Caribbean Small Island Developing States are considered to be particularly vulnerable to external shocks
that stem from changes in climate and the increase in frequency and magnitude of natural disasters.
Quantification of the extent of vulnerability of these islands may be measured by the use of several
indices including the Economic Vulnerability Index (EcVI), the Disaster Deficit Index (DDI), the
Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI) and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI). The capacity to build
resilience may be measured by the Economic Resilience Index (ERI). Of importance in the measu…
This article analyses the relationship between energy consumptionin industry and industrial productivity and the implications of this forsustainable development. To this end, it presents a matrix characterizingeconomies as: (i); converging or diverging in terms of energy consumptionper unit of value added, and (ii); catching up with or falling further behindthe productivity level of the international frontier (the United States);. On thebasis of data from the industrial surveys of four Latin American countries(Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico);, it concludes that the region's evidentspe…
Three empirical regularities have been identified in the financialliterature: bank credit markets operate with collateral, they operate withexcess demand and they coexist with other forms of credit provision. Inthe particular case of less developed countries, the financial structurecomprises the banking industry, the formal non-banking industry andthe informal sector. This paper presents a theoretical model that explainsall three regularities together. According to the model, wealth inequalityin society is the essential factor that explains this dual-dual financialstructure. The model predicts…
Chilean exports have boomed since 1975, growing at an averageannual rate of 6% per year in real terms. In this paper, we use Chileanmanufacturing data at the plant level for the years from 1990 to 2007to investigate the relationship between exports, plant dynamics andproductivity. Our findings are consistent with the predictions of the newtheories of heterogeneous firms and trade. First, 64.4% of the totalincrease in exports is accounted for by new exporters net of failedexporters. This effect is a combination of a larger proportion of plantsexporting, a rising proportion of output sold abroad…
This paper develops a model and explains the determinants of profitmargins in the Peruvian business sector in the 1998-2008 period. Theseare established in a fixed-price scenario, with reference to a set of variablessuch as the price elasticity of demand, the behaviour of possible industryentrants and any regulatory intervention by government. In addition,there is a direct relationship between profit margins and self-financingof investment. Profit margins and profit ratios in the business sector arerising and exceed international norms. The paper also identifies a trendtowards lower levels of …
The objective of this study is to analyse the determinants of thequality of education in Argentina and, in particular, to look at what influencea school's ownership structure has. A multilevel regression model and2006 data from the Programme for International Student Assessment(PISA); were used for this purpose. One of the main findings is that thecorrelation between a school's administrative structure (public or private);and its students' scholastic performance fades when the socioeconomicschool environment is taken into consideration.…
This issue of the FAL Bulletin proposes a
paradigm shift away from the traditional
approach to transport policy in the region,
so as to better address issues associated
with development. It suggests working
towards an integrated and sustainable
infrastructure, logistics and mobility policy
structure based on the principle of co-
modality.…
El presente boletín FAL propone un
cambio de paradigma en el tratamiento
tradicional de las políticas de transporte
en la región, a fin de afrontar de mejor
forma las problemáticas asociadas al
desarrollo; planteando avanzar hacia la
formulación de una “estrategia de políticas
integradas y sostenibles de infraestructura,
logística y movilidad”, bajo el principio de comodalidad.…