Regional Integration in Latin America and the Caribbean

Regional Integration in Latin America and the Caribbean PDF

Author: V. Bulmer-Thomas

Publisher: University of London Press

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13:

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This collection is a sober assessment of the state of regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean. It studies the question from four perspectives: economic, institutional, political, and in relation to the rest of the world. It considers the questions raised by LAC countries' efforts to use 'new' regionalism to address the challenges of globalization and to explore the nature and meaning of open regionalism. This thematic treatment draws on the experience of the different schemes currently in place in the region: NAFTA, CACM, CARICOM, the Andean Community and MERCOSUR. It also examines the nature of globalization, including concerns over the relationship between regionalism and the multilateral system. There is now a broad consensus among LAC countries that regional integration can help them adjust to the new world order, but there is much less agreement on how to achieve it and what reforms are needed to bring it about.

Connecting the Dots

Connecting the Dots PDF

Author: Mauricio Mesquita Moreira

Publisher: Inter-American Development Bank

Published: 2018-05-29

Total Pages: 141

ISBN-13:

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What can be said of Latin America and the Caribbean's experiment with regional integration? Did it live up to the expectations? What does this experience say about the regional integration agenda moving forward? Do the tectonic changes undergone by the world economy in the last quarter of a century matter for policy design? This report offers answers to these pressing questions. It argues that while the "new regionalism" was in general effective to promote international trade, it failed to boost the region's competitiveness abroad. Fragmentation is seen as the original sin, and convergence the path to redemption. The policy recommendations offer different routes to convergence, from a cautious, cumulation of rules or origin approach to a non-stop sprint to a LAC-FTA. But they all come with a warning: in the current challenging trade environment, the benefits of caution might be too little, too late.

Resilience of Regionalism in Latin America and the Caribbean

Resilience of Regionalism in Latin America and the Caribbean PDF

Author: Andrés Rivarola Puntigliano

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2013-03-05

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 1137328371

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As regionalisation becomes an increasingly hot topic, the authors explain why regionalism has been most successful in Latin America and analyse current processes and opinions of possible future developments in the region, including the Caribbean, Central America, Brazil, and Mexico.

Better Neighbors

Better Neighbors PDF

Author: Chad P. Bown

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2017-03-15

Total Pages: 346

ISBN-13: 146480978X

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This book proposes a renewal of 'Open Regionalism' in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) aimed at achieving the region's goals of high growth with stability. The LAC region experienced a growth spurt with equity during the first decade of the 21st Century. It is well understood that an unsustainable demand boom fueled by terms-of-trade improvements drove this growth acceleration episode, especially in South America. Unfortunately, terms of trade are no longer fueling growth, and the region’s policymakers are in search of new sources of growth with stability. With the experience of East Asia and the Pacific in mind, many policymakers in LAC are looking to international economic ties as a potential source of stable growth. The challenge highlighted in this book lies in designing an integration agenda comprising trade and factor market integration that is conducive to region-wide efficiency gains, which can help LAC enhance its global competitiveness. The forces of geography imply that pro-growth global integration cannot be achieved without building a strong neighborhood. Thus, this volume argues that LAC's regional economic integration agenda needs to go well beyond the current spaghetti bowl of preferential trading arrangements.

Regional Economic Integration in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Case Study

Regional Economic Integration in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Case Study PDF

Author: Paulette Howlett

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 135

ISBN-13: 9781267816801

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Abstract : In this study, the question of whether integration is the answer to economic development in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region is explored. Regional economic integration is not a new phenomenon and can be traced at least as far back as World War II. The specific problem is, while the LAC region has seen a decline in tariffs from 40% in the 1980s to about 10% in 2008, the share of intra-regional trade has declined or remained the same since 2000. In addition, the region has seen exports drop from 11.3% in 1948 to 3.7% in 2007, whereas Asia saw an increase from 14% to 28% during the same period. This study focused on collecting and comparing secondary data related to regional economic integration in the LAC region. Three questions addressed within this study include (a) why integration has declined or ceased in the LAC region, (b) what efforts are warranted for government leaders to embrace transformational leadership in devising programs and policies that foster integration in the region, and (c) how important is regional integration in the globalized economic world. Necessary to moving forward is collective leadership from the countries that also lead in governance effectiveness and political stability. The findings show, although efforts continue to restart the process, some charges of protectionism, and lack of readiness, are valid. On the other hand, many good arguments exist for greater integration in the LAC region. Integration has played a role in the defense of democratic principles, especially when threatened by de facto regimes or periods of political instability. Continued research on integration as an economic approach and solution for LAC is imperative. A better understanding of benefits and challenges related to hemispheric or regional integration is a reason to continue research on this topic.

Open Regionalism in Latin America and the Caribbean

Open Regionalism in Latin America and the Caribbean PDF

Author: United Nations. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Publisher: Santiago, Chile : United Nations, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13:

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"An attempt to answer some general and specific questions regarding regional integration, such as: Why should integration be encouraged? What kind of integration should be encouraged? Which mechanisms and instruments are most suitable for integrating economies at this point? How do the new integration plans differ from those of the 1960s and 1970s? The answers to these and other questions 'are based on the core premise that recent integration efforts have generally involved the interaction of two types of phenomena:' trade liberalization and deregulation policies introduced at the national level; and explicit agreements or policies which entail certain preferences with respect to the treatment accorded other nations"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57

Latin American and Caribbean Trade Agreements

Latin American and Caribbean Trade Agreements PDF

Author: Thomas Andrew O'Keefe

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 517

ISBN-13: 900416488X

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Latin American and Caribbean Trade Agreements: Keys to a Prosperous Community of the Americas is the essential reference guide for companies trading with Latin America and the Caribbean or wishing to use a country in the region as an export platform. This work fills the void in academic texts that are used to teach courses on economic integration in the Western Hemisphere. It provides a road map for the Obama Administration to launch an ambitious project designed to encourage economic growth, promote energy security, and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, while at the same time realistically meeting the development needs of Latin America and the Caribbean. Latin American and Caribbean Trade Agreements: Keys to a Prosperous Community of the Americas posits that the myopic focus of past United States administrations on free markets to spur economic development in the Western Hemisphere is not enough. A bolder and more ambitious project that also seeks to redress many of the deep-seated problems that have long plagued the region is required. The Community of the Americas proposed in this book rests upon the important work that has already been done at the sub-regional level in terms of economic and political reform, identifying infrastructure and human capital needs, and regulating migration. It provides a new and cohesive vision for U.S. policy in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Cluster Report

Cluster Report PDF

Author: International Monetary Fund. Western Hemisphere Dept.

Publisher: International Monetary Fund

Published: 2017-03-10

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 1475586019

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This cluster report takes stock of and explores opportunities for trade integration in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Drawing on a set of 12 analytical studies that will be issued as working papers, the report examines the determinants of trade, explores the potential to enhance LAC’s trade integration, and assesses the associated economic and social effects. To deepen understanding of the region’s policy options and trade strategies, the report also incorporates the views of LAC country authorities based on responses to a survey. This provides an opportunity to examine the alignment of recommendations based on the analytical findings with the region’s current trade policy priorities, with the caveat that the survey was conducted between late 2015 and mid-2016, prior to the most recent developments in the global trade landscape.