NAFTA implementation in the United States: the first two years

Includes bibliography

Development of eco-efficient and sustainable urban infrastructure in Asia and Latin America: eco-efficiency and sustainable infrastructure in the United States and Canada

Incluye bibliografía

A comparative study of health care policy in the United States and Canada: what policymakers in Latin America might and might not learn from their neighbors to the North

Includes bibliography

Review of the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean subregion, 1994-2004

This document contains a review of the implementation, in the Caribbean subregion, of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS POA). It is divided into two Parts. Part 1 sets out an overall review of the implementation experience and identifies the activities pursued, the achievements recorded, as well as the constraints that were encountered in the process. This Part also addresses some of the more general issues arising from the implementation process as the subregion and the international community, in general, sought to come to terms with the SIDS POA, in search of a more comprehensive sustainable development ethos. Part 1 also documents the operational implications of these aspects over the decade that has elapsed since the adoption of the POA. The presentation of the review findings by reference to more or less precisely defined time periods represents an attempt to chronicle the subregional experience in a manner which permits an appreciation of the evolution of the implementation process.

The United States-Central American Free Trade Agreement: fiscal implications for the Central American countries

Includes bibliography

United States-Latin America and the Caribbean trade developments, 2002

This document provides an overview of the most relevant developments in United States trade policy relating to Latin America and the Caribbean in 2002. U.S. policy continued to promote trade liberalization through advancing negotiations on multiple fronts- globally (WTO), regionally (FTAA) and bilaterally or sub regionally- with a view that the various negotiations are mutually reinforcing and seek to create a constructive competition for liberalization" among trade partners. The passage of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) included in the Trade Act of August 2002 enhanced the U.S. Administration's ability to negotiate trade agreements. It provided an impetus to conclude bilateral negotiations with Chile as well as to advance a number of trade agreements currently under negotiation, including negotiations toward the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and bilateral negotiations with Central America. The Trade Act also renewed the Generalized System of Preferences, extended the Caribbean Trade Partnership Act by liberalizing apparel provisions and augmented the Andean Trade Preference Act, increasing the list of duty free products. On the multilateral front, in partial fulfillment of the Doha mandate, the U.S. tabled in 2002 two comprehensive proposals for the reduction of trade barriers on agricultural and non-agricultural goods. Along with these trade liberalizing proposals, the U.S. Administration imposed temporary safeguard measures on key steel products to provide relief to the sectors of the steel industry that have been most affected by import surges. In addition, the U.S. Congress passed the 2002 Farm Security and Rural Investment Act that substantially increased U.S. domestic farm subsidies to shield domestic farm producers from competition from subsidized products from abroad."

United States Trade Developments 2012-2013

Includes bibliography.

First Forum of China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC): Exploring opportunities for cooperation on trade and investment

This document is a contribution by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to the First Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC),(Beijing, 8 and 9 January 2015). The document consists of three parts. The first part summarizes the main components of the international economic scenario for Latin America and the Caribbean. The second part provides a brief overview of trade and investment relations between the region and China. And the third part sets out conclusions and recommendations for improving the quality of economic ties between the two trading partners..

The United States subprime mortgage crisis and its implications for the Caribbean

The bursting of the property bubble – subprime mortgage crisis – in 2007 in the United States has engendered panic, recession fears and turmoil in the global financial system. Although the United States economy grew by 0.6 per cent in the last quarter of 2007, down from 4.9 per cent in the previous quarter, day by day worsening scenarios emerge, from escalating oil prices, to a depreciating dollar and financial institutions’ bailout by the Federal Reserve. Many economists and policy makers share the view that a subprime-led recession – i.e. two consecutive quarters with negative growth – is inevitable and will be much deeper and longer than the 2001 dot-com downturn. Moreover, the critical situation of the financial system has driven some analysts to argue that should the monetary policy response fails to restore confidence among investors, the outcome would be the worst crisis seen since the Great Depression. This pessimism is not only among specialists. Indeed, in late March 2008 the Consumer Confidence Index in the United States recorded its lowest level since February 1992. A recession in the United States will undoubtedly have an important impact on the world economy, despite the continuous rapid growth experienced by emerging economies, particularly China and India. The purpose of this article is threefold: first, to characterize the current situation in the United States economy; second, to discuss the economic policy responses; and finally, to elaborate on how Caribbean economies may be affected.