Social capital means the set of norms, institutions and organizations that promote trust and cooperation among persons in communities and also in wider society. In those formulations of the social capital paradigm (and of the neoinstitutional economics on which they are partly based); which focus on its collective manifestations, it is claimed that stable relationships based on trust and cooperation can reduce transaction costs, produce public goods and facilitate the constitution of social actors and even of sound civil societies. Community social capital is a particular form of social capita…
This article presents a methodological and empirical approach to the measurement of technological maturity in a process industry, such as petrochemicals, at the international level. The main conclusion is that the degree of technological maturity determined in the exercise may vary, depending on the indicator used for measuring the life cycle of the industry. This finding is very important because the conventional indicators of market dynamism or production do not always reflect the degree of technological maturity of an industry or sector. Since technology is a decisive factor in the degree o…
The reforms made in the early 1980s profoundly changed the structure and functioning of the health sector in Chile in both the private and the public subsectors. In spite of the considerable advances made since 1990, however, the public-private configuration resulting from those reforms has not allowed the shortcomings in terms of resource allocation and the access of the population to health services to be overcome. A proposal for reform of the sector should be aimed at developing mechanisms to raise the efficiency and efficacy of the resources allocated to it, as well as incorporating and im…
Resumen Durante medio siglo los gobiernos han operado los puertos estatales como entes sociopolíticos, haciendo caso omiso a las señales del mercado. Al no responder a éstas, los gobiernos han tenido que subvencionar los puertos, aceptar que las operaciones fueran lentas y costosas, renunciar a la introducción de tecnologías que reducen la demanda de estibadores, permitir a los sindicatos monopolizar el manejo y estiba de la carga, y negociar acuerdos colectivos que institucionalizan las prácticas ineficientes. Hoy, en cambio, los servicios portuarios deben regirse por criterios comer…
The indicators were designed and the data collected by the Women and Development Unit of ECLAC in collaboration with FLACSO. The final report was produced by Teresa Valdés and Indira Palacios, who are consultants with the Women and Development Unit.…
Abstract In 1999 Latin America was once again influenced by the adverse international economic environment, which had a decisive impact on the countries' economic policies and performance. As a consequence of the continuing decline in the prices of non-fuel commodities, together with unstable and deteriorating terms and conditions for external financing, the net transfer of resources for the region as a whole was negative for the first time since 1990, and the previous trend towards a widening deficit in the current account of the balance of payments became untenable. The corresponding co…
En 1999, América Latina siguió sometida a influencias adversas procedentes del entorno económico internacional, que condicionaron decisivamente las políticas económicas aplicadas y el desempeño de los países. La constante caída de los precios de los productos básicos no combustibles, así como la inestabilidad y el deterioro de las condiciones del financiamiento externo, se tradujeron en una transferencia neta de recursos negativa de toda la región por primera vez desde 1990 e hicieron insostenible la anterior tendencia al incremento del déficit en las transacciones corrientes con el exterior. …
Road maintenance work has gradually been increasing in Latin America. Existing contracts in Argentina, Chile, Guatemala and Uruguay - 210 overall - account for a total of 20,212 kilometers of public roadways by level of service. In Brazil, Ecuador and Peru, 26 contracts are now in the pipeline for the maintenance of 7,700 kilometres of roadway. This issue of the FAL Bulletin presents a survey of the status of road maintenance considered at the second Seminar of the Americas of the Road Maintenance Training Programme (Provial), held in Lima, Peru from 18 to 21 October 1999 and which examined t…
En América Latina se viene registrando un gradual auge en materia de conservación vial. Entre Argentina, Chile, Guatemala y Uruguay, se encuentran vigentes 210 contratos para el mantenimiento de un total de 20.212 kilómetros de vías públicas por niveles de servicio. En Brasil, Ecuador y Perú, existen 26 contratos en preparación que abarcarán el mantenimiento de 7.700 kilómetros de vías. Esta edición del Boletín presenta un recuento del avance de la conservación vial, analizado en el Segundo Seminario Provial de las Américas, celebrado en Lima, Perú, entre el 18 y el 21 de octubre de 1999, abo…