Resumen El proceso de Descentralización Fiscal que se instrumenta en México ha logrado dinamizar las relaciones fiscales intergubernamentales del País y fortalecido su Sistema de Coordinación Hacendaria. Las principales medidas adoptadas son el aumento de las Participaciones federales a estados y municipios, la liberación de algunas fuentes tributarias federales a estos, y la transferencia de recursos y funciones federales de gasto. Los grandes desafíos de este proceso son lograr un equilibrio en la división de funciones y recursos financieros entre los tres ámbitos de gobierno: Federal, Est…
The context in which society develops has changed. The principles of democracy and human rights, in addition to the explosive development of communications, have encouraged citizens' desire for involvement in many areas which formerly had been the preserve of the State. This is also reflected in the attitudes of public utility customers, who are no longer prepared to accept mediocre service from the bodies responsible; on the contrary, they are increasingly putting pressure on those bodies, demanding better service in return for the charges they pay. Road agencies are no exception. They…
Las condiciones en que se desenvuelve la sociedad han cambiado. Los principios de democracia y derechos de las personas, además del explosivo desarrollo de las comunicaciones, han fomentado los deseos de participación ciudadana en muchos ámbitos reservados antes solo a las esferas del Estado. Ello se refleja también en la actitud de los usuarios de servicios públicos, quienes ya no aceptan recibir cualquier tipo de atención de parte de los entes encargados; por el contrario, los usuarios ejercen una creciente presión sobre ellos, demandando mejores servicios a cambio de las tarifas pagadas. Lo…
Abstract Concentration in liner shipping means that relatively larger shipping companies are increasing their market share at the expense of the remaining smaller players. Although this process is not new, it has gained strength and is particularly affecting ports and shipping services in developing regions. Because trade is growing as a proportion of world GDP, governments and international organizations attach an increasing priority to improving ports and shipping services. This leads to deregulation, which, together with technological advances, increases the incentives for shipping companie…
Great social inequality has long been a frustrating feature of the economic development of Latin America, which has rightly been described as the region of the world with the highest levels of inequality of income distribution. Although the prevailing levels of poverty are lower than those typical of other parts of the developing world, they are still extremely high and, taking the region as a whole, are higher now than they were before the debt crisis. These are the conditions now confronting the new elements which have changed the economic and social dynamics of the region. Special mention m…
Public military expenditure (PME); has been analysed very little in the region, mainly for political reasons, which also limit access to the relevant information. Because of various events, however, it is beginning to be the subject of economic analysis both by governments and by multilateral bodies, especially with regard to its most appropriate level (how much is enough?);, its opportunity cost (what are its direct and indirect economic impacts?);, and its cost-effectiveness as a system of acquiring arms (what is its effect per monetary unit?);. According to the most conservative estimate, b…
After more than a decade of economic reform and structural adjustment in the developing countries, there is increased recognition that economic growth and social equity must go hand with hand. This article starts asking what is meant by social equity . It notes that reduction of poverty and improvement of income distribution are two perfectly complementary policy objectives, since less inequality can help both to reduce poverty and to speed up economic growth. It reviews the main elements of the modern theory of distributive justice, covering the ethical and economic dimensions of i…
Is the degree of competitiveness of countries independent of their degree of inequality? Is competitiveness only a question of microeconomic and sectoral efficiency, of the real exchange rate, or is it also a social question? So far, the specialized literature has ignored the problem of equity in the determination of countries' competitiveness. It has then been unable to provide a full explanation of the competitiveness actually observed, however. In this article, equity is incorporated into the production function and also into investors' decisions in a world of perfect mobility of …
This article analyses the relations between the competitiveness of an economy and the labour regulations in force in it. It is argued that economic theory is by no means conclusive regarding the impact of labour regulations on competitiveness, since different schools of thought maintain opposing positions in many respects. Moreover, empirical research has shown that the evidence put forward with respect to these assumed linkages is not very relevant. Various policy consequences follow from this: countries have various strategies open to them and greater leeway that is usually suggested, since …
Almost 60% of the biggest non-financial groups in Mexico carry on at least two types of activities in transnational markets. This article describes and analyses the various internationalization paths and strategies of Mexican firms. This drive for internationalization is taking place against the background of an open export-oriented economy and growing integration with the United States and Canada. There are various national and international factors, as well as others specific to the firms themselves, which influence the strategies chosen and their results. This article consists of an introdu…
Ever since the 1970s, the governments of the region have been transferring public enterprises and other State institutions to the private sector in one manner or another. Privatization has now spread to all sectors of the economy, including drinking water supply and sewerage services. Private sector participation in the supply of these services may bring with it substantial improvements in efficiency, but it does not of itself guarantee a lasting improvement in social welfare, because these services are not provided in a competitive market. Consequently, the results will depend on the system o…
