An individual’s place on the social ladder is the result of his efforts and achievements rather than his, or his parents’, socioeconomic status—or is it? This idealistic adage is predicated on a society that offers equal opportunity for all, something that is more the exception than the rule in Latin America and the Caribbean. A society offers greater social mobility when … [Read more...] about The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship in Latin America.
Macroeconomics and Finance
Five Things Policymakers Need to Know about Entrepreneurship in Latin America:
Entrepreneurship is often seen as a vehicle for upward social mobility, especially for the middle class. Therefore, for decades Latin American countries have strived to support a vigorous middle class, based on the assumption that middle-class values and attitudes are most conducive to investment and innovation. However, an apparent contradiction lies in the fact that more … [Read more...] about Five Things Policymakers Need to Know about Entrepreneurship in Latin America:
Tango Lessons for Greece?
Is Greece poised to default on its debt? What happens when its bailout program expires at the end of the month? Will it pull out of the Eurozone? Analysts around the world are betting on a “Grexit,” including Former-Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan who suggested “it’s just a matter of time” until the Eurozone countries, led by the fiscally conservative Germans, and Greece’s leftist … [Read more...] about Tango Lessons for Greece?
Poverty: The Reality behind the Data
In 2014, for the fourth year in a row, the growth rate of Latin America and the Caribbean, although still positive, has been lower than the year before: a bare 1.2% compared to 2.8% in 2013. The price of non-energy commodities —soybeans, copper, iron, etc.— has fallen 7.5% on average and will do so by at least another 10% in 2015, while the price of oil will fall a total of … [Read more...] about Poverty: The Reality behind the Data
Latin America’s Advice to Europe: Be Decisive!
By Eduardo Cavallo, Eduardo Fernández-Arias and Andrew Powell This week, the IMF cut its growth forecasts for the Eurozone by 0.2 and 0.3 percentage points for 2015 and 2016, prompting it to cut its global economic growth forecasts by a similar magnitude. Clearly, economic expectations are turning increasingly pessimistic. The reasons that could explain this “economic … [Read more...] about Latin America’s Advice to Europe: Be Decisive!