Searing temperatures; rising sea levels. Rainfall, drought, and hurricanes that grow more threatening and intense. With the last seven years registering the hottest temperatures in recorded history, Latin America and the Caribbean not only faces the direct effects of climate change. It confronts a host of indirect economic effects potentially made worse by development … [Read more...] about Confronting the Economic Effects of Climate Change in Latin America and the Caribbean
Developing Domestic Bond Markets for Growth and Stability
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have sought to develop deep and well-functioning domestic bond markets since the beginning of the 21st century—a reaction in part to the financial crises of the 1990s and their relationship to government borrowing abroad, mainly in foreign currencies. As a result, the outstanding level of marketable public debt issued under domestic … [Read more...] about Developing Domestic Bond Markets for Growth and Stability
Fiscal Rules for a Debt-Plagued Region
With a long history of recurrent and costly debt crises, Latin American governments have long sought to find a way to curb the fiscal deficits that stoke the debt problem. Those efforts gathered steam over the course of the 2000s when numerous governments in the region began adopting fiscal rules, which seek to curb politicians' ability to increase spending under political and … [Read more...] about Fiscal Rules for a Debt-Plagued Region
Persistent Fiscal Deficits May Lead to Disaster for Latin America and the Caribbean
Latin America and the Caribbean faces a punishing economic landscape. Fiscal deficits and debt levels have risen as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and with monetary policy tightening in the United States and Europe, the era of cheap and easy financing is over. In this ever more thorny environment, the region needs to urgently … [Read more...] about Persistent Fiscal Deficits May Lead to Disaster for Latin America and the Caribbean
Tackling Informality for Fiscal Health in the Post-Pandemic Period
After significant efforts by Latin American and Caribbean governments to shore up businesses and households during the COVID-19 pandemic, the region in 2021 had a very high average fiscal deficit of 5% of GDP, more than two percentage points higher than before the pandemic. It also had a soaring average debt ratio of 70% of GDP. The IDB’s recently released 2022 Latin … [Read more...] about Tackling Informality for Fiscal Health in the Post-Pandemic Period