RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas and José Tessada, November 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Fiscal policy has been mentioned as a key driver of the resilience that many large Latin American countries have seen during the global financial crisis. Mauricio Cárdenas and José Tessada examine Chile's fiscal rules and caution that a comprehensive fiscal strategy cannot focus solely on the short- and medium-term evolution of fiscal policy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Diana Villiers Negroponte, November 12, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In recent months, Colombia has experienced increased isolation from its neighbors in the Western Hemisphere, due to border and military disputes, refusals to cooperate on economic and political fronts and disenchantment with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Diana Negroponte examines the reasons for this isolation, and possible remedies the Obama administration may apply. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas, November 06, 2009, The Brookings Institution
One of the values measured in the 2005 World Values Survey was political ideology. Mauricio Cárdenas discusses the concept of political cohesion in Latin America and how ideology and political polarization can impact economic growth. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas, October 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Only a few regions in the world are more affected by climate change than Latin America. However the region lacks a common perspective and will not be heard in the U.S. Congress or in international deliberations in Copenhagen unless it unifies as a strong voice. Mauricio Cárdenas proposes a formal subgroup of several Latin American countries for cooperation on climate change and points to specific commitments they should consider. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas, October 19, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Latin America, a region that has faced both challenges and opportunities during the financial crisis, has had more economic growth than other areas of the world. Mauricio Cárdenas discusses the forces behind this economic success and the need for the region to seize this crisis as an opportunity to make important reforms to solve longstanding problems. Read More
BOOK
Carol Graham and Eduardo Lora, October 01, 2009
Paradox and Perception greatly improves our understanding of the determinants of well-being in Latin America based on a broad "quality of life" concept that challenges some standard assumptions in economics, including those about the relationship between happiness and income. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Kevin Casas-Zamora, September 29, 2009, The Brookings Institution
On Sunday, the de facto president of Honduras, Roberto Micheletti, declared a state of siege in the country for 45 days. Kevin Casas-Zamora believes this move diminishes the hope that elections in November will be viewed as legitimate and says Micheletti should lift the siege and show restraint if he wants the crisis to end. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Kevin Casas-Zamora, September 23, 2009, ForeignPolicy.com
When the deposed president of Honduras, Manual Zelaya, returned to Tequcigalpa this week, he dramatically altered the ongoing political crisis in the country, writes Kevin Casas-Zamora. Casas-Zamora believes this new development makes reaching a political settlement more difficult, and says negotiated solutions should be expanded so that the November elections can be carried out as scheduled. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
September 23, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
Central America is a region constantly exposed to risks from natural disasters. It is important for governments to develop a human rights based approach to disaster response in order to decrease the likelihood of human rights violations of the victims of natural disasters. In order to promote the development of such strategies as well as strengthen the cooperation of humanitarian and human rights agencies in the field, CONRED, CEPREDENAC, and the Brookings-Bern Project, with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland, convened a workshop on disaster response and protection in situations of natural disaster in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
September 17, 2009, The Brookings Institution
On September 24, President Obama will chair his first G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh. With the world economy improving, leaders will now focus their attention on economic recovery and restoring financial stability. Experts from Brookings Global Economy and Development program analyze top issues to be addressed at the summit and provide recommendations on how to effectively overcome global economic and governance challenges to ensure recovery now and to prevent future crises. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas and Kevin Casas-Zamora, September 15, 2009, The Brookings Institution
A new agreement between the United States and Colombia will give the U.S. military access to seven existing facilities in order to carry out counternarcotics and counterinsurgency operations. Mauricio Cardenas and Kevin Casas-Zamora examine concerns among countries in Latin America regarding this move and argue that it is time to have meaningful conversation on a problem that affects the whole hemisphere. Read More
BOOK
Caroline Moser, September 01, 2009
In Ordinary Families, Extraordinary Lives, Moser shows how a
more sophisticated understanding of the complexities of asset accumulation as well as poverty itself can help counter inaccurate stereotypes about global poverty. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Vanda Felbab-Brown, August 10, 2009, The Diane Rehm Show
Vanda Felbab-Brown joined Diane Rehm to discuss President Obama's meeting in Guadalajara with leaders of Canada and Mexico on issues of mutual concern including escalating drug violence in Mexico, immigration and the economy. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
9:00 AM to 12:20 PM
Washington, DC
On July 21, the Latin America Initiative at Brookings and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF) hosted a discussion of CAF’s recent report titled “Roads to the Future: Management of Infrastructure in Latin America.” Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
July 21, 2009, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement
In most societies, citizens have more interaction with municipal authorities than with national government officials. The same is true in Colombia. However, policies that address displacement are often developed by the national government and left to the municipal authorities to implement. In this report, the Brookings-Bern Project presents the issues discussed at a workshop for municipal authorities in how to better respond to the needs of Colombia's IDPs. Read More