Big data and open data as sustainability tools: A working paper prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

The two main forces affecting economic development are the ongoing technological revolution and the challenge of sustainability. Technological change is altering patterns of production, consumption and behaviour in societies; at the same time, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure the sustainability of these new patterns because of the constraints resulting from the negative externalities generated by economic growth and, in many cases, by technical progress itself. Reorienting innovation towards reducing or, if possible, reversing the effects of these externalities could create the conditions for synergies between the two processes. Views on the subject vary widely: while some maintain that these synergies can easily be created if growth follows an environmentally friendly model, summarized in the concept of green growth, others argue that production and consumption patterns are changing too slowly and that any technological fix will come too late. These considerations apply to hard technologies, essentially those used in production. The present document explores the opportunities being opened up by new ones, basically information and communication technologies, in terms of increasing the effectiveness (outcomes) and efficiency (relative costs) of soft technologies that can improve the way environmental issues are handled in business management and in public policy formulation and implementation.

Panorama de la Inserción Internacional de América Latina y el Caribe 2014: integración regional y cadenas de valor en un escenario externo desafiante

La edición 2014 del Panorama de la Inserción Internacional de América Latina y el Caribe “Integración regional y cadenas de valor en un escenario externo desafiante”, se divide en cuatro capítulos. En el primer capítulo, se revisan los principales rasgos de la coyuntura internacional y sus repercusiones en el comercio mundial y regional. En el segundo capítulo se presenta un análisis de la participación de América Latina y el Caribe en las cadenas internacionales de valor. En este capítulo también se analizan tres aspectos microeconómicos centrales relativos al aporte que representa la participación en las cadenas de valor para el cambio estructural con mayor inclusión. En el capítulo tres se identifican diversos ámbitos en que la integración y la cooperación regionales pueden contribuir a fortalecer la integración productiva entre las economías de América Latina y el Caribe. Finalmente, en el cuarto capítulo se analizan las relaciones intrarregionales y extrarregionales de los países de la Comunidad del Caribe (CARICOM), considerando la necesidad de fortalecer la integración regional en el ámbito productivo mediante el aprovechamiento de vínculos más allá de los meramente comerciales. También se pasa revista a las diferencias existentes entre países en materia de ingresos, población y estructura productiva y exportadora, en el contexto de una marcada vulnerabilidad macroeconómica.

Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy 2014: Regional integration and value chains in a challenging external environment

The 2014 edition of Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy: Regional integration and value chains amid challenging external conditions has four chapters. Chapter I examines the main features of the international context and their repercussions for world and regional trade. Chapter II looks at Latin American and Caribbean participation in global value chains and confirms that the region, with the exception of Mexico and Central America, has only limited linkages with the three major regional value chains of Asia, Europe and North America. This chapter also looks at how participation in value chains may contribute to more inclusive structural change, by analysing three core microeconomic aspects. Chapter III identifies various spheres in which regional integration and cooperation can help strengthen production integration between the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean. The fourth chapter explores the intra- and extraregional trade relations of the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and considers how to strengthen production integration in the subregion by taking advantage of linkages beyond trade and building on commercial and production complementarities among the members. The chapter also reviews the differences between the countries in terms of income, population and production and export structure, in a context of marked macroeconomic vulnerability.