Latin America and the Caribbean has a huge opportunity in innovative and sustainable export-driven agriculture. But that path is more difficult for small-scale producers. Small farms, many of them family owned, don't have the funds to invest in the research and development, the equipment and infrastructure, and the information gathering needed to penetrate high value niche food … [Read more...] about A Honey Exporter Reveals the Potential of Innovative Cooperatives
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Boosting Productive Capabilities to Transform a Nation
It is a rare for a single company's arrival in a nation to be transformative. But the decision of BeamOne, an American firm, to begin operating in Costa Rica in 2008 marks an exception. Medical devices producers need sterilization. BeamOne's arrival to fulfill that need for a growing cluster of multinationals in the life sciences industry meant a mini revolution in the … [Read more...] about Boosting Productive Capabilities to Transform a Nation
Dealing with Corporate Debt and Rising Interest Rates
They have risen bit by bit. But since the financial crisis in 2008, the Fed has kept interest rates in the United States exceedingly low. Now with healthier economic growth and employment in the United States, that may be changing, and Latin American countries need to be on their guard. Latin America's major economies have accumulated large amounts of foreign corporate debt … [Read more...] about Dealing with Corporate Debt and Rising Interest Rates
Designing Creative Policies to Generate Knowledge Spillover in R+D
Innovation is a driver of productivity and economic growth. Unfortunately, research and development expenditures to develop and adapt innovations in Latin America are very low, especially by its private sector. Rich in natural, human, and productive resources, the region’s potential is enormous, however. This calls for governments to create conditions that boost not only … [Read more...] about Designing Creative Policies to Generate Knowledge Spillover in R+D
Have Latin American Countries Become More Competitive?
Over the last two years, Latin America has experienced significant movements in nominal exchange rates. Between June 2014 and October 2015, most of the larger countries in the region —including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Uruguay — saw nominal depreciations of at least 15 percent. The Brazilian Real lost more than 42 percent of its value vis-à-vis the US … [Read more...] about Have Latin American Countries Become More Competitive?