Tax reforms and fiscal stabilization in Latin American countries

Includes bibliography

Social dimensions of macroeconomic policy: report of the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations

Introduction The social agenda is long-term in nature, in the sense that poverty alleviation along with a better distribution of income, wealth and opportunities are long-term goals. A sound macroeconomic policy, on the other hand, has to do largely with the consistent management of short-term policy instruments pursuing a sustainable and predictable pace for aggregate economic variables and major prices (wages, inflation, interest rates and exchange rates). In spite of the different arena and rationale in which they play, there are strong links between the two. First and most obvious, macroeconomic adjustment and structural reform are more likely to be sustainable when they are equitable. Second, social intervention —i.e., policies, programmes and reforms aimed at improving social performance in the long run—, needs stable funding which is not always available in view of macroeconomic constraints. Third, macroeconomic instability —especially episodes of recession or hyperinflation— increases poverty and inequality, while restoring macroeconomic equilibrium does not restore previous social balances. Finally, there is no unique macroeconomic policy mix to tackle a given situation, and the policy options may not be neutral from a social standpoint. Monetary, fiscal and exchange rate policies, together with structural reform, have major consequences for the social wellbeing of societies, not only in terms of protection against shocks and crises but also in terms of equity. Many, if not all, of the necessary social policies are of a domestic nature. This report thus concentrates on domestic strategies aimed at maximizing the linkages between consistent macroeconomic policies and social progress. Pursuing them, however, depends to a considerable extent on the international enabling environment in which the global financial system, the unsettled debt crisis and increasing ODA flows play a significant role. Countries operate in a world economy where market players everywhere immediately scrutinize domestic monetary, financial or fiscal policy decisions and the performance of exchange rate regimes of individual countries. Under these conditions, the room for manoeuvre of policymakers has become considerably constrained. Consequently, it is becoming increasingly complex to incorporate the social dimensions into such policy decisions, to the extent that external analysts consider that authorities are sacrificing sound macroeconomic policies. The main message of the report is that the expediency of short-term economic efficiency as embedded in much of the advice on macroeconomic stability needs to be tempered by long-term development objectives. The report starts with a short historical background which describes the ascendancy of macroeconomic policies over social development policies (chapter I). It continues with an evaluation of the relation between macroeconomic consistency and social effort (chapter II), and the importance of sustainable and stable growth for social progress (chapter III). The report then turns to the need for an equity-enhancing growth strategy (chapter IV) and an analysis of the priorities of social policies in an integrated approach to growth (chapter V). The final chapter adds some final institutional remarks.

Globalization and loss of autonomy by the fiscal, banking and monetary authorities

Includes bibliography

The competitive real exchange-rate regime, inflation and monetary policy

Includes bibliography

Macroprudential policy: an institutionalist interpretation

One of the consequences of the recent international economic crisis has been the demand for new economic policy tools, to add to the well-established monetary, exchange-rate, and fiscal policy mechanisms. In particular, more effective ways are needed to regulate the financial system and prevent the emergence of imbalances that affect the real economy. In that context, macroprudential policy has been singled out as another economic-type public policy which could help maintain financial stability. Nonetheless, the discussions and development of the literature on this topic are founded on pragmatic considerations that are not directly related to the orthodox or heterodox schools of economic thought. So the aim of this article is to provide an institutionalist reading of macroprudential policy, to understand it in terms of the theoretical content of institutional approaches.

Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2016: Public finances and the challenge of reconciling austerity with growth and equality

Latin America’s fiscal accounts deteriorated slightly during 2015, registering an average deficit of 3.0% of GDP and average gross public debt of 34.7% of GDP. Of the 19 countries considered, the fiscal deficit and public debt as a share of GDP both increased in 11. The region started to build up public debt, most of it domestic, after the 2008 international financial crisis to meet the growing financing needs resulting from the worsening growth situation.

Política fiscal y ciclo en América Latina: el rol de los gobiernos subnacionales

El presente trabajo analiza el rol de los gobiernos subnacionales (GSNs) en la política fiscal de los países más descentralizados de América Latina durante la última década. Esta extensión del análisis al nivel subnacional resulta de gran importancia, teniendo en cuenta que crecientemente gobiernos intermedios y locales son responsables de una parte significativa de las finanzas públicas en la región. En particular, después de revisar la evolución de las finanzas subnacionales a lo largo de los últimos diez años, el trabajo analiza el carácter cíclico de las cuentas públicas y si el comportamiento fiscal se puede caracterizar como pro o contracíclico y las causas de esto. Para ello, se analizan tanto la postura macro y la sostenibilidad de la política fiscal subnacional así como también la evolución de la composición de ingresos y gastos en los diferentes países. El análisis sugiere que, en promedio, las finanzas subnacionales han sido pro-cíclicas durante el periodo, a pesar del hecho que los impulsos fiscales subnacionales han sido relativamente pequeños, en comparación con los de los presupuestos de los gobiernos centrales.

Política fiscal ambiental en el Ecuador: avances y desafíos

En las últimas décadas se observa un creciente deterioro del medio ambiente y una intensificación de los fenómenos climáticos asociados al cambio climático. Es posible, desde el ámbito económico, entender a este deterioro ambiental y el problema del cambio climático como la consecuencia lógica de diversas externalidades negativas (Stern, 2007). En este contexto, la política fiscal es un instrumento fundamental para reducir o eliminar las externalidades negativas asociadas al medio ambiente y al mismo tiempo fomentar el crecimiento económico, el empleo y en general el bienestar de la población. En América Latina existen pocas experiencias, la mayor parte recientes, de uso de la política fiscal ambiental para enfrentar los problemas ambientales, como la contaminación atmosférica, el cambio climático, entre otros. En este contexto, el objetivo del presente documento es sistematizar las iniciativas ejecutadas por el Gobierno de Ecuador en materia de fiscalidad e iniciativas ambientales, analizando los avances logrados en los últimos años así como los desafíos y recomendaciones para avanzar hacia un desarrollo más sustentable.

Descentralización fiscal y crecimiento económico en Colombia: evidencia de datos de panel a nivel regional

En este trabajo se ofrece evidencia de los efectos positivos de la descentralización fiscal en el crecimiento económico regional en Colombia desde la promulgación de la Constitución Política de 1991. La estrategia empírica incluyó la elección de un estimador adecuado para el enfoque de panel de datos, el estimador “promedio del grupo aumentado” (amg, por sus siglas en inglés), que permitió agregar factores determinantes no observados, sugeridos por la literatura, a los factores explicativos de largo plazo tradicionales. La estrategia se complementó con ejercicios que brindaron apoyo a los resultados de i) modelos de corte transversal para diferentes períodos y diversas variables de control, ii) una prueba de la hipótesis de complementariedad entre los bienes públicos suministrados por diferentes jurisdicciones (efectos indirectos), y iii) una evaluación de la convergencia incondicional en las diferencias de ingreso regionales.

Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2008

Includes bibliography

Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2010

Includes bibliography

Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2009

Includes bibliography