Rethinking the development agenda

Includes bibliography

Is price dispersion always an indication of price discrimination?

It has been established for a long time that there is significant dispersion in prices charged for seemingly homogeneous goods. This may happen in competitive markets because the world is not frictionless, and certainly in other markets where price discrimination is carried out by firms with oligopolistic power. This paper is the first survey of the economic literature on price dispersion that addresses the following three key issues: i) its characteristics as a result of optimizing search behavior; ii) its relevance as a reflection of price discrimination and its consequences for social welfare and policy intervention; and iii) the empirical evidence of price dispersion. By contributing to a better understanding of price dispersion, this survey may help in the design and implementation of competition and anti-trust policies

Shipping costs: a rising challenge to the region's competitive development

This issue of the FAL Bulletin examines the impact of shipping costs on the exports of five Latin American and Caribbean countries by analysing the difference between the unit value of goods at the port of origin and at the port of destination, in three of the region's main external markets.

Latin America’s competitive position in knowledge-intensive services trade

This study presents a dynamic analysis of Latin America's competitiveness in trade in knowledge-intensive services. The methodology used to undertake this analysis is based on the Tradecan approach developed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which provides a means of assessing different countries' competitiveness by looking at their exports to the fastest-growing markets. (In the past, it has usually been applied primarily to exports of goods.) The results suggest that, although some Latin American countries have made inroads in knowledge-intensive service segments and have comparative advantages in them, the percentage of "rising stars" (dynamic sectors in which a country or region is gaining in market share) is still low, while there is a high percentage of "missed opportunities" (dynamic sectors in which a country or region is losing market share). This points up the existence of areas in which the region's competitive position is weak and in which policies are needed to leverage its competitive advantages and remove the obstacles that are holding it back from establishing a more advantageous position in knowledge-intensive service markets.

Are we building competitive and liveable cities?: Guidelines for developing eco-efficient and socially inclusive infrastructure

This guideline jointly published by The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), in partnership with the Urban Design Lab of the Earth Institute, Columbia University, provides practical tools for city planners and decision makers to reform urban planning and infrastructure design according to the principles of eco-efficiency and social inclusiveness. It includes case studies from the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, Japan and Sri Lanka.