During the 1960s, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean opted for an economic development strategy based on trade protection. At its core, import substitution sought to protect local industries from foreign competition. Although the region’s economies grew significantly, this growth laid the foundations for the 1980 debt crisis, which was compounded by a series of … [Read more...] about Trade Liberalization and Diversification, key for Central America
Regional Integration
Latin Americans: On Board with Trade
How do Latin Americans feel about international trade? Are they in favor of it? If so, to what extent? We asked these questions ourselves at the Inter-American Development Bank, as part of a study on how trade liberalization has impacted Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in recent decades. To answer these questions, the IDB added a module on foreign trade to the 2018 … [Read more...] about Latin Americans: On Board with Trade
Cybersecurity: How to protect trade platforms
Every time we use our phones, tablets, or computers, we leave a "fingerprint" whose information can be manipulated by cybercriminals. We’re all at risk from cyberattacks, just like the rest of the two-thirds of the world's population that use mobile devices. Hackers are all around us. Ecuador reported 40 million online attacks following the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian … [Read more...] about Cybersecurity: How to protect trade platforms
Industry 4.0—Manufacturing the Future
Throughout the history of humanity, technological advances have driven different radical transformations in the material and social conditions of production. We are currently witnessing a new phase in the transformation of the global economy, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which centers on the digitization of the manufacturing sector and is driven by surprising increases in … [Read more...] about Industry 4.0—Manufacturing the Future
Strategies and mechanisms to promote the convergence of trade agreements in Latin America
It is high time that trade integration processes in Latin America achieve convergence between the region’s many bilateral agreements in order to extend the benefits that these bring while extending the originating status of a given good so that it can circulate freely. … [Read more...] about Strategies and mechanisms to promote the convergence of trade agreements in Latin America