RESUMEN
El presente documento analiza los resultados de las reformas de la industria eléctrica emprendidas por los seis países del Istmo Centroamericano en la década los noventa. Los temas consideran aspectos técnicos, económicos, sociales y ambientales.
Hasta inicios de la década de los noventa los requerimientos nacionales de energía eléctrica fueron cubiertos por empresas estatales casi en su totalidad. A partir de 1993 comienza la participación significativa de productores privados y la reducción de la participación estatal, la que descendió a nivel regional en 2002 a 36,6%. El sector priv…
RESUMEN En este documento se analizan algunos de los principales efectos que la mayor integración económica internacional produjo en la dinámica espacial y territorial de los países de la Región Norte de América Latina (RNAL). La preocupación particular del estudio es identificar los grandes cambios de tendencia en el comportamiento económico de las regiones que integran cada economía nacional, así como sus implicaciones en términos de la cohesión social y territorial. Desde diversos puntos de vista se han abordado con cierta profusión las implicaciones de la estrategia económica que tiene…
RESUMEN
En este estudio se analiza la intensidad tecnológica de las exportaciones e importaciones de Centroamérica y la República Dominicana, cuantificando el proceso de transformación del comercio exterior de mercancías, a partir de los diferentes niveles de intensidad tecnológica de sus exportaciones y de sus importaciones, lo que posibilitó determinar el valor de la balanza tecnológica de la región, el índice de intensidad tecnológica de las exportaciones, así como el índice de comercio intraindustrial ponderado para cada país.
Se detectó que la exportación de productos intensivos en tecn…
“We must be fully aware that while the developed countries became rich before they became old,
the developing countries will become old before they become rich”. This statement made by Gro Harlem
Brundtland, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, at the World Assembly on Ageing in
2002 in Madrid, reflects the challenges that the developing world is facing in the twentieth century.
Population ageing is a global phenomenon, which is having and will have major implications on
all aspects of human life in every society. This process is enduring and irreversible, as observed from
differi…
This document analyses fiscal trends and policies for Caribbean countries. It is divided into six parts. Following the introduction, the second section focuses on trends in government revenue and examines the tax structure at the regional and country level. The third section describes the type of tax incentives granted by Caribbean
governments for sectoral development for selected country cases. The fourth part centres on government expenditure; describes the decomposition of government expenditure and analyses the behaviour of the components of government expenditure. The fifth section deals …
A partir de las Encuestas de Hogares de los países del Istmo Centroamericano, este estudio cuantifica y analiza la magnitud de la pobreza en la región, medida por la insuficiencia de ingresos o consumo y por las necesidades básicas insatisfechas, a la vez que se integran ambas dimensiones. Se profundiza en las causas de la pobreza y se exploran opciones para su alivio, tanto por la vía del mercado de trabajo como del gasto público social. Finalmente, se analizan algunos factores de vulnerabilidad que sufren los hogares con ingresos superiores a la línea de pobreza.…
This paper examines the progress in the implementation of the CSME and what this has meant for the core (trade, investment, etc.); and functional aspects (foreign policy coordination, education, health and social development, etc.,); of integration. A tentative assessment is also made of the relevance of the current mode of integration in light of the opportunities and constraints of the international environment. The paper is divided into three sections. Section one provides a critical assessment of the implementation of the protocols and other aspects of the CSME. Section two evaluates the …
Brazil's electoral outlook and the external backdrop were the main drivers of Latin American credits in the third quarter of 2002, thus the performance of Latin American markets continued to be pressured by Brazil's fate and the ebb and flow of investors' risk appetite. The region had a rare month of outperformance in August, as the prompt negotiation of an IMF agreement for Brazil and the moderation of global risk aversion brought strong returns for Brazil, in particular, and for countries considered high-risks in general. However, risk aversion peaked again in September, retur…
This paper provides an overview of the structure and performance of the Caribbean tourism sector. It evaluates the role of policies and strategies as they impact the growth and competitiveness of the sector. Although the paper is not definitive on the subject, it provides some initial work on aspects of the industry that are not the typical focus of research. These include industrial structure, evaluated in terms of size, concentration, economies of scale and scope, competition and market types, for example oligopoly. Further the paper, examines the concept of clusters as it applies to the in…
RESUMEN En el curso de la última gran ola de globalización iniciada en la segunda mitad del siglo veinte, los países en desarrollo se esforzaron notablemente por mejorar su inserción en la economía mundial, lo cual condujo a un reacomodo en la división internacional del trabajo. Así, los países asumieron nuevos y diferenciados roles, como respuesta a la interacción de factores geográficos, históricos, políticos, económicos y sociales. En particular, en las últimas dos décadas los países de la Región Norte de América Latina (RNAL) modificaron sustancialmente su participación en los flujos mu…
Introduction The study of trade and integration (LC/CAR/G.681) between the Netherlands Antilles and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) was undertaken to assess the nature and extent of trade between the two groups of countries as well as the institutional framework for facilitating such trade. In addition, the study considered integration options for increasing trade, in particular Netherlands Antilles exports to CARICOM. Assessment of the export structures of the two groups revealed similarity in goods and services produced but a more diversified export structure in the case of CARICOM. Th…
Factores tanto de la oferta (tendencias demográficas y educativas); como de la demanda (un sesgo en favor de las personas con mayores niveles educativos); hacían esperar que la posición relativa de los y las jóvenes en el mercado de trabajo mejorara durante los años noventa. Sin embargo, para las nuevas cohortes entrantes al mercado de trabajo la inserción laboral llegó a ser cada vez más difícil. Por otra parte, la situación laboral relativa de los y las jóvenes respecto a los adultos parece no haber cambiado mucho, de manera que el empeoramiento absoluto fue más que todo el resultado de la e…
Latin America has a long history of political violence that include civil wars; guerrilla movements, military intervention, coup d'état, terrorism and others form of violent confrontation. As conflict and terrorism (C-T) produces losses of human lives and destroy assets and property there is an obvious need for prevention and insurance against this kind of risk. Insurance can be provided by both the state and by the market. In countries subject to long and violent conflict there is need for direct provision of insurance and compensation to the victims of conflict and their families. Howe…
Editorial Queremos dedicar este número del informativo de Redatam a nuestro gran amigo Serge Poulard, quien nos dejó en diciembre del 2003. El lanzamiento de la última versión de REDATAM -Redatam+SP (Super Power Special Programme - Serge Poulard) es, entonces, nuestro homenaje a él, su principal desarrollador en los últimos 10 años. Es muy difícil resumir en unas pocas líneas el inmenso significado que Serge tiene para el CELADE, sus compañeros de trabajo, sus amigos y todo el mundo de censos de Latinoamérica y el Caribe. Claramente, uno solo se acerca a la superficie de la grandeza de tan ent…
From November 2001 to April 2003, the International
Monetary Fund grappled with a radical proposal, the
Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism, for handling the
external debt of insolvent governments of developing and
transition economies. That proposal was rejected, but new
collective action clauses that address some of the
difficulties in restructuring bond debt are being introduced.
In addition, IMF is developing a pragmatic and eclectic
approach to assessing debt sustainability that can be useful
to governments and creditors. However, many of the
problems in restructuring sover…
This article puts forth a hypothesis and a challenge.
The hypothesis: structural change in the international economy and in the management of public policy has brought about changes in economic performance, affected employment,
poverty, and equity and resulted in greater insecurity and
uncertainty. The challenge: coping with this insecurity and
uncertainty despite public policy's abandonment of its
historical role and the lack of success thus far of the new
approaches. This study points to the greater vulnerability
today stemming from the labour market as well as
asymmetries in trends in …
Social protection systems have to cope with large
discrepancies between the financing needed to cover demand
and the resources actually available. For this reason, it is
necessary for any reform proposal to include elements of
cost restraint as well as measures to increase the population
coverage of systems. Efficiency and solidarity must improve
together if progress is to be made towards universality of
benefits. Any reform strategy needs to consider not only the
financial constraints imposed by the macroeconomy, but also
the heavy drain on financial resources and the effects on the
fiscal ac…
Stable development and financing of the social protection
system, one of the priorities of fiscal policy in Chile over
recent years, has helped to reduce poverty and indigence,
particularly since the 1990s. The fiscal accounts have been
managed prudently, and budgetary balance and efficient
administration have been given priority over short-term
objectives. Even so, poverty is still a fact of life and the
poor are still vulnerable to drastic falls in income. This means
that an effort is still required to modernize fiscal policy and
develop new institutional arrangements for the social
protecti…
This article sets out to describe the main features of the new
farm legislation in the United States, assess the extent to
which it conforms to World Trade Organization (WTO); rules,
and provide a preliminary assessment of its impact on Latin
America. The article first looks at the new United States
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, identifying
the different mechanisms used to support the country's farm
producers. It then analyses that Act, referred to hereinafter
as the 2002 Farm Act, in the light of the rules established
and the commitments made in the Uruguay Round of the…