In Caribbean small island developing States (SIDS), electrical power outages are frequent in the aftermath of major weather events. While local service disruptions often last a few days after these events, nationwide power grid failures lasting several weeks, or months have resulted in enormous social and economic impacts. In 2017, Hurricane Maria left 90 per cent of the population of Dominica without access to electricity for over four months (Commonwealth of Dominica, 2020) and caused a systemwide collapse of Puerto Rico's power grid that took 11 months to be entirely restored (Campbell…
1 Feb 2015, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 05:22
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This study builds on the Corporate governance and development of capital markets in Latin America report published by the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which looked at the regulatory framework related to the principles of corporate governance in the region and assessed its contribution to the development of capital markets. This book complements the previous study and is the result of a joint effort by CAF, the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB) and ECLAC to identify the key elements of corporate governance …
1 Nov 2014, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 05:21
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This paper reviews the current status of the international fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism, highlighting the importance of its prevention for economic and financial stability in Latin America and the Caribbean. It synthesizes the recent history of international legislation and agreements with respect to the issues, and presents the framework of public and private sector actors engaged in combating these threats. It reviews Latin American and Caribbean countries’ compliance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) (40 + 9) Recommendations, and analyzes the regio…
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…
Job creation continues to be a priority in economic policy because the wellbeing of families depends on the quantity and quality of jobs available. In 2004-2008, Latin America recorded its highest economic growth in 40 years, which has had a positive impact on job creation, in contrast to the minimal improvements in both job numbers and quality posted during periods of slow economic growth. Economic growth is not, however, the only factor that shapes these two aspects of employment. The three pillars of the institutional framework for labour, namely, the regulations governing individual and co…
1 Mar 2003, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 05:21
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Abstract The paper deals with changes in the regulation and supervision of the Latin American financial sector in the aftermath of the Tequila Crisis of 1994-1995. While it finds that both have improved, regulation and supervision cannot resolve all problems; good macroeconomic policy and performance are essential complements. This is especially true because of the procyclical nature of financial activity. The paper presents both regional data for Latin America, contrasting it with other emerging markets, and four country case studies (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico). The latter show how…
1 Ene 2003, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 05:21
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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…
1 Ago 2007, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 05:22
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Since the implementation in 1994 of the North American Free Trade Agreement, trade between the three North American countries has almost tripled. However there are substantial impediments for the efficient freight movements between the three countries. Major obstacles derived from transaction costs which reduce and sometimes eliminate the benefits gained from the removal of tariffs resulting from NAFTA. The paper analyzes North American truck, rail and maritime trade and transportation characteristics and operations that serve as the foundation to identify and quantify transaction costs caus…
This paper examines the progress in the implementation of the CSME and what this has meant for the core (trade, investment, etc.); and functional aspects (foreign policy coordination, education, health and social development, etc.,); of integration. A tentative assessment is also made of the relevance of the current mode of integration in light of the opportunities and constraints of the international environment. The paper is divided into three sections. Section one provides a critical assessment of the implementation of the protocols and other aspects of the CSME. Section two evaluates the …
Resumen La Argentina realizó a comienzos de los 90 una profunda reestructuración en sus industrias energéticas, con una modificación substancial en las modalidades de coordinación, formulación, ejecución, control y racionalidad de las decisiones, en particular en la cadena productiva eléctrica. Al confrontar las bondades que se han propagado ampliamente en foros y reuniones internacionales con las circunstancias socioeconómicas y energéticas específicas que enmarcaron la transformación del sistema eléctrico argentino, por un lado, y las características de ese cambio y el desempeño sectorial, p…
Dada la creciente importancia de la industria de las
telecomunicaciones en el crecimiento y competitividad
de los países de América Latina, esta edición del
Boletín FAL está dedicada a la presentación realizada
por el funcionario de la Unidad de Servicios de
Infraestructura, el señor Patricio Rozas, en el Foro
Internacional sobre Nuevos Modelos de
Telecomunicaciones y Radiodifusión, llevado a cabo
en Ciudad de México del 28 al 30 de octubre de 2013.…
The objectives of this report are twofold: The first is to provide an integrated overview of the governance of strategic minerals in the Latin American and Caribbean region, focused on sharing the economic-resource rent. The second objective is to provide a context for the policy proposal of the Chilean National Lithium Commission (NLC. The collected data, and information, on the various fiscal regimes can be used as a reference for further research.
The objectives in this report are met by analyzing distinct aspects of strategic mineral governance, in three different parts. The lithium-indust…
The liberalization of Maritime Transport is one important element to increase the export competitiveness of a country. In fact, studies remark that, for some countries, the effective rate of protection by the costs of transport is much higher than that of tariffs. One of the most relevant elements in the determination of the costs of maritime transport refers to the efficient management of ports. The global trend towards trade liberalization and integration and economic interdependence led Latin American countries to opt for programs of economic reforms that incorporated the participation of d…
23 Nov 2001, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 05:22
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Preface A central role of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean is the provision of critical thinking and information to governments to assist in policy formulation and evaluation. In meeting that role, ECLAC emphasises the research endeavour and, more particularly, research which elicits new insights and throws up practical solutions and recommendations. This study was undertaken as a component of technical assistance to the Family Law and Domestic Violence Legislative Reform Project piloted by the Eastern Carib…
Although the notion of a circular economy (CE) has been conceived and debated for more than half a century
(Henrysson and Nuur, 2021), it has gained considerable popularity in the lexicon of economists, ecologists and
other development thinkers over the past two decades. The increasing evidence of the existential threat of
human-induced climate change and the related imperatives of decarbonizing the global economy, have led to greater focus on strategies for a more sustainable use of the natural and environmental resource base.…
1 Jun 2007, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 05:30
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Este documento fue preparado por Marlon Ramsses Tábora, consultor de la Unidad de Comercio Internacional e Industria de la Sede Subregional de la CEPAL en México, en el marco del Proyecto IDRC/CEPAL, Reforzando la competencia en el Istmo centroamericano: Políticas e instituciones nacionales, coordinación regional y participación en negociaciones internacionales (CAN/04/001). Competition and regulation of telecommunications: the case of Honduras Abstract: This report was put together by Marion Ramsses Tábora, consultant for the Unit of Internation Trade and Industry for the Mex…
The member countries of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) have called for an integrated approach to development. Despite making significant macroeconomic progress in the 1990s, the Latin American economies reached the end of the decade with relative poverty levels above those of 1980, while labour market conditions have worsened in most countries. To achieve development with equity, it is essential to apply a gender perspective to public-policy formation, as a technical-analytical instrument to accompany the overall ethical-political goal. For the United Nati…
1 Ene 2015, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 05:18
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It has been established for a long time that there is significant dispersion in prices charged for seemingly homogeneous goods. This may happen in competitive markets because the world is not frictionless, and certainly in other markets where price discrimination is carried out by firms with oligopolistic power. This paper is the first survey of the economic literature on price dispersion that addresses the following three key issues: i) its characteristics as a result of optimizing search behavior; ii) its relevance as a reflection of price discrimination and its consequences for social welfa…
1 Mar 2007, 00:00 - 14 Oct 2025, 05:22
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This report addresses the organization, nature, and prospects for labor law enforcement in Central America and the Dominican Republic. It draws a distinction between the Anglo-American approach to enforcement, which is rooted in deterrence and punishment, and the Latin alternative, which is rooted in conciliation and training. And it argues that the Latin approach is--at least in theory--better able to reconcile the labor force's need for protection with the economy's demand for flexibility. Finally, it reviews recent changes in the subregion's labor inspection systems, …
Introduction The 1990s was marked by a process of review of governmental policy towards the attainment of the goal of gender equality and equity. To a large extent, this review process was facilitated and strengthened by the preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women which allowed for assessments and reviews both of the achievements and as well as the strategies for the promotion of gender equality. In this review, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean/Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (ECLAC/CDCC) secretariat convened the Third Ministeria…