Building an information society: a Latin American and Caribbean perspective

Abstract New technological options that permit the use of digital systems to create and disseminate information around the world are paving the way for new means of organizing society and economic production and are gradually giving rise to a meta-paradigm that has come to be referred to as the Information Society. Viewed from the perspective of developing countries, the question of how to employ this emerging paradigm to achieve broader development goals and to integrate them more fully into the global Information Society is an issue of the utmost importance on the development agenda…

Macroeconomic policies in times of crisis: options and perspectives

The global economic crisis has put an end to a period of six consecutive years of growth in Latin America and the Caribbean, growth on a scale that had not been seen for decades. This crisis is different from those which had been seen in the past, not only because its origin is different but also because, as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has reported on several occasions, the region is much better prepared to deal with it. The favourable international environment which had been enjoyed by most of the countries of the region in recent years went hand in han…

Economic Survey of the Caribbean 2010-2011: improving economic prospects amid global recovery

This survey provides an overview of the economic performance of the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago, together with the eight member countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU) countries for 2010 and their outlook for 2011. The first section is a summary of the main issues raised in the report including an assessment of the economic prospects for 2011. Chapter II analyses the impact of the global economy on the subregion then provides a comparative analysis of the GDP and sectoral growth performance. This is followed by the subsection on…

Prospects for blockchain-based settlement frameworks as a resolution to the threat of de-risking to Caribbean financial systems

Caribbean countries have been seriously impacted by the trend toward “de-risking” in the global financial system, and this is damaging to their economic security and the ability of Caribbean businesses to innovate. De-risking is the name given to the tendency of banking institutions to turn away from working relationships and lines of business for which the cost of regulatory compliance—and the risk of non-compliance— is deemed to be too high in comparison to the returns. This is a phenomenon that is affecting developing economies around the world, but the small and vulnerable economies of the…

Séptima Reunión - Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible 2024

La Séptima Reunión del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible se llevará a cabo en Santiago, del 15 al 18 de abril de 2024.…

SIDS 4: Now or never for small island survival