The Latin American social agenda in the year 2000

Now that the 1990s have ended and a new millennium is dawning, the low rate of economic growth, the region's vulnerability to international financial instability and the limited progress made in terms of equity oblige us to reflect on the social agenda for the future. An important role in that agenda will continue to be played by the efforts to overcome poverty and indigence, conditioned to a large extent by the region's capacity for economic change and its dynamism in creating large numbers of jobs of higher quality in terms of productivity and income. At the same time, in view of t…

Un compromiso renovado con el desarrollo social inclusivo en la región para avanzar hacia la próxima Cumbre Social Mundial 2025

Con la ambición de fortalecer la institucionalidad social y una mirada hacia el futuro concluyó en Santiago de Chile la Quinta Reunión de la Conferencia Regional sobre Desarrollo Social de América Latina y el Caribe y el XV Foro Ministerial para el Desarrollo en América Latina.…

The role of insurance in social protection

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…

The equity gap: a second assessment

Second regional conference in follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development. Santiago, Chile, 15-17 May 2000 Summary The courses of action recommended at the World Summit for Social Development coincide with the general thrust of the action taken by the Governments of the region in the economic and social spheres during the 1990s. The objective of this document is to weigh the positive and negative aspects of the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean with regard to poverty reduction, productive job creation and social integration within the wider context of economic changes and s…

Equity in the public budget

This article aims to make a walk-through in the virtual reality of budgetary and fiscal matters in order to identify the possible degrees of freedom to achieve a higher level of convergence between the public discourse on equity and the real content of public policies aimed at that goal. To this end, the author explores possible answers to four questions: what is the current meaning of the concept of equity; how much leeway is there in the field of taxation for expanding resources and improving vertical equity; what means are there for giving priority to the objective of equity in managing pub…

An appraisal of capital goods policy in Argentina

This article makes both a theoretical and an empirical analysis of the new policies applied in Argentina since 1992 with regard to the treatment accorded to capital goods: exemption from import duties, with drawback facilities for domestic producers in respect of their local sales. The new system is evaluated through a detailed analysis of its effects on demand for capital goods (section II);; on the domestic supply of such goods (section III);; and on some macroeconomic variables such as the fiscal balance (section IV); and the external balance (section V);. Some aspects relating to the manag…

Investment and financial volatility in Latin America

Financial liberalization and the lifting of capital market restrictions have brought in foreign investment and made more financing available for investment projects,but at the same time have made it easier for financial crises originating in Latin America or elsewhere to spread.Such crises became more frequent in the 1990s,and as a result a more careful study was made of the impact of capital flow instability on investment.Hypotheses derived from theoretical procedures were checked against econometric exercises showing that capital flows have a positive impact,but that negative consequences ar…

Best practices, policy convergence and the WTO trade-related investment measures

International experience shows that cost­free replication and adoption of industrial best practices on a universal basis is a misconception. Rather, it is a matter of a progressive and reciprocal adaptation between external and local practices in which learning costs and times, as well as the need for public and private cooperation, are essential. The potential for convergence of policies, practices and institutions triggered by globalization appears to be greater at the macroeconomic than at the microeconomic level. This article examines such issues in a general way and then focuses on the di…

Fiscal policy and social protection

The inadequacies of social protection in Latin America and the Caribbean reveal a clear need for more active fiscal policies in this area. Although economic growth and decent employment are indispensable preconditions for social progress, the need for financing from public expenditure is ineluctable in the medium term. The present article examines three ways of achieving this objective. The first is to close the tax gap, since the fiscal burden is low in most Latin American and Caribbean countries. The second is to construct budgeting systems capable of removing rigidities and reallocating pub…

Governance, competitiveness and social integration

This article seeks to set forth the grounds for an approach integrating political governance, economic competitiveness and social integration as interdependent variables. To this end, it looks at the possibilities for Latin American society to simultaneously increase its capacity for democratic self-government, improve its economic competitiveness and tackle the main problems of social exclusion and poverty, since if this is not done the region will find it more difficult to take its place in the concert of modern democratic nations. In order to analyse the evolution of those variables from a …

Secretario Ejecutivo de la CEPAL se reunió con el Presidente de Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León

En el marco de su visita oficial al país, el Secretario Ejecutivo de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, se reunió hoy en Ciudad de Guatemala con el Presidente de la República de Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, encuentro en el que dialogaron sobre la agenda actual de cooperación entre el Gobierno y el organismo regional de las Naciones Unidas y exploraron áreas de colaboración para el desarrollo de esta nación centroamericana. La CEPAL ha enfatizado la importancia de que los países de América Latina y el Caribe dinamicen su crecimi…

O Secretário Executivo da CEPAL se reuniu com o Presidente da Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León

No contexto de sua visita oficial ao país, o Secretário Executivo da Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, se reuniu hoje na Cidade da Guatemala com o Presidente da República da Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León; nesse encontro dialogaram sobre a agenda atual de cooperação entre o governo e o organismo regional das Nações Unidas e exploraram áreas de colaboração para o desenvolvimento dessa nação centro-americana. A CEPAL enfatizou a importância de que os países da América Latina e do Caribe dinamizem seu crescimento e o tornem mais inclu…

ECLAC’s Executive Secretary Met with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León

In the framework of his official visit to the country, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, met today in Guatemala City with the President of the Republic of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, where they discussed the current cooperation agenda between the Government and the United Nations regional organization and explored areas of collaboration for the Central American nation’s development. ECLAC has stressed the importance of Latin American and Caribbean countries invigorating their growth and making…

ECLAC Will Release New Figures on Poverty, Inequality and Social Spending in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will present on Tuesday, November 12 its flagship annual report Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2024: The challenges of non-contributory social protection in advancing towards inclusive social development, which includes the latest data available on poverty, income inequality and social spending in the region. This year’s central theme is non-contributory social protection. The main conclusions of the document – comprising four chapters – will be presented by José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, ECLAC’s Executive …

Social Panorama of Latin America 2015

The 2015 edition of Social Panorama of Latin America analyses poverty trends, as measured by ECLAC. It also examines changes in income distribution and in other aspects of inequality. With a view to contributing to the development of public policies to overcome poverty and socioeconomic inequality, this edition examines the latest trends in social spending and the challenges posed by demographic change, and provides in-depth analysis of persistent gaps in the labour market, of the challenges facing policies and programmes that foster inclusion in the labour market and production, and of social…

Guía metodológica general para la preparación y evaluación de proyectos de inversión social = General methodological manual for the preparation and evaluation of social investment projects

Guía para la identificación y formulación de proyectos de vialidad urbana = Guidelines for the identification and formulation or urban roadway system projects

Using universal service funds to increase access to technology for persons with disabilities in the Caribbean

This study examines how Universal Service Funds (USFs) can be better utilised in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to increase access to technology for persons with disabilities. It presents data on disability in the region and addresses key requirements from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It sets out the background, challenges and achievements of existing Caribbean USFs in addition to discussing countries that have enacted but not implemented USF legislation. The study identifies best practices and recommendations for Caribbean SIDS wis…

Proposals for the liberalization of trade and investment in the Association of Caribbean States (ACS)

Summary Presents an overview of the status of trade liberalization in the countries of the ACS and concludes that most countries have implemented substantial trade and investment reforms which have resulted in more liberalized trading regimes and a more welcoming environment for foreign investment. Obstacles to trade and investment are examined and recommendations made in respect of the ACS Secretariat. , 19970324 , Len Ishmael , Publications 1997 Port of Spain …

Bases metodológicas y operativas para la administración de la inversión pública = Methodological and operational bases for public investment management

Presenta un análisis de la estructura de la inversión pública, empleando, dada la complejidad del tema, un enfoque de sistemas.…