Food safety and agricultural health standards have become a mayor challenge for food exports from developing countries in the past few years (Jaffe & Henson, 2005; OECD, 2003; Josling, Roberts & Orden, 2004; Maskus & Wilson, 2001). As tariff rates were negotiated down in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in regional and bilateral trade agreements, international trade in agro-food products increased substantially and so did concerns over food safety and agricultural health in food importing countries. Several countries, including the U.S, started to pay closer at…
This paper analyses recent trends and future prospects in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), an incomplete customs union of 15 States in the Caribbean that includes most English speaking countries in the region plus Haiti and Suriname. In these small economies, the promotion of exports is of utmost importance, as in the medium term these are the only means to pay for the import of capital goods, intermediate inputs and technology necessary to build up their economic infrastructure. This study reviews first the progress made with reforms to complete the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) …
The countries of English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean have made significant progress in its economic and human development. Most governments have implemented programs and policies of social protection for vulnerable groups of the population, but its sustainability could be jeopardized because of the global financial crisis. In this cyclical factor is compounded by large external debts of these countries, high exposure to natural disasters, limited natural resources, limited economic diversification and some challenges to their institutional capacities. Although short-term policies are needed …
El presente documento es una contribución del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) y de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) a la sexta Reunión Ministerial del Foro del Arco del Pacífico Latinoamericano, a realizarse en octubre de 2010 en Cusco (Perú). De este modo, se da seguimiento a la solicitud que los Ministros de Relaciones Exteriores y de Comercio del Arco plantearan a ambos organismos durante su quinta Reunión Ministerial, efectuada en Puerto Vallarta (México) en noviembre de 2009. En tal ocasión, se les encomendó constituir un comité bipartito para la imp…
Este documento fue elaborado por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), en el marco del proyecto Medir la cohesión social en América Latina llevado a cabo con el apoyo de la Comisión Europea. Con este documento se espera aportar datos estadísticos que alimenten la discusión y el intercambio de experiencias sobre políticas de cohesión social en América Latina. Estas políticas y, en particular aquellas orientadas a promover el trabajo decente entre los jóvenes, serán el tema central de la nueva reunión ministerial del Foro ALC-UE sobre cohesión social, que se celebrará en…
The energy debate has one dimension that is often sidelined: its relationship with poverty and development. This document attempts to shed some light on this aspect, unnoticed when public policies are being formulated.The document describes the results of the joint effort of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Club de Madrid, which highlight the crucial role of access to energy services[1] in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.Access to energy services, as a basic factor for poverty reducti…
The global economic crisis has put an end to a period of worldwide expansion and halted the integration of Latin America and developing Asia with the international economy. Current and expected economic weakness in the advanced economies has led us to look elsewhere for sources of growth. Emerging economies in Asia and Latin America have increased their contributions to world production, finance, and trade in the past decades. In doing so, the two regions have deepened their economic ties with significant implications for the recovery of their respective economies. In this paper we discuss the…
This article examines the effects of globalization on the trade unionmovement in developing countries (the South );. It concludes, first, thatglobalization has been asymmetrical: much further-reaching for tradein goods than for capital flows, weak for technology transfer and verylimited in migratory flows. Second, it examines the role and economicrepercussions of labour unions. It finds that, contrary to the orthodoxview, these have little negative impact on employment but do significantlyreduce wage inequalities. In view of the shift in the South since the 1980saway from developmen…
En los 15 años anteriores a la crisis económica de 2008 y 2009, el turismo había sido muy dinámico a nivel mundial. En algunos países en desarrollo se ha promovido activamente esta área con éxito. Entre estos países se encuentran varios de Centroamérica, entre los que se destacan Costa Rica y Panamá, pues en 2008, dicha actividad generó más de 8% de sus respectivos PIB. El turismo es una categoría muy amplia, que incluye el turismo de ocio, las visitas de negocio y las familiares, pero en general las estadísticas subregionales no proveen información para estos distintos nichos de mercado…
AbstractUsing a GTAP CGE model/database, this paper assesses the possible effects of a free trade agreement (FTA); between the MERCOSUR and the European Union (EU);. The study takes into consideration the most important recent free trade agreements signed among the Latin American countries, as well as the latest European Union enlargements. With a 2004+ benchmark base scenario where tariffs were updated by the addition of information on trade agreements just signed by Latin American countries, two different policy simulations are addressed: (i); full liberalization, (ii); liberalization exclu…
We are pleased to present the second edition of _e Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: a Perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean, jointly prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). The purpose of the report is to contribute information and analysis to the complex decision-making process regarding agriculture and rural development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The last two years have been…
This report is commissioned by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, with the overall purpose of examining the extent to which the pursuit of sustainable development in the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is guided by human rights considerations and, more specifically, to what extent human rights principles, norms, and standards are being integrated and mainstreamed in development programmes and projects, following a rights-based approach to development. For ECLAC itself, this is a relatively new approach…
The social partnership process is acknowledged by most independent observers as an important cornerstone underpinning the rapid economic growth of Ireland. It is seen as a virtuous circle in the economy between government, employers, labor, farmers and voluntary groups encompassing pay, profitability, investment, employment and tax reform. It means that all groups in Irish society have a stakeholding in economic and social progress and in the strengthening of social cohesion. The real secret behind the success of the Irish social partnership model can be summarized in one phrase - a shared u…
Given the risks the world economy is still facing and the ascendancy of Brazil and India as major growth poles of the global economy, government authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean should redouble their efforts to identify and capitalize upon the potential complementarities created by greater integration with the BRICs. In view of the inter-industrial nature of trade between India and Latin America including Brazil, the region should seek to create partnerships between its firms and successful Indian companies, in order to gain access to supply chains that produce more complex, tech…
At the global level, trade in services has been the most dynamic sector, with an average growth rate about double that in the primary and manufacturing sectors. However, the three activities have a completely different composition in terms of type of labour, services being the most skill-intensive. In Uruguay, the formation of human resources shows several weaknesses; which leads one to ask: Is Uruguay prepared to take advantage of the opportunities open in the global market? If not, what are the consequences? A simulation exercise was tried consisting of an increase in external demand for ski…
The present report explains the development path of Korea, from a country which started its development with a lack of natural resources, industrial facilities, sufficient foreign reserves and business experiences and with human resources as its only productive factor at the disposal, to its successful technological catch-up, export performance and economic development. The study clarifies this development by concentrating on the formulation and implementation mechanism of development strategies and policies with the emphasis on trade; the technological capability building process and institu…
Tourism has been a very dynamic activity worldwide over the last fifteen years (until the 2008-2009 economic crisis);. Some developing countries have been very active in promoting this activity and have been successful. Among these countries are several from the Central American region, where tourism accounted for more than 8% of Costa Rican and Panamanian GDP in 2006. Tourism is a very broad activity, which includes leisure, business and family visits, but statistics for this region do not allow a distinction between these categories. Some countries are more specialized in leisu…