Neoliberal reforms and macroeconomic policy in Peru

This article describes the neoliberal experiment of the 1990s in Peru, placing it in its historical context. The central hypothesis is that in that decade the Peruvian economy has lacked an operational system of monetary and fiscal policies capable of functioning without giving rise to serious disturbances in the level of economic activity. The monetary authorities do not possess the basic instruments which have been used in the past to handle adverse external shocks affecting the Peruvian economy, because of two structural reforms carried out in the financial field: the dollarization of the b…

The impact of public investment on private investment in Brazil, 1947-1990

This article analyses the impact of public investment on private investment. Apart from purely ideological aspects, two opposing interpretations may be distinguished with regard to the relationship between these variables. The first is that there is competition between public and private investment, so that the former crowds out the latter. The second is that public investment is complementary to private investment in so far that, by generating positive externalities, it creates favourable conditions for the latter. In view of the relative scarcity of empirical studies on this matt…

Chile and its "lateral" trade policy

This article looks at the bases, objectives and results of the lateral trade policy adopted by Chile in the 1990s. In particular, it seeks to give a clearer idea of the role of bilateral agreements and to incorporate into the discussion the empirical evidence observed in the case of Chile. It concludes that the criticisms levelled at this policy, especially by those who advocate unilateral trade openness rather than other options, are based on an incomplete analysis of basic international trade theory. It is therefore argued that the economic concepts taken into account in evaluati…

The in-bond assembly industry and technical change

This article analyses the export offensive made by Mexico, Central America and some Caribbean countries since the mid-1980s. Notwithstanding the differences between them, in all the countries in question this offensive has been aimed mainly at the United States market, has been stimulated by import tariff privileges and other incentives, and has been based on poorly-paid assembly operations: i.e., it involves the in-bond assembly or maquila industries. This study seeks to determine whether these industries contribute to local technological development. The answer, based on a questi…

Science and technology policy and the National Innovation System in Argentina

This article looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the policies proposed in the Argentine National Multi-year Science and Technology Plan, 1998-2000, within the conceptual framework of the approach taken by the National Innovation System (NIS);. In the light of a severe diagnosis of the weaknesses of Argentine efforts in this field, the new public policies are designed to promote the interaction of the many agents and institutions involved in those efforts, to change the rules governing the allocation of public resources to research, to promote strategic plans and evaluation mechanisms in p…

Concessions and road and rail transport optimization

The Latin American railways faced serious competition from another means of land transport for the first time in the 1930s, and one of the results of this was a significant loss of income from the transport of products of relatively high unit value. This income had covered their fixed costs in terms of management and infrastructure. The financial difficulties of the railway companies drove them to seek aid from the State sector, but in subsequent decades governments gradually lost interest in them because of their financial deficits and dwindling importance in the national economy. The service…

Marco conceptual sobre activos, vulnerabilidad y estructuras de oportunidades

ISO 9000 standards: quality as a market strategy

In a context of increasing globalization it is essential to have a comprehensive system to guarantee the quality of the final products and inputs that are traded around the world. The main goal is to satisfy the expectations and needs of the final customer, wherever s/he may be. The quality management systems set out in the ISO 9000 standards, used in conjunction with third party certification, have become a factor in market success for all commercial and industrial firms that have achieved this goal.…

Las normas ISO 9000: calidad como estrategia de mercado

Con la creciente globalización resulta imprescindible contar con un sistema integral que garantice la calidad, tanto de los productos finales como de los insumos que se comercializan en el mundo. El propósito principal es satisfacer las expectativas y necesidades del cliente final en cualquier lugar que éste se encuentre. La utilización de los Sistemas de Gestión de la Calidad, enunciados en las Normas ISO 9000, así como su certificación por una tercera entidad, se ha convertido en un factor de éxito en el mercado para todas las empresas comerciales e industriales que han alcanzado este objeti…

Construyendo capital social comunitario: una experiencia de empoderamiento rural en Guatemala

Enfermeras universitarias en hospitales públicos y clínicas privadas: percepción de su situación laboral

Estudio exploratorio sobre el mercado laboral y la gestión del personal de enfermería

Las corporaciones de desarrollo en Chile

El control de la evasión tributaria en Francia

Crear confianza desde abajo

Los usos pacíficos del espacio exterior en los desafíos del desarrollo sostenible: algunas aproximaciones en el ámbito de la conservación y uso sostenible de la biodiversidad

El financiamiento de la pequeña y mediana empresa en Costa Rica: análisis del comportamiento reciente y propuestas de reforma

Resumen El desarrollo de las empresas pequeñas y medianas (PYMEs) es conveniente, tanto desde el punto de vista económico, como social. En Costa Rica, las PYMEs absorben una parte importante de la fuerza de trabajo, generan un porcentaje significativo de la producción y empiezan a contribuir en el esfuerzo exportador del país. Sin embargo, las PYMEs no participan, en la forma que debieran, de los servicios que brinda el sistema financiero formal. El acceso a recursos financieros por parte de las PYMEs se ve limitado en diversos frentes. Las PYMEs no tienen acceso a recursos del mercado …

Lineamientos para la regulación del uso eficiente de la energía en Argentina

Resumen Este estudio se inscribe dentro de las actividades del Proyecto CEPAL/Comisión Europea, y tiene por objeto animar el debate para la adopción de acciones legislativas orientadas a promover el uso eficiente de la energía. En Argentina se llevó a cabo a comienzos de esta década una profunda reestructuración energética, en el marco de un proceso de reforma del Estado y de la economía, que ha implicado la transferencia de funciones empresarias del Estado a los actores privados, al mismo tiempo que un mayor protagonismo del mercado. El Estado ha retenido para sí el diseño de la política ener…

Los recursos de las familias urbanas de bajos ingresos para enfrentar situaciones críticas

Resumen En este documento se presentan los resultados de un trabajo de campo realizado en base a entrevistas en profundidad aplicadas a 53 familias, en particular, a los cónyuges de cada unidad familiar mediante sucesivas entrevistas. Los criterios de selección de las unidades, que surgieron tras consultas a informantes calificados, buscaron maximizar el rango de variación de las condiciones de pobreza y deprivación tanto de los hogares como de las localidades de pertenencia. Con criterio intencional, se seleccionaron seis localizaciones de asentamientos precarios, tres de ellos de la periferi…

ECLAC Notes Nº 3

Natural disasters and their impact on the regionThe inevitable restructuring of state-run portsOpinion: Latin America and globalizationHighlights: The problem of traffic congestionIndicatorsProspects for investment in Argentinian gas and oilRecent titlesCalendar…