The importance of the manufacturing sector for Brazilian economic development

Includes bibliography

Infrastructure and economic growth in Peru

Includes bibliography

Structural change and productivity growth 20 years later: old problems, new opportunities. Summary

Includes bibliography

External desequilibrium in the economic development of Latin America: the case of Mexico

Includes bibliography

Report of the Workshop on Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting

Includes bibliography

International trade and inclusive development: Building synergies

Foreword by Alicia Bárcena.

Manual on economic development projects

In this study, projects are not regarded as isolated economic units; they are considered within the context of the entire economic system of which they will form a part. Thus the Manual presents both macroeconomic and microeconomic concepts. From this it must not be inferred that the Manual attempts to offer a combined microeconomic and macroeconomic theory. It seeks to contribute more to an appreciation of the problem than to its solution, thus widening the outlook of those who prepare projects so that they may make the greatest possible compilation of useful data for their economic appraisal.

Gender and the Millennium Development Goals

It has now been five years since the landmark United Nations Millennium Declaration and related Development Goals (MDGs), wad adopted by Member States. The Declaration is a blueprint for action and has created a political momentum which holds great potential not only for improving the rights and empowerment of women, but more fundamentally for achieving the MDGs. The targets and indicators represent concrete benchmarks to measure progress on the eight development goals. The 2000 Millennium Declaration commits States to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women as effective ways to combat poverty, hunger, disease and to stimulate development that is truly sustainable. The acknowledgement that the achievement of women’s rights and equality is central to the achievement of social and economic development is a significant achievement. This issue of Gender Dialogue, looks at gender equality and women’s empowerment and the achievement of the MDGs.

The Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: A Perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean 2015-2016

In this, the sixth in the series of documents entitled “Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas,” the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) analyze the trends in, and outlook for, the macroeconomic and sectoral contexts, agriculture, rural well-being, and policies and the institutional framework in the sector. The document presents proposals for policies needed to enable the region’s agriculture to regain its former buoyancy and to enhance the development of rural areas. It also includes recommendations designed to mitigate the impact of the economic slowdown in agriculture, spur higher agricultural productivity in the region, foster the integrated management of natural resources, and facilitate the successful incorporation of family farmers, young people, and rural women into agricultural value chains.

Regional implementation meeting on access rights and sustainable development in the Caribbean. Workshop on enhancing access to information on climate change, natural disasters and coastal vulnerability: leaving no one behind

This document summarizes the regional implementation meeting on access rights and sustainable development in the Caribbean and the workshop on enhancing access to information on climate change, natural disasters and coastal vulnerability: leaving no one behind held in Rodney’s Bay, Saint Lucia, from 24 to 26 August 2015.

Puerto Rico: Fiscal and economic growth challenges

The objective of this paper is to assess the challenges that Puerto Rico’s economy is currently facing. Puerto Rico’s development experience in the postwar period is briefly discussed in order to understand the nature of the island’s current situation. Puerto Rico’s recent economic performance, credit position, debt situation and fiscal conditions, including its complex capital structure and recently released fiscal and economic growth plan are also analyzed.

Proposal on debt for climate adaptation swaps: a strategy for growth and economic transformation of Caribbean economies

ECLAC advocates that the Caribbean’s high debt dilemma was not principally driven by policy missteps, or the international financial crisis. Rather, it finds its roots in external shocks, compounded by the inherent structural weaknesses and vulnerabilities confronting Caribbean SIDS and their limited capacity to respond. A major factor has been the underperformance of the export sector, partly due to a decline in competitiveness and a slowdown in economic activity especially among the tourism-dependent economies. Caribbean countries have also accumulated debt as a consequence of increased expenditures to address the impact of extreme events and climate change attendant difficulties. Most Caribbean countries are located in the hurricane belt and are also prone to earthquakes and other hazards. Indeed, a disaster resulting in damage and losses in excess of 5 per cent of GDP can be expected to hit any Caribbean country every few years. Moreover, over the period 2000-2014, it is estimated that the economic cost of natural disasters in Caribbean countries was in excess of US$30.7 billion. The English Speaking Caribbean countries are extremely vulnerable to natural disasters.