Caribbean Outlook 3: Economic recovery and repositioning in the era of COVID-19. Policy Brief

The economies of the subregion were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those dependent on tourism. As a result, the Caribbean has seen a reversal of the hard-won gains achieved in growing their economies and reducing unemployment and inequality. The inflation stemming from pandemic supply chain disruption, which has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, has made the sustained uptick in economic performance beyond pre-pandemic levels unlikely, notwithstanding strong growth estimates for 2021 and 2022. The last two years have taught the region that continued ‘business as usual’ is…

The transformation of collective action in Latin America

We are witnessing the disappearance of the traditional paradigm that viewed the structural position as the determining factor in shaping collective action and social actors. Because of the structural and cultural changes that have occurred in the world and the region -the transformation of Latin America's weak national Statecentred industrial society and the break-up of the traditional relationships between State and society- collective action is tending to take shape mainly along four axes: political democratization; social democratization or the struggle against exclusion and for citize…

A cultural view of the ECLAC proposals

This article argues that the ECLAC proposal for changing production patterns with social equity should take account of the cultural features of the region's societies. It therefore examines the ECLAC proposal from. a cultural standpoint, with special attention to the links between citizenship, economic development and modernity (section II);. It then analyses the processes of internationalization of culture, the relation between cultural identity and citizenship, and the impact of the processes of internationalization of culture on the region (section III);. It goes on to examine one of t…

The cultural industry and new codes of modernity

Within the context of the globalization of the economy, communication and culture and the transition towards societies based on information and knowledge, the sustained development of the cultural industry stands out as a priority means for the articulation of society. For at least the last three decades, culture has been increasingly linked with the growth of the social communication media. Indeed, the cultural industry is becoming a strategic sector for competitiveness, employment, consensus-building, the style of politics and the circulation of information and knowledge. This growing weight…

Alicia Bárcena destacó compromiso de Colombia con la agenda de desarrollo post-2015

La Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), Alicia Bárcena, destacó el miércoles 18 de febrero durante una visita a Bogotá el liderazgo y compromiso de Colombia con la agenda de desarrollo después de 2015 que se discute a nivel global y que contempla el reemplazo de los actuales Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM) por los futuros Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). Bárcena participó en una ceremonia encabezada por el Presidente de Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, donde se firmó un decreto que crea la Comisión Interinstitucional de Alto Niv…

Strategies for Post COVID-19 Recovery in the Caribbean

A competitiveness index for the regions of a country

This article, which forms part of a comprehensive research projecton measuring the level of competitiveness, sets out a proposal fordeveloping an index to measure the competitiveness of the regions of acountry. The aim is to develop a new approach to competitiveness, bymeasuring how resources and capacities are managed in a given regionof a country, to generate a sustained increase in business productivity andthe well-being of its population. The following pillars of the competitivenessof regions are identified: (i); government and institutions; (ii); economicdevelopment; (iii); productive inf…