The Western Hemisphere covers over 34 countries, each with different factor endowments and development histories, and linked by a complex "spaghetti bowl" of regional integration projects and bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements. Making sense of any one part of these is challenging, but the Integration and Trade Sector's INTrade system offers information that can help … [Read more...] about 5 Data Visualization Tools in INTrade to help you get a handle on LAC trade and integration
Trade & Investment Agreements
5 things you need to know about inclusive rules of origin and why it will affect trade
Two weeks ago, the IDB’s Integration and Trade Sector (INT) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) hosted a Dialogue on inclusive Rules of Origin (RoO) as part of the RTA Exchange project. Rules of origin tell us where a product comes from and how that product should be treated in a particular market. The “rules” are the specific provisions … [Read more...] about 5 things you need to know about inclusive rules of origin and why it will affect trade
Latin America Needs to Adapt to the Downshift in Global Trade
According to the latest issue of the IDB’s Trade and Integration Monitor, Latin America’s exports of goods shrunk at annualized rates of 14.8% in 2015 and 8.5% in the first seven months of 2016. Likewise, exports of services contracted for the first time since the financial crisis (-2.4% in 2015). This two-year downturn marks a contraction phase that is now longer than the one … [Read more...] about Latin America Needs to Adapt to the Downshift in Global Trade
How trade, investment and cooperation between Japan and Latin America and the Caribbean can inspire our future trade relationship with Asia
From the perspective of Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) trade, the first decade of the 21st century was all about Asia. Driven by China’s strong growth and soaring demand for natural resources, trade between LAC and Asia grew at an annual average rate of 24 percent between 2003 and 2011. However, this once-dynamic relationship has now encountered serious headwinds. Trade … [Read more...] about How trade, investment and cooperation between Japan and Latin America and the Caribbean can inspire our future trade relationship with Asia
Indirect Exports: A Simple Route to Internationalization for SMEs?
In practically every country in the world, the percentage of large companies that export is much higher than the share of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that do so. This is due, among other factors, to the fact that large companies tend to have higher profit margins than SMEs and can thus underwrite the additional costs associated with the export process (e.g., … [Read more...] about Indirect Exports: A Simple Route to Internationalization for SMEs?