Infrastructure, transport and integration: the link with productive development and regional competitiveness

A vision of the role played by infrastructure, transport and related services in the development of competitiveness and productivity is fundamental for proposing public policies linked to productive development. In particular, the supply costs and the quality of public utility and transport services are extremely relevant to countries’ productivity, GDP growth and competitiveness, and also for the development and economic integration of Latin America.

Panorama de la inserción internacional de América Latina y el Caribe 2004: tendencias para el 2005

El estudio recientemente publicado por la División de Comercio Internacional e Integración de la CEPAL, estima que el 2005 será un buen año para el comercio de los países de la región. A pesar del contexto internacional favorable, persisten severos problemas de competitividad. Es preciso aumentar la productividad, impulsar la innovación tecnológica y participar pro-activamente en las redes internacionales.Entre las conclusiones del Estudio, se plantea la necesidad de actualizar la integración; reflexionar en forma estratégica sobre el vínculo a construir con China y los países del Pacífico; administrar los tratados de libre comercio para aumentar y diversificar las exportaciones; intensificar el ritmo de trabajo y coordinación con países en desarrollo sobre la ronda de Doha, e incorporar gradualmente las exigencias de seguridad en las políticas de competitividad, velando porque las mismas no se transformen en barreras proteccionistas (trazabilidad, inocuidad alimentaria y seguridad portuaria y de transporte marítimo).

Trade Facilitation as Part of Creating the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)

The content of this article is the natural continuation of both FAL Bulletin No. 167 and FAL Bulletin No. 171. FAL Bulletin No. 167 advanced conceptually in the definition of the term trade facilitation and a general explanation of how some international bodies and the FTAA process itself deal with this issue. This month's article expands on the information regarding trade facilitation within the FTAA, which brings together the sizeable number of 34 countries from the Western Hemisphere.Similarly, taking into account that FAL Bulletin No. 171 reported on some progress toward trade facilitation regulations within the framework of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), the current article takes a complementary approach, reporting on developments favourable to trade facilitation in another agreement for economic integration, which basically proposes the creation of a free trade area.

Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy: 2005 Trends

The study recently published by the Division of International Trade and Integration of ECLAC considers that 2005 will be a good year for trade in the countries of the region. Despite a favourable international context, there are still serious problems of competitiveness. The region needs to increase productivity, promote technological innovation and take a proactive part in worldwide networks. The conclusions of the study include the need to update integration; to take a strategic view of the links to be constructed with China and the countries of the Pacific; to manage free-trade agreements so as to increase and diversify exports; to step up the pace of work and improve coordination with the developing countries on the Doha Round, and to gradually incorporate the demands of security into competitiveness policies, ensuring that they do not become protectionist barriers (traceability, food safety and maritime and port security).

Rules of origin and trade facilitation

The contents of this article complement those of the recently published FAL Bulletin No. 201, which referred to the rules of origin included in economic integration agreements signed by members of the Latin American Integration Association (LAIA). On this occasion the relationship between rules of origin and facilitation of international trade in goods is examined. The contents of both this issue and of FAL Bulletin No. 201 have been taken from a more extensive document written by the same author, which is publication No. 28 of the ECLAC Comercio Internacional Series, Normas de origen y procedimientos para su administración en América Latina, of May 2003.

Integrated transport systems in Latin America and the Caribbean: converging initiatives

The year 1998 is shaping up to be a year of grand regional initiatives focusing on the setting up of regional integrated transport systems. The past six months have seen intense activity in Latin America and the Caribbean. It would seem that the public and private sectors have agreed to launch converging initiatives, each from its own perspectives. In Central America, a multimodal transport project is already under way, while a new transport master plan put forward by the Permanent Secretariat of the General Treaty on Central American Economic Integration (SIECA) is being prepared; in South America, the Latin American Integration Association (LAIA) and Latin American Railways Association (ALAF) have launched a prefeasability study concerning a plan for the sustainable development of transport; the second Summit of the Americas adopted a plan of action that now takes in the work of the Executive Committee of the Western Hemisphere Transport Initiative; and the private sector also held its regional meeting in São Paulo, Brazil, with Intermodal 98, the fourth in a series. These initiatives are taking shape around similar lines of thought and action; their backgrounds are similar, and they tend towards the same goal: taking action in the immediate environment with a view to expanding linkages with the global economy. The background is the observation that after several years of growth, transport infrastructure, equipment and services appear unable to satisfy the growing demand of international trade in the region. The goal is to implement the requisite reforms in the transport sector so as to meet the challenges posed by global competition. This issue of the Bulletin is devoted to news about recent initiatives and possible future developments.

Panorama da Inserção Internacional da América Latina e Caribe 2014: integração regional e cadeias de valor num cenário externo desafiante. Documento informativo

A edição 2014 do Panorama da Inserção Internacional da América Latina e do Caribe, “Integração regional e cadeias de valor num cenário externo desafiante”, se divide em quatro capítulos. O primeiro capítulo examina os principais aspectos da conjuntura internacional e suas repercussões no comercio mundial e regional. O segundo capítulo apresenta uma análise da participação da América Latina e do Caribe nas cadeias globais de valor. Esse capítulo também analisa três aspectos microeconômicos centrais relativos à contribuição que a participação nas cadeias de valor podería representar para a mudança estrutural com maior inclusão. O capítulo três identifica diversos âmbitos em que a integração e a cooperação regional podem contribuir para fortalecer a integração produtiva entre as economias da América Latina e do Caribe. Finalmente, o quarto capítulo analisa as relações intrarregionais e extrarregionais dos países da Comunidade do Caribe (CARICOM), considerando a necessidade de fortalecer a integração regional no âmbito produtivo mediante o aproveitamento de outros vínculos além dos meramente comerciais. Também se examinam as diferenças existentes entre os países em matéria de renda, população e estrutura produtiva e exportadora, no contexto de uma acentuada vulnerabilidade macroeconômica.

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.

Regional integration in the Caribbean: The role of trade agreements and structural transformation

Despite having relatively open economies and a dedicated strategic focus on export expansion, Caribbean economies still account for a small proportion of global trade (goods and services). This paper therefore posits that the subregion adopt a new dais of regional integration, which favours deeper trade and economic integration with countries which are the region’s natural trading partners.

CEPAL Review no.92

Foreign direct investment and development: the MERCOSUR experience / Daniel Chudnovsky and Andrés López. -- Developing competitive advantages: successful export SMES in Argentina, Chile and Colombia / Dario Milesi, Virginia Moori, Verónica Robert and Gabriel Yoguel. -- Effects of training on competitiveness in the manufacturing sector / Ramón Padilla and Miriam Juárez. -- Youth employment: characteristics, tensions and challenges / Jürgen Weller. -- The globalization of the health-care industry: opportunities for the Caribbean / Richard L. Bernal. -- Social protection in the English-speaking Caribbean / Oliver Paddison. -- Strengthening a fiscal pillar: the Uruguayan dual income tax / Alberto Barreix and Jerónimo Roca. -- International migration and development: the socioeconomic impact of remittances in Colombia / David Khoudour-Castéras. -- Non-sectoral agents and recent changes in Argentina’s agricultural sector / Clara Craviotti. -- Referees for CEPAL Review 2005-2006. -- Guidelines for contributors to the CEPAL Review. -- CEPAL Review on the Internet. -- Recent ECLAC publications.

Panorama da Inserção Internacional da América Latina e Caribe 2013: Lenta pós-crise, meganegociações comerciais e cadeias de valor: o espaço de ação regional. Documento informativo

A edição 2013 do Panorama da inserção internacional da América Latina e Caribe, intitulado “Lenta pós-crise, meganegociações comerciais e cadeias de valor: o espaço de ação regional”, se divide em três capítulos. O primeiro capítulo revisa os principais traços da persistente debilidade que mostram a economia e o comércio mundial. Em seguida, se examina a evolução e as perspectivas do comércio mundial e regional. No segundo capítulo faz-se um exame das principais transformações da organização da produção e do comércio mundial associadas ao fenômeno das redes internacionais de produção, que estão na raiz das atuais negociações megarregionais. À continuação se revisam três processos de particular importância: o Acordo Transatlântico sobre Comércio e Investimento entre os Estados Unidos e a União Europeia; o Acordo de Associação Transpacífico, que inclui 12 países de América Latina, América do Norte, Ásia e Oceania; e a Associação Econômica Integral Regional, que reúne dez países membros da Associação de Nações do Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN), Austrália, China, Índia, Japão, Nova Zelândia e República da Coreia. O capítulo III analisa a participação dos países da América Latina e do Caribe em redes internacionais de produção e cadeias de valor.

Latin America and the Caribbean and China: towards a new era in economic cooperation

Foreword by Alicia Bárcena

中华人民共和国和拉丁美洲及加勒比海地区 经济贸易往来迈入新阶段

Prefacio de Alicia Bárcena

Disaster risk reduction in the education sector among selected Caribbean small island developing states

Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), by their very nature, are vulnerable to external shocks. Research shows that the Caribbean subregion experienced 165 natural disasters between 1990 and 2008 and the total impact of natural disasters on the subregion was estimated at US$136 billion. The impact on the social sectors was estimated at US$57 billion, or 42% of the total effect. As small open economies, the Caribbean SIDS are also vulnerable to the vagaries of the international economic system and have experienced declines in tourism, merchandise exports receipts, remittances and capital flows throughout the financial crisis. The negative impact of natural hazards exacerbates the capacity of Caribbean SIDS to overcome the development challenges, such as those posed by the current global economic and financial crisis. Disaster risk reduction (DRR), therefore, is of critical concern to subregional governments and their people. For the purpose of this study, six Caribbean SIDS were selected for detailed analyses on the macro socio-economic impact of extreme events to the education sector. They are the Cayman Islands, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and Montserrat. This paper proposes that better integration of DRR in the education sector cannot be easily achieved if policymakers do not recognize the social nature of risk perception and acceptance in Caribbean SIDS, which necessitates that risk reduction be treated as a negotiated process which engages all stakeholders.

Globalización, integración y comercio inclusivo en América Latina. Textos seleccionados 2010-2014

En el actual contexto de globalización económica, el tema de la inserción internacional de la región cobra una renovada importancia. La presente publicación, la segunda de la colección “Páginas Selectas de la CEPAL”, contiene extractos de documentos publicados desde 2010 y que abordan diversos aspectos de dicha temática. Entre éstos se destacan la participación regional en las cadenas mundiales y regionales de valor, la irrupción de China como un socio comercial crecientemente influyente, los logros y desafíos pendientes del proceso de integración regional en su vertiente económica y comercial, y las posibles implicancias para América Latina y el Caribe de las negociaciones comerciales megarregionales actualmente en curso. Como trasfondo de todos los textos seleccionados se encuentra el vínculo entre la participación regional en el comercio internacional y el logro de un crecimiento inclusivo. Este último se entiende como un crecimiento capaz de contribuir a la reducción de la heterogeneidad estructural mediante un aumento del empleo, la productividad y el ingreso, mejorando el bienestar de la mayoría y reduciendo la desigualdad