil fuels, which are basic inputs for both sectors. Together with higher prices for edible oils, cereals and fertilizers, this has led to a rise in poverty and in energy, water and food insecurity in the region. In Latin Ameri…

Policy imperatives for the timely production and dissemination of quality and relevant statistics in the Caribbean. Policy Brief

Many international development agendas highlight the importance of quality data for sustainable development. With the advent of the data revolution for sustainable development, stakeholders have underscored the value of timely, usable data in informing decision-making and for monitoring progress and evaluating outcomes, be it in relation to national development planning or as regards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other international development agendas. Crucially, the COVID-19 pandemic, more than anything else in recent times, has demonstrated the value of tim…

A change of reference year for annual regional aggregates in national accounts

Changes of base or reference year in countries’ systems of national accounts are a normal part of statistical work. They are an opportunity to incorporate into measurements, for the base year and those that follow or precede it, all the progress in concepts, methodologies and information sources that has occurred since the last estimate of gross domestic product (GDP). The System of National Accounts 2008 (2008 SNA) recommends that this type of updating be carried out at least every five years to reflect the current behaviour of the different economic sectors, thereby providing better tools fo…

Child, early and forced marriage and unions: Harmful practices that deepen gender inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean

Child, early and forced marriage and unions are a reality in Latin America and the Caribbean, albeit not a highly visible one. This is a complex phenomenon associated with gender inequalities, violence, poverty, school dropout, adolescent pregnancy and inadequate, limited or non-existent legal and political frameworks, and it puts the present and future of girls and adolescent girls in jeopardy. These practices are both the cause and the consequence of women’s limited physical, economic and decision-making autonomy, and they disproportionally affect girls and adolescent girls in rural areas an…

Disaggregating data in household surveys: Using small area estimation methodologies

Household surveys are widely used as a tool for obtaining information on people's socio-economic status and well-being. However, the accuracy of household survey estimates decreases significantly when it comes to making inferences for population groups who represent disaggregations for which the survey was not designed. It is possible, in this context, to use estimation processes that combine information from household surveys with existing auxiliary information at population level, such as censuses or administrative records. This paper offers a methodological guide to the combination of …