The Bahamas is extremely vulnerable to natural disasters and climate change. The country has been hit by 25 hurricanes over the past 25 years and between 1963 and 2019, the 14 most devastating hurricanes affected over 29,600 people. Due to climate change, the average strength and frequency of tropical cyclones will likely increase as water temperature in the North Atlantic and … [Read more...] about How satellites can help us understand the economic impacts of hurricanes
María Alejandra Zegarra
Maria Alejandra holds a master’s in Economics from Brown University and is a former Fulbright Scholar. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics at Universidad del Pacífico in Lima. She co-authored "El porvenir de la vejez: demografía, empleo y ahorro" (The future of aging: impacts of demography, employment and savings on the retirement system) in Peru, and has worked on the effects of mining, economic activity and the long-term consequences of inequality, also in Peru. Maria Alejandra was part of the Caribbean Economics Team (CET), providing support in the creation of research products and coordinating some CET activities from the IDB’s head office.
Seven considerations in reforming pension systems in the Caribbean
Pension systems in the Caribbean countries have room for improvement. In our chapter, Pension Systems in the Caribbean: The Challenges Ahead, published in Economic Institutions for a Resilient Caribbean, we assess some pressing issues that will require attention to ensure the functionality and financial sustainability of pension systems in six Caribbean countries (The Bahamas, … [Read more...] about Seven considerations in reforming pension systems in the Caribbean
Imagining a Post-COVID Tourism Recovery
Countries around the world have endured over a year of extreme uncertainty in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, and economies in the Caribbean have suffered more than most. But with the increasing availability of vaccines and prospects for a resumption of international travel, light is emerging at the end of the Pandemic tunnel. With this in mind, The Inter-American … [Read more...] about Imagining a Post-COVID Tourism Recovery
Extreme Outlier: The Pandemic’s Unprecedented Shock to Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean
COVID-19 has generated a previously unimaginable shock to economic activity in some sectors for counties across the world—an ‘extreme outlier’ event in statistical terms. For many countries, shocks of this magnitude have not been experienced except during periods of armed conflict or extreme natural disasters. A recent publication from Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) … [Read more...] about Extreme Outlier: The Pandemic’s Unprecedented Shock to Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean
Caribbean Economies in the Time of Coronavirus
The Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Caribbean Department has published a special edition of its Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin—also detailed on our new dedicated website—focused on the evolving economic and human consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak for the region.[1] Our team of economists from across the region has been advising IDB senior management and member-country … [Read more...] about Caribbean Economies in the Time of Coronavirus