When electricity was first popularized at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a huge wave of factories that replaced their steam engines with electrical engines in an effort to increase productivity and modernize operations. However, the initial productivity gains from the electrification were barely noticeable - a phenomenon known in the economics literature as the … [Read more...] about 7 lessons learned on business process reengineering and improvement
Trade Facilitation
Why Are We Celebrating the Entry into Force of the Additional Trade Protocol to the Pacific Alliance?
Ever since the presidents of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru signed the Framework Agreement for the Pacific Alliance in June 2012 at the Paranal Observatory in Chile, the four countries have been hard at work to create an area of deep integration in Latin America that will increase trade openness, boost competitiveness, and foster growth. May 1, 2016, marked the coming … [Read more...] about Why Are We Celebrating the Entry into Force of the Additional Trade Protocol to the Pacific Alliance?
Infrastructure, Trade, and Integration: the Case of the Pacific Alliance
A study published in 2013 by the IDB showed that high internal transport costs are a conditioning factor for exports in Latin America. They also encourage the concentration of economic activity and limit regional integration. These high internal transport costs are caused by limited investments in transportation infrastructure, the region’s challenging geography, and the type … [Read more...] about Infrastructure, Trade, and Integration: the Case of the Pacific Alliance
Bridging the Infrastructure Gap: Can infrastructure development improve trade competitiveness?
Over the last quarter century Latin America and the Caribbean have worked on opening their economies to international trade and investment. During that time, tariffs were cut in half, to less than 10 percent, and exports grew steadily, at an average of 10 percent a year. Yet despite this, Latin America has not been able to improve its position in international trade markets. … [Read more...] about Bridging the Infrastructure Gap: Can infrastructure development improve trade competitiveness?
Quick and secure way for international trade
Imagine that the place where you work has experienced a constant increase in business over the past 20 years. Imagine also that it has been forced to assume new responsibilities in order to satisfy the needs of its clients. And if that's not enough, imagine that there's been no increase in the human and financial resources available despite the increase in the workload and the … [Read more...] about Quick and secure way for international trade