Impact of the Asian crisis on Latin America

Twenty-seventh session. Oranjestad, Aruba, 11 to 16 may 1998

Tendencias de las economías del Caribe en 1982 = Trends in the Caribbean economies in 1982

Incluye Bibliografía

Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2013

Includes bibliography.

Las tecnologías de la información en la facilitación del comercio y su aplicación por las PYMES

La presente edición del Boletín se basa en el material presentado en el seminario Information Technology for Development of Small-and Medium-sized Exporters in East Asia and Latin America (Tecnología de la información para el desarrollo de exportadores medianos y pequeños en Asia Oriental y América Latina), que se realizó entre el 23 y el 24 de noviembre de 2004, en la sede de la CEPAL, en Santiago de Chile. Este evento formó parte del proyecto Comparative Study on East Asian and Latin American IT Industry, financiado por el fondo temático para las Tecnologías de Información y las Comunicaciones (TIC) para el Desarrollo en el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) y ha sido desarrollado en estrecha colaboración con el Institute of Developing Economies (IDE), organismo que pertenece al Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). En esta oportunidad, se abordan los conceptos, definiciones y estándares asociados al comercio electrónico; las oportunidades y los desafíos a superar para que las PYMES puedan incrementar sus negocios electrónicos.

Information technologies in trade facilitation and their use by msmes

This issue of the Bulletin is based on the material presented at the seminar Information Technology for Development of Small and Medium-sized Exporters in East Asia and Latin America, which was held on 23 and 24 November 2004 at the headquarters of ECLAC in Santiago, Chile. The seminar was part of the project entitled Comparative Study on East Asian and Latin American IT Industry, financed by the thematic fund for information and communication technologies (ICT) for development of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and has been carried out in close collaboration with the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE), an organization that belongs to the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO). This article contains a discussion of the concepts, definitions and standards associated with electronic commerce, as well as the opportunities to be seized and the challenges to be met so that MSMEs can expand their electronic business.

ECLAC Notes Nº 54

Latin American and Caribbean Economies Register 5% Growth in 2007, with Projections of 4.6% for 2008. Strengthening the Region's Economic Ties with Asian Countries Op-ed by ECLAC Executive Secretary, José Luis Machinea. Region Should Foster Improved Participation in the Global Trade in Modern Services. Highlights. From eLAC2007 to eLAC2010: the Progress in Latin American and Caribbean Information Societies. Indicators Children and Adolescents. Most Lack Access to Drinking Water and Sanitation. Recent titles. Calendar of events

Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2014

This version of the Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean provides a development overview of the region’s economy in 2014 and growth projections for 2015.

The employment situation in Latin America and the Caribbean: Recovery of employment: towards a sustainable model

The adverse effects on Latin America and the Caribbean of the global economic and financial crisis, the worst since the 1930s, have been considerably less than was once feared. Although a run of growth was cut short in 2009 and regional output shrank by 1.9%, the impact of the crisis was limited by the application of countercyclical fiscal and monetary policies by many of the region’s governments. The recovery in the economies, particularly in South America, has gone hand-in-hand with the rapid resurgence of the emerging economies of Asia, with all the favourable consequences this has had for global trade. A similar pattern may be observed regarding the impact of the crisis on labour markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although millions of people lost their jobs or had to trade down to lower-quality work, levels of employment (including formal employment) fell by less than originally foreseen. At the same time, real wages rose slightly in a context of falling inflation. The labour market thus stabilized domestic demand, and this contributed to the recovery that began in many countries in late 2009. Improved international trade and financing conditions, and the pick-up in domestic demand driven by macroeconomic policies, have led different commentators to estimate growth in the region’s economy at some 6% in 2010. As detailed in the first part of this edition of the Bulletin, the upturn has been manifested at the regional level by the creation of formal employment, a rise in the employment rate, a decline in joblessness and a moderate increase in real wages. Specifically, it is estimatedthat the regional unemployment rate will have dropped by 0.6 percentage points, from 8.1% in 2009 to 7.5% in 2010. The performance of different countries and subregions has been very uneven, however. On the one hand, there is Brazil, where high economic growth has been accompanied by vigorous creation of formal jobs and the unemployment rate has dropped to levels not seen in a long time. Other countries in South America have benefited from strong demand for natural resources from the Asian countries. Combined with higher domestic demand, this has raised their economic growth rates and had a positive impact on employment indicators. On the other hand, the recovery is still very weak in certain countries and subregions, particularly in the Caribbean, with employment indicators continuing to worsen.Thus, the recovery in the region’s economy in 2010 may be characterized as dynamic but uneven. Growth estimates for 2011 are less favourable. The risks associated with the imbalances in the world economy and the withdrawal of countercyclical fiscal packages are likely to cause the region to grow more slowly in 2011. Accordingly, a small further reduction of between 0.2 and 0.4 percentage points in the unemployment rate is projected for 2011. However, these indicators of recovery do not guarantee growth with decent work in the long term. To bolster the improvement in labour market indicators and generate more productive employment and decent work, the region’s countries need to strengthen their macroeconomic policies, improve regional and global policy coordination, identify and remove bottlenecks in the labour market itself and enhance instruments designed to promote greater equality. Like the rest of the world, the Latin American and Caribbean region is also confronted with the challenge of transforming the way it produces so that its economies can develop along tracks that are sustainable in the long term. Climate change and the consequent challenge of developing and strengthening low-carbon production and consumption patterns will also affect the way people work. A great challenge ahead is to create green jobs that combine decent work with environmentally sustainable production patterns. From this perspective, the second part of this Bulletin discusses the green jobs approach, offering some information on the challenges and opportunities involved in moving towards a sustainable economy in the region and presenting a set of options for addressing environmental issues and the repercussions of climate change in the world of work. Although the debate about the green jobs concept is fairly new in the region, examples already exist and a number of countries have moved ahead with the application of policies and programmes in this area. Costa Rica has formulated a National Climate Change Strategy, for example, whose foremost achievements include professional training in natural-resource management. In Brazil, fuel production from biomass has increased and social housing with solar panelling is being built. A number of other countries in the region are making progress in areas such as ecotourism, sustainable agriculture and infrastructure for climate change adaptation, and in formalizing the work of people who recycle household waste. The shift towards a more environmentally sustainable economy may cause jobs to be destroyed in some economic sectors and created in others. The working world will inevitably undergo major changes. If the issue is approached by way of social dialogue and appropriate public policies, there is a chance to use this shift to create more decent jobs, thereby contributing to growth in the economy, the construction of higher levels of equality and protection for the environment.

CEPAL Review no.56

Democracy and development / Fernando H. Cardoso. -- Can growth and equity go hand in hand? / Joseph Ramos. -- Stability and structure: interactions in economic growth / José Maria Fanelli and Roberto Frenkel. -- Pension system reform in Latin America / Andras Uthoff. -- Recent economic trends in China and their implications for trade with Latin America and the Caribbean / Mikio Kuwayama. -- Economic relations between Latin America and the high-performing Asian developing economies / Ronald Sprout. -- Economic relations between Latin America and the European Union / Roberto Smith Perera. -- Rules of origin: new implications / Eduardo Gitli. -- Globalization and restructuring the energy sector in Latin America / Femando Sánchez Albavera. -- The kaleidoscope of competitiveness / Geraldo Müller. -- The privatization of public water utilities / Miguel Solones. -- How much can we spend on education? / Guillermo Labarca. -- Women and migrants: inequalities in the labour market of Santiago, Chile / Ivonne Szasz.