Mexico: industrial policies and the production of information and communication technology goods and services

This study investigates the extent to which the digital boom has had repercussions on productive activity, in terms of both manufacturing (ict goods) and services (ict services), in addition to its potential ramifications in the rest of the Mexican economy. Input-output matrices are used and compared to those of Brazil and the United States. Mexico has fallen behind, particularly in the production of ict goods, and the productive chains of this activity have weakened. The ict services sector offers much greater potential than has been exploited thus far, with the advantage that it involves comparatively more value added and has major diversification possibilities. It is considered essential to find more effective industrial policies targeted on the ict goods and services sectors; but the experience of countries such as Brazil, which have applied more proactive approaches with mixed results, suggests that this will be challenging.

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

Includes bibliography

The contribution of biofuels to the sustainability of development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Caribbean trade and integration: trends and future prospects

Includes Bibliography

Rules of origin and trade facilitation in preferential trade agreements in Latin America

Includes bibliography

Trade reforms and trade patterns in Latin America

Includes bibliography

New directions for development banking in the Caribbean: financing to take advantage of unlimited supplies of labour skills and entrepreneurship

Includes bibliography

Trade and maritime transport between Africa and South America

Includes bibliography

The Caribbean countries and the Free Trade Area of the Americas

Includes bibliography

Relative prices in Latin America in periods of low inflation and structural change

Includes bibliography

Argentine industry in the early twenty-first century (2003-2008)

Includes bibliography

Determinants of structural heterogeneity in Mexican manufacturing industry, 1994-2008

Includes bibliography

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

Includes bibliography

República Dominicana: evolución económica durante 2004 y perspectivas para 2005

Incluye Bibliografía

Recent increases in shipping costs and their impact on exports from Latin America

This issue of the FAL Bulletin is based on a study prepared by ECLAC which works out a provisional approach for estimating the impact of increases in freight rates on exports from Latin America during the last few quarters. The total cost of exports from the region reflects the increases in three different components: the quantities exported, the prices of the goods and the freight charges. The influence of each of these is estimated.The information bases used are comprised of data obtained from the World Trade Organization (WTO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) (International Transport Database) and the authors own direct compilation. The conclusion is that total exports from Latin America varied by US$ 5.72 billion in the first half of 2004 compared with the first half of 2003; of this amount, US$ 2,105,000,000 correspond to the variation in price and quantity and US$ 3,615,000,000 represent the increase in export freight rates. When compared with the first half of 2002, the variation is in excess of US$ 8 billion.