The purpose of this study is to survey the evaluation literature on active labor market programs (ALMPs) in the Nordic labor market in order to provide a general overview of the success and failure of different types of ALMPs as well as a more detailed account of the Nordic experience with targeted programs towards vulnerable groups such as unemployed youth and immigrants. The consensus in the evaluation literature is that the types of ALMPs that are efficient in reducing unemployment duration and increasing employment chances for the unemployed in general are also the most efficient for vulne…
The bursting of the property bubble – subprime mortgage crisis – in 2007 in the United
States has engendered panic, recession fears and turmoil in the global financial system. Although
the United States economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2007, down from 4.9 per
cent in the previous quarter, day by day worsening scenarios emerge, from escalating oil prices,
to a depreciating dollar and financial institutions’ bailout by the Federal Reserve. Many
economists and policy makers share the view that a subprime-led recession – i.e. two consecutive
quarters with negative growth – is in…
The European Commission (EC) recently tabled a Green Paper on the future relations
between the European Union (EU) and the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs). The
document is intended to spark a broad public debate on the opportunity of replacing the current
Overseas Association Decision (OAD) of 2001 with an “innovative partnership” for the
territories when the present agreement expires on 31 December 2013. The Commission will
hold an online consultation covering the issue from 1 July to 17 October 2008. This remains
without prejudice to a possible revision of the OAD before the end of…
During the last years, the steep increase in food prices has been one of
the most distinctive characteristics of the world economy. Many factors
have been hypothesized as the main drivers of this phenomenon, both
structural and temporary. International food inflation has had perceptible
effects on food importing countries and regions. As such, the Caribbean has
suffered the impact mainly through four channels, namely, domestic
inflation, imports bill and trade balance, poverty and indigence rates, and
equity. This study addresses empirically these issues from a regional
perspective.…
The White Paper draws on interoperability experience and projects in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago, which provided the basis for the architecture of the Latin America and Caribbean interoperability platform designed by ECLC.1 The European Union's experience with interoperability —in the form of studies, practices and agreements that are potentially useful to the Latin American and Caribbean countries as they discuss interoperability— has also been instructive.The Paper provides definitions to serve as a framework for discussion, and as a starting point for explor…
International trade in food products has expanded significantly during the past few decades. These products include fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, fish, live animals and meat, nuts, and spices. However, international trade of these products is subject to a huge array of standards and regulations imposing potentially large compliance costs to many developing country suppliers.Standards and regulations apply to both the products themselves and the processes by which they are processed, handled, packed, etc. and respond to health concerns, consumer preferences and strategic commercial…
One of the characteristics of globalization has been the markedvolatility of financial flows. The realization that this was affecting growth andequity induced the International Conference on Financing for Development,held in Monterrey in 2002, to adopt a global commitment to deal with theissue of development financing. Since then there has been a mixture ofprogress, backsliding and inaction. This article conducts a brief review offinancial globalization and the current global crisis. It then examines theMonterrey Consensus, the evaluations by the United Nations Secretariatof compliance with th…
Few developing countries have succeeded in consistently closing theincome gap with the world's richest nations without proactive governmentaction in pursuit of economic transformation and a dynamic role in theglobal economy. Two factors are crucial here: the development andimplementation of a medium- and long-term strategy to achieve rapideconomic transformation, and the support provided to this strategy by apublic-private alliance forged by means of a social process suited to localconditions. This article analyses the way alliances of this kind operate in10 countries outside the region d…
This article reviews the formal institutional framework forimplementing rural development policies in Guatemala, which originatedin the State modernization process promoted through the Peace Accords.The main thesis is that rural development policies will be more efficientif they are based on the institutional framework that the Peace Accordsprovided, which distinguishes between three levels of government: central,deconcentrated and decentralized. While the two sub-national levelsexecute 43% of total public investment, central government needs to targetthe budget on poor zones, cut subsidies to…
Video con el discurso completo de la Secretaria Ejecutiva de la CEPAL, Alicia Bárcena
Video con la conferencia magistral del Presidente de México, Felipe Calderón…
En un trabajo de 1992, Krugman declara que la teoría del Desarrollo ha muerto, que ha pasado al olvido, en el marco de una disciplina que se ha volcado al formalismo matemático y al equilibrio general. Efectivamente, la moderna Teoría del Crecimiento se expresa a través de un algoritmo de equilibrio en el que desarrollo se equipara a crecimiento del producto per cápita y se estudia por vía de modelos formales en los que están ausentes las instituciones, la incertidumbre, las imperfecciones del mercado y las asimetrías de información y oportunidades entre los agentes económicos. En …