Natural Resources in Latin America and the Caribbean - No.6

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development emphasizes the importance of implementing equitable and effective measures to tackle the pressing challenge of climate change. The deployment of low-carbon technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines and lithium-ion batteries, which are highly mineral-intensive, will drive a mining boom in Latin America and the Caribbean. The presence of lithium, copper, nickel and other minerals in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean presents opportunities to develop the mining sector, diversify production, add upstream and downstream value, establ…

Demographic Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean 2024. Population Prospects and Rapid Demographic Changes in the First Quarter of the Twenty-first Century in Latin America and the Caribbean

This 2024 edition of the Demographic Observatory presents the main demographic indicators for Latin America and the Caribbean according to the 2024 revision of population estimates and projections of the United Nations, comparing them with the 2000 revision to highlight the main demographic changes in the region since the turn of the twenty-first century. Analysis of the two revisions shows that birth and death rates declined more rapidly than anticipated in 2000, except during the pandemic, when the death rate climbed sharply, and that net migration was lower than expected. The change in the …

International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2024: Reconfiguration of global trade and options for regional recovery

This edition of the International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean analyses how the complex global context, marked by increased protectionism, geopolitical tensions and shipping disruptions, is affecting the region’s international trade. It examines the role of international trade in regional food security —and the lack thereof, especially in the Caribbean— despite the region being the world’s leading net food exporter. It also analyses the role of modern services as a driver of exports. Recommendations for the development of modern services include reducing restrictions, harm…

Climate change financing in the Caribbean: an analysis from a gender perspective

Addressing gender inequality in climate finance is crucial for reducing women’s vulnerability to climate hazards, especially in the Caribbean where the impacts of climate change are threatening economies and livelihoods. Financial inclusion for women is necessary for sustainable development and climate resilience. This report analyzes gender-based climate financing in the region, examining the global and regional climate finance landscape, and highlighting key issues related to gender equality and women’s autonomy. The report includes: an analysis of challenges and opportunities for gender equ…

The centre-periphery model and the political economy of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean: past and present

This article is focused on the hypotheses of Raúl Prebisch and Hans Singer regarding the centre-periphery model, which is the cornerstone of development theory for peripheral countries. The article emphasizes aspects of theory and policy related to the political economy of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) from the early 1950s to the present. It shows how, since the 1980s, ECLAC economists —influenced by evolving neo-Schumpeterian models and equipped with sophisticated microeconomic instruments— have undertaken a critical appraisal of the import substitution m…

The effects of the coronavirus disease pandemic on the male and female labour supply in Brazil

Using an ordered probit model estimation and quarterly data for the 2018–2020 period from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (Continuous PNAD), this study sets out to analyse the effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) health crisis on the supply of working hours by men and women in Brazil. The results suggest that the pandemic reduced the probability of men and women supplying larger numbers of working hours, and that women were most affected. In addition, having small children reduced the probability of mothers supplying larger numbers of working hours, while for men that …

CEPAL Review No. 144

The weakening of the developmental State in Brazil: an analysis of the political economy of the 1970s and 1980s

This article analyses the weakening of the developmental State and the consolidation of neoliberalism in Brazil that took place through the reconfiguration of interests between social classes and groups, as part of the process of the return to democracy and the struggle waged to install a less exclusionary Constitution. It argues that, unlike in central countries, where the transition to neoliberalism had to do above all with containing the rise of the working class, in Brazil, it took the form of an anti-nationalization vision that gained strength from the late 1970s onward and was driven mai…

Reflections from the Chinese perspective on Sino-Brazilian cooperation in the twenty-first century

Sino-Brazilian cooperation has advanced rapidly in the twenty-first century. Although its successes have made it a model for South-South cooperation, the relationship also faces many challenges. This study focuses on the trade imbalance and the resultant risk of “deindustrialization” for Brazil, proposing that fostering technology transfer in the context of investments and situating Chinese companies in Brazil are two ways to mitigate its negative effects. However, the main response to these challenges is well-defined, comprehensive development planning by the Brazilian State with a strong com…

The Hummingbird Vol. 11 No. 12

The failure of shock therapy during the Chilean military dictatorship (1974–1979)

This article analyses Chile’s monetary policy following the 1973 military coup and the failed attempt at nominal stabilization during the dictatorship. Two causes of persistent inflation are identified: (i) the narrowing of the fiscal deficit in 1974 was insufficient to curb high monetary issuance and inflation, thus perpetuating the inflation needed to finance the fiscal deficits; and (ii) the perception by economic agents that fiscal needs, financed through seigniorage, would not slow the growth of the monetary base and inflation. This perception kept inflation levels high following the coup…

Structure of employment associated with international trade in Brazil from a gender perspective

This article analyses the volume and structure of female employment linked to Brazil’s foreign trade with its different partners in 2019, on the basis of estimations made from the Brazilian input-output table and on trade and employment statistics. Jobs linked to exports account for a small share of total employment in Brazil, especially in the case of women. Comparing the number of jobs generated by exports with those threatened by imports, the balance is smaller for women than for men. In addition, the quality of export-related employment is below the economy-wide average, for both women and…

Tribute to Maria da Conceição Tavares

This article is a brief tribute to the life and work of Maria da Conceição Tavares, a leading heterodox economist and central figure in Latin American economic thought. Through a chronological narrative, it analyses her theoretical contribution from her time at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to her period as a professor at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), as well as her involvement in Brazilian politics. The article highlights her role as a pioneer of Latin American structuralism, her critical analysi…

Inflation-targeting systems and exchange rates: the role of global financial variables in emerging economies

In this article the authors seek to determine whether global financial shifts are more costly for emerging economies that have adopted an inflation-targeting system than they are for countries that have no such system in place. The countries’ exchange rates and the volatility of those rates are used as yardsticks for measuring these costs. The authors’ findings indicate that, if a country adopts an inflation-targeting system and witnesses an increase in foreign capital inflows, it may experience a greater currency depreciation and less exchange rate volatility than a country without such a sys…

The Caribbean and artificial intelligence: past, present and future

What drives non-financial private sector capital outflows in Latin America?

We analyse gross non-financial private sector capital outflows from six large Latin American economies over the past three decades. While considerable attention has recently been devoted to corporate capital inflows into emerging markets, the accumulation of foreign assets by the non-financial private sector in these countries has been overlooked. The omission is surprising, given that residents’ outflows contribute considerably to the financial account balance and thus to the external financial vulnerability of the region. Moreover, although there are considerable differences between countrie…

Using benchmarking to improve urban mobility: a new tool for building smart cities in emerging countries

Currently, smart city measurements and rankings often overlook key factors, such as size, population and economic tradition, leading to unrealistic goals being set when cities with different histories are compared with unattainable benchmarks. The present article argues that considering these factors can help city planners to achieve more efficient, incremental improvements. Focusing on mobility, this study compares a mid-sized city in southern Brazil with Aarhus, Denmark, a city of similar size and economic tradition. A diagnostic tool was developed to assess the urban mobility strengths and …

Report of the activities carried out by the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES), 2023-2024

Urgent action to prevent and eliminate femicides

Gender-based violence against women and girls and its most extreme manifestation —femicides, feminicides or gender-related killings of women and girls— are a dramatic illustration of the persistent structural challenges of gender inequality that affect women and girls in Latin America and the Caribbean. Bulletin No. 3 on feminicidal violence presents the official statistics submitted by the region’s countries to the Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean on cases of femicides, feminicides and gender-related killings of women reported in 2023. This bulletin is part of t…

The trap of high inequality and low social mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean: An obstacle for inclusive and sustainable social development

Extreme inequality, which characterizes Latin America and the Caribbean across multiple dimensions, constitutes a trap that hinders progress towards sustainable development. It is unacceptable from a rights and social justice perspective, counterproductive for economic growth, and corrosive for social cohesion and for the stability of social compacts. It also perpetuates two other structural development traps in the region: the inability to grow in the long term and low institutional and governance capacity. From an economics perspective, inequality is inefficient for a number of reasons. Acce…