An assessment of fiscal and regulatory barriers to deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in Curaçao

The current energy systems within Curaçao depend primarily on high cost, imported fossil fuels, and typically constitute power sectors that are characterized by small, inefficient generation plants which result in high energy prices. As a consequence of its dependence on external fuel supplies, Curaçao is extremely vulnerable to international oil price shocks, which can impact on economic planning and foreign direct investment within their industrial sectors. The ability of the successive governments to source capital for economic stimulation and social investment is therefore significantly challenging. Additionally, there is over-dependence on two of the most climate-sensitive economic sectors, namely the tourism and fisheries sectors, but the vulnerabilities of the country to the effects of climate change make adaptation difficult and costly. It is within this context that this report focuses on identification of the fiscal and regulatory barriers to implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in Curaçao with a view of making recommendations for removal of these barriers. Consultations with key Government officials, the private sector as well as civil society were conducted to obtain information and data on the energy sector in the country. Desktop research was also conducted to supplement the information gathered from the consultations. The major result of the assessment is that Curaçao is at an early stage in the definition of its energy sector. Despite some infrastructural legacies of the pre-independence era, as well as a number of recent developments including the modernization and expansion of its windfarms and completion of a modern Electricity Policy, there are still a number of important institutional and policy gaps within the energy sector in Curaçao. The most significant deficiency is the absence of a ministry or Government agency with portfolio responsibility for the energy sector as a whole; this has: limited the degree to which the activities of energy sector stakeholders are coordinated and retarded the development and implementation of a comprehensive national energy policy. The absence of an energy policy, which provides the framework for energy planning, increases investor risk. Also, the lack of political continuity that has emanated from the frequent changes in Government administrations is a concern among stakeholders and has served to reduce investor confidence in particular, and market confidence in general.

Informe de la reunión de expertos sobre inversión extranjera directa centroamericana (México, D.F., 7 de abril de 2015)

La reunión de expertos sobre inversión extranjera directa (lED) centroamericana se enmarcó en una solicitud de cooperación técnica del Ministerio de Comercio Exterior de Costa Rica (COMEX) a la Sede Subregional de la CEPAL en México. El objeto de esta cooperación técnica fue profundizar en el análisis de la lED realizada por empresas de capital costarricense, examinando sus principales estrategias y los efectos en términos de empleo, competitividad e innovación tecnológica.

La inversión colombiana en Centroamérica

Este documento tiene como objetivo principal analizar las estrategias empresariales que han favorecido el aumento de la inversión extranjera directa (IED) colombiana en los países centroamericanos. Provee un marco teórico para el estudio de los determinantes de la IED, hace una revisión de su dinámica y brinda un marco conceptual que permite identificar, clasificar y analizar los flujos de inversión de Colombia a cada uno de los países centroamericanos.

Determinantes de la salida de IED y efectos en el país emisor: evidencia de América Latina

Desde el inicio de los años 2000, la inversión extranjera directa (IED) realizada por compañías latinoamericanas viene creciendo de manera pronunciada. Si bien la mayoría de los flujos de inversiones corresponden a empresas radicadas en las grandes economías (Argentina, Brasil, Chile, México y Colombia), las pequeñas economías también han sido testigos de la creciente internacionalización de sus empresas locales. Este documento tiene dos aportes principales. En primer lugar, se analizan las estrategias adoptadas por las empresas multinacionales de América Latina cuando deciden invertir en otros países, y se hace hincapié en las diferencias detectadas según el sector y el tamaño del país de origen. Con este objeto, se creó una nueva base de datos, que contiene información cuantitativa acerca de las principales operaciones llevadas a cabo en el extranjero por las empresas latinoamericanas (tanto la inversión en nuevas plantas como las fusiones y adquisiciones), sobre la base del banco de datos fDi Markets y la información de Thomson Reuters Datastream. En segundo lugar, se examinan los efectos que tiene en el país emisor la salida de IED mediante el estudio de un caso correspondiente a Costa Rica, por medio de una muestra representativa de empresas que invierten en otros países.

Determinants and home-country effects of FDI outflows: Evidence from Latin American countries

Foreign direct investment (FDI) by Latin American companies has increased sharply since the beginning of the 2000s. While most investment flows correspond to firms from large economies (i.e. Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Colombia), small economies have also witnessed the increasing internationalisation of their domestic companies. This study examines the strategies followed by multinational enterprises (MNEs) from Latin America when they decide to invest in other countries, highlighting differences by sector and issuer-country size. To that end a new database, which comprises quantitative information on the main operations abroad of Latin American enterprises (both greenfield, and mergers and acquisitions) was constructed, based on fDi Markets and Thomson Reuters Datastream. It also investigates the home-country effects of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) by conducting a case study of Costa Rica through a representative sample of firms investing abroad.

Panorama Económico y Social de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños, 2015

Este Panorama Económico y Social de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños es una contribución de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) a la Cuarta Cumbre de Jefes de Estado y de Gobierno de la Comunidad de Estados de América Latina y el Caribe (CELAC), (Quito, enero de 2016).

Economic and Social Panorama of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States 2015

This edition of the Economic and Social Panorama of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States is a contribution by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to the fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), to be held in Quito in January 2016. This document continues the work carried out since the first summit of CELAC held in Santiago and is a testimony to our ongoing commitment to work in collaboration with the countries of the region.

Revista CEPAL no. 118

Número especial por los 40 años de la Revista CEPAL

Inversión extranjera directa y desigualdad de los ingresos en América Latina. Un análisis sectorial

En este trabajo se analiza la relación entre la inversión extranjera directa (ied) y la desigualdad de los ingresos en América Latina. En particular, se estima el efecto de la ied desde una perspectiva sectorial y se identifican tres grandes sectores: primario, industria manufacturera y servicios. Mediante un panel de datos para 13 economías en el período 1980-2009, se encontró evidencia empírica de un efecto positivo de la ied en la desigualdad de los ingresos provocada por aquellas inversiones localizadas en los sectores de servicios e industria manufacturera.

La Inversión Extranjera Directa en América Latina y el Caribe 2016

El presente informe La Inversión Extranjera Directa en América Latina y el Caribe es la edición correspondiente a 2016 de la serie anual que publica la Unidad de Inversiones y Estrategias Empresariales de la División de Desarrollo Productivo y Empresarial de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).

O Investimento Estrangeiro Direto na América Latina e no Caribe 2016. Documento informativo

O presente relatório, O Investimento Estrangeiro Direto na América Latina e no Caribe, é a edição correspondente a 2016 da série anual publicada pela Unidade de Investimentos e Estratégias Empresariais da Divisão de Desenvolvimento Produtivo e Empresarial da Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL).

Innovation and internationalization of Latin American services

Innovation and internationalization in services are key drivers of structural transformation, productivity growth and overall economic performance in Latin America. The services sector accounts for two thirds of the region’s GDP and provides over 60% of its employment. These shares are higher than in other developing regions, but still lower than in countries with higher levels of per capita income. The spread of information and communication technologies in Latin America over the past three decades has vastly enhanced both the tradability of services and the sector’s propensity to innovate. Long considered unrelated processes, both internationalization and innovation are today widely recognized as key and complementary sources of firm-level competitiveness and human capital enhancement. The advent of many novel types of business and consumer services is furthermore a key factor in the rising insertion of Latin American firms in regional and global value chains and transnational production networks, which are now the predominant form of organization of international production and trade. This volume explores three different levels of interaction between internationalization and innovation in the services sector in Latin America. Part I analyses the role of services in manufacturing and other sectors’ global value chains from a theoretical perspective, drawing on the experiences of Brazil and Mexico. Part II reviews innovation and internationalization policies and their effects on the performance of the services sector. Part III presents a series of case studies on innovation and internationalization linkages in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica and Mexico. The book concludes that, in order for Latin American countries and firms to upgrade into services value chains, public and private initiatives must generate a host of regional public goods —enhanced investment climates, supply of skills, greater access to finance, improved protection of intellectual property, better value appropriation, enhanced efforts at standardization and quality certification— to strengthen the links between innovation and internationalization.

Centroamérica y República Dominicana: Evolución económica en 2015 y perspectivas para 2016. Estudio Económico

En el presente documento se analiza la evolución de las economías de Centroamérica (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua y Panamá) y la República Dominicana (CARD) en 2015, con base en cifras oficiales al cierre del año, y ofrece un análisis de los primeros meses de 2016 y perspectivas para el resto del año. Es un estudio de coyuntura, con información disponible al 30 de junio de 2016. En el documento se ofrece una actualización de la versión publicada en febrero de 2016.

CEPAL Review no. 118

Special issue: 40 years of CEPAL Review