Browse by: "L"

Numerosos obstáculos impiden a los países en desarrollo – y en particular a los menos adelantados – aprovechar oportunidades comerciales que podrían ayudarlos a reducir la pobreza. La iniciativa de Ayuda para el Comercio ha permitido crear conciencia de la ayuda que dichos países necesitan para superar esos obstáculos. Gracias a ello, los temas comerciales ocupan un lugar cada vez más destacado en las estrategias de desarrollo de un número creciente de países en desarrollo, y los donantes están respondiendo con un incremento de los recursos destinados a la creación de capacidad comercial en ámbitos tales como las políticas, las instituciones y las infraestructuras.

Este informe de vigilancia sobre la Ayuda para el Comercio (el segundo de este tipo) documenta los resultados obtenidos por esta iniciativa hasta la fecha. En él se examinan tendencias y novedades y se hace un análisis exhaustivo de la participación de los donantes y los países asociados. Además, se aborda la dimensión regional de la Ayuda para el Comercio y se exponen tres proyectos de infraestructura transfronterizos. Por último, se incluyen hojas informativas que ayudarán a evaluar los resultados y las repercusiones de la Ayuda para el Comercio.

Las principales conclusiones son positivas. Con todo, las perspectivas se ven afectadas por la actual crisis económica mundial. Hoy, más que nunca, la Ayuda para el Comercio es fundamental para que los proveedores de los países en desarrollo puedan fortalecer su capacidad y penetrar en los mercados mundiales. El mensaje central del informe es claro: la Ayuda para el Comercio debe seguir siendo un componente esencial de la asistencia para el desarrollo. A este respecto, se proponen en el informe varias medidas que pueden impulsar el diálogo sobre la Ayuda para el Comercio.

This year’s Latin American Economic Outlook focuses on those in the middle of the income distribution in Latin America. If these middle sectors have stable employment and reasonably robust incomes, then, arguably, they provide a solid foundation for economic progress. Moreover, following the political role often attributed to the middle classes by historians and sociologists, they might also support moderate but progressive political platforms in Latin America’s democracies. In fact, this report shows that, contrary to expectations, in Latin America this group is still economically vulnerable, few have university degrees and many work in informal employment. This is a “middle class” quite different from the group that became the engine of development in many OECD countries. In Latin America, what are the economic characteristics of these vulnerable middle sectors? How do they perceive inequality, public policies and democracy? How can public policies protect the livelihoods of these middle-sector households? These questions guide the Outlook to discuss why and how upward mobility should and can be promoted, and how safety nets can be put in place to protect the most vulnerable segments of people within those middle-income groups, as well as the poorest and most disadvantaged households in the economy at large. The report tackles policies such as social protection and education that promote upward mobility, and underscores the importance of fiscal policy as a tool to finance the required reforms and programmes that can engage the Latin American middle sectors in a renewed social contract.

“Latin America is undergoing a rapid transformation and the middle classes are one of the most powerful motors of this change. This edition of the Latin American Economic Outlook analyses the process of expansion of the region’s middle sectors through innovative statistical methods and from a refreshing perspective. The middle classes are dynamic but also vulnerable; they are not poor but they are nevertheless far from enjoying a comfortable and secure economic situation. Their future depends on their own actions, and on the economic and social policies that the region’s governments will adopt over the next decade.”
Eduardo Lora, Chief Economist, Inter-American Development Bank.

“This new report from the OECD Development Centre touches upon a theme that is not often studied but which is of vital importance for the development of our countries: middle-income groups in Latin American societies. The report’s recommendations should be used as a basis for economic policy in the region, with the objective of promoting policy actions in favour of a sector that in advanced economies has been a pillar of development and democratic harmony – in contrast to what has happened in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Juan Temístocles Montás, Minister of Economy and Planning, Dominican Republic.

“This excellent report leads us to conclude that only with a stronger focus on rights, democracy and redistributive policies can we break the transmission of inequality and poverty from generation to generation, and advance towards the consolidation of a real middle class, a driver of development.”
Soraya Rodriguez Ramos, Secretary of State for International Cooperation, Spain.

To help experts and practitioners working to tackle the problem of armed violence, three Programming Notes build on the 2009 publication entitled Armed Violence Reduction: Enabling Development. These three notes cover:

• Armed violence in urban areas
• Youth and armed violence
• The linkages between Armed Violence Reduction and Security System Reform

Even in the midst of a global financial crisis, Latin American and Caribbean economies find themselves in better condition than in years past. Latin America must seize this opportunity to design and implement good public policies. The greatest of the long-term objectives of Latin American states remains development: economic growth and structural change that is rapid, sustainable and inclusive. In particular, governments must reduce inequalities in income, public-service delivery and opportunities, as well as promote the diversification of economies, often concentrated on a few primary-product exports.

Improved efficiency of public administration is crucial to address both the short-term and long-term dimensions of these challenges. The real change, however, will come if Latin American and Caribbean states carry out meaningful fiscal reforms, making them not only more efficient but also more effective. The increased effectiveness of fiscal policy holds the promise to provide resources needed to address the key challenges of economic development. Three key priority areas for investing additional resources have been highlighted by many governments in the region for their potential to raise competitiveness and social inclusion: education, infrastructure and innovation. In each of these areas, more efficient administration and more effective strategic action is needed from states.

Latin America has weathered the recent turbulence in the global economy with relative strength, but the region now faces – beyond the short-term global uncertainty -- important medium-term risks. Policy makers need to make use of the policy space at their disposal to lay the foundations for inclusive and sustainable growth.  

SMEs play a key role as they are an integral part of the economic fabric, comprising over 95% of firms in the region as well as providing employment for over 60% of the region’s inhabitants. Nevertheless, relative to SMEs in the OECD, on average SMEs in Latin America exhibit low levels of relative productivity and weak links with the rest of the economy. In light of several decades of blanket SME policies with limited impacts in the region, this report proposes a more integrated approach that caters to the productive context and firm specificities. SMEs are part of a greater productive structure, and productive development policies need to be designed to address the particularities of heterogeneous SMEs. These differences can be manifested in many ways including the markets they serve, the types of products they produce, the level of technological sophistication and use of human capital involved in production, as well as the productive links with other firms in the industry. Providing policies which are adapted to the productive context requires co-ordination between various policy areas and levels of government to ensure that interventions are complimentary and effective. With this perspective in mind, the report explores key policy areas that address some of the main challenges to SMEs in the region including access to finance, skill development, innovation, and productive development.

Latin American economies continue to present relatively stable growth but continued uncertainty with regards to the duration of the commodity boom could pose threats to medium-term growth and economic development. Latin American countries face increasing competition from emerging economies across the globe particularly in manufacturing sectors. In this context of shifting wealth, it is increasingly important to foster competitiveness and connectivity.

Improving logistics performance is particularly important as it directly impacts growth, productivity, and trade within the region and beyond. The region’s productive structure with significant concentration in natural resource and agriculture augment the importance of logistics in fostering competitiveness. Nevertheless, logistics performance in the region faces serious gaps particularly in the areas of customs performance and the availability of infrastructure. Improving these aspects will entail more and better investment in infrastructure, as well as making the most of existing infrastructure by putting in place efficient trade facilitation measures and efficient and appropriate regulatory frameworks.

Coverage is provided for Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatamala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela.