Preliminary overview of the economies of the Caribbean 2012-2013

In the face of weak global growth in major export markets the Caribbean economies have underperformed. The situation is much more severe among service producers1 which have suffered the decline in tourist arrivals and offshore banking services. The goods producers have benefited from the commodity boom and have tended to show more robust growth. The expectations for 2013 are that growth will be positive in the region with the service producers growing at 1.5per cent and the goods producers at 3.6per cent. This performance will depend heavily on improved performances in the major export markets…

Trade policy and wage inequality in Chile since the 1990s

Using the results of seven nationally and regionally representative household surveys, this study analyzes the impact of trade liberalization on wage inequality through a channel in which applied tariffs, owing to the preferential margin given under numerous preferential trade agreements, would affect industry wage premiums during the 1992-2006 period in Chile. I find the skill premiums for high-skilled workers there to have decreased, especially after 2000; this circumstance is unlike that seen in most other Latin American countries or during Chile's initial reform period. The results of…

Strengthening biregional cooperation between Latin America and Asia-Pacific: the role of FEALAC

The increasing prominence of developing countries in the world economy reects not only their economic dynamism but also stronger links through increased South-South trade, investment and cooperation. Developing countries in both Latin America and East Asia must act proactively to prepare themselves for this new scenario, adjusting their policies and strategies so as to take advantage of the growing potential of South-South links. In this regard, authorities from both regions should redouble their efforts to identify and capitalize upon their potential complementarities, by creating biregional …

The international trade position of Argentina. Towards a process of export diversification?

This study analyses how far the strong expansion of Argentine exports since 2003 has been due simply to favourable external conditions and how industrial manufactures have behaved. It finds that the country's pattern of international specialization has not greatly altered at the major category level, but that both primary products and manufactures of agricultural origin, which account for much of the trade surplus, have undergone significant changes in composition. In addition, regional trade has consolidated and traditional partners such as the European Union and the United States have b…

Economistas de América Latina y la Unión Europea intercambian visiones sobre el futuro de ambas regiones

Ver galería de fotos (21 de enero, 2013) Connotados economistas de América Latina y Europa se dieron cita en la sede de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) en Santiago, Chile, para debatir sobre las oportunidades y los desafíos que presenta la relación birregional en el actual escenario de turbulencias internacionales. El evento se realiza en el marco de la I Cumbre de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños y la Unión Europea (CELAC-UE), que reunirá a representantes de 60 países los días 26 y 27 de enero en la capital chilena. El Foro Económico América L…

CEPAL destaca oportunidades de cooperación agrícola entre China y América Latina y el Caribe

(10 de junio, 2013) "En el área agrícola hay complementariedades reales entre China y América Latina y el Caribe, que pueden permitir la construcción de una relación comercial, tecnológica y cultural de carácter estratégica, con beneficios mutuos", dijo Antonio Prado, Secretario Ejecutivo Adjunto de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), en el Primer Foro de Ministros de Agricultura China-América Latina y el Caribe finalizado el 9 de junio en Beijing, China. En su discurso ante los funcionarios presentes en la cita, Prado subrayó la necesidad de lograr relaciones comerc…

CEPAL propone fortalecer la cooperación América Latina - Asia del Este

(14 de junio 2013) La CEPAL propuso una serie de recomendaciones para fortalecer la cooperación América Latina -Asia de Este y para aprovechar el creciente potencial del comercio Sur-Sur, en uno de los más recientes estudios del organismo, presentado en una reunión ministerial que concluyó este viernes en Indonesia. La VI Reunión Ministerial el Foro de Cooperación América Latina - Asia del Este (FOCALAE), que tuvo lugar en Bali, durante los días 13 y 14 de junio, reunió a las autoridades gubernamentales de 36 países de América Latina y Asia del Este en un diálogo "región a región". "La crecien…

Experts Analyse Policies for Overcoming Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean

(17 December 2012) Why is Latin America and the Caribbean still the world's most unequal region, despite the fact that most of its countries are experiencing steady economic growth? The persistent inequality in the region and the apparent lack of specific policies aimed at reducing the income distribution gap are some of the issues tackled in the latest issue of the CEPAL Review, which is available online from today. This issue (Nº 108) of the main academic publication of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) includes 10 articles on various economic and social top…

The impact of aid for trade on the cost and time to trade The case of Latin America and the Caribbean

Tariffs and non-tariff barriers having been reduced, the international community seeks to lower other trade transaction costs that are greater in developing countries. As a fruit of the effort, the WTO launched Aid for Trade (AfT) initiatives in 2005. Due to the considerable amount of AfT, there have been discussions on its effectiveness. This study continues the debate by analyzing the impact of AfT on reducing the cost and time to trade in 30 Latin American and Caribbean countries, where 10% of AfT is destined, for the period between 2004-2010, deploying a panel data fixed-effects model.…

Organic food market in the United States: Market access opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean producers

The organic food market in the United States has shown impressive growth rates since the passage of legislation to regulate the market in the early 2000s. Rapidly increasing consumer demand for organic products has led to significant organic market expansion, with double-digit annual sales growth rates for some product categories. The increasing demand to import certain organic products from international sources presents an interesting trade potential for exporters from Latin America and the Caribbean. In order to guard the integrity of the domestic organic market, the United States has deter…

CEPAL y Escuela de Economía de París organizan Foro Económico América Latina y el Caribe-Unión Europea

(18 de enero, 2013) Con la presencia de connotados economistas de América Latina y Europa se llevará a cabo los días 21 y 22 de enero en la sede de la CEPAL en Santiago, Chile, el Foro Económico América Latina y el Caribe-Unión Europea 2013: Globalización, comercio internacional y Estado de Bienestar en la encrucijada: ¿Hay una convergencia de perspectivas en América Latina y el Caribe y Europa? Este evento birregional de alto nivel será inaugurado el lunes 21 de enero a las 9:00 horas por Alicia Bárcena, Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), y …

Inauguración del Foro Económico América Latina y el Caribe-Unión Europea 2013

Latin America-European Union cooperation: A partnership for development

La Unión Europea ha puesto especial interés en promover la cooperación al desarrollo como un instrumento junto con los Acuerdos Marcos o de Asociación. Hoy la realidad de los países que conforman la Asociación Estratégica entre la UE y la actual Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y del Caribe (CELAC), es bastante diferente a la imaginada al inicio de la década de 1990. A casi 15 años del inicio de la asociación estratégica entre la Unión Europea y la actual Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC anteriormente con el Grupo de Río) es importante observar las perspectivas fut…

Preparations for the 20 Year Review of the Barbados Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States (BPoA) and the 10 Year Review of the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation of the Programme of Action for Small Island Developing States (MSI)