Latin America 2017 2018

A comprehensive, timely, and entertaining account of the political, cultural, and economic dynamics of more than thirty discrete countries of the Western Hemisphere, this book is updated each year, providing students with the most recent information possible. The information is presented in an objective, balanced, non-ideological context, allowing the readers to formulate their own opinions. In addition to examining individual countries, the book views Latin America as a mosaic region as a whole and emphasizes its growing influence on the world stage. Besides providing accurate and timely information on the historical and political forces that have shaped each nation, it also examines the leading cultural figures and forces, from eighteenth-century writers to twentieth-century composers and singing stars to twenty-first-century filmmakers and actors. Finally, it describes the social and economic challenges that continue to afflict this exciting and emerging region.

The Social Panorama of Latin America 2018 analyzes issues crucial to understanding and action given the structural challenges facing the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean in the current economic and social situation, especially in the context of the transformations underway in labour markets. Throughout the report, which has been published since 1991, strategies and policies are suggested for advancing toward inclusive development in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The volume takes a broad view of recent social, political, and economic developments in Latin America. It contains six essays, focused on salient and cross-cutting themes, that try to construct a thread or narrative about the highly diverse region, highlighting its main idiosyncrasies and analyzing where it might be headed in coming years. While the essays recognize considerable advances, they also point out setbacks and missed opportunities that have stood in the way of sustained progress. Strengthening state capacity emerges as a significant challenge.

The Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean's most important annual reports, analyzes in its last edition the economic performance of the region throughout the year, including the international context and macroeconomic policies implemented by the Commission's Member States, while also providing an outlook for 2019.

This edition of International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean covers 2018 and is divided into three chapters. Chapter I analyses the impact of divergent global growth and trade tensions on trade in the region. Chapter II examines the share of Latin America and the Caribbean in global trade in minerals and metals. The region overall is a net exporter in this sector; however, given the typically low level of processing of its exports, it has the largest share in this category of primary products of all regions in the world. Finally, Chapter III examines whether cross-border e-commerce has the potential to galvanize and diversify exports from the region. Cross-border e-commerce refers to transactions for products and services that are ordered online, platform-enabled, or delivered online.

The forces of globalization, technology, and information diffusion, as well as the processes of democratic consolidation have served to improve and expand opportunities for business in Latin American markets. These changes have not occurred uniformly, and this insightful book will help future business leaders determine which economies are likely to prosper, and therefore present better business opportunities for the foreseeable future. A chapter dedicated to the history of Latin America helps readers understand why things appear the way they do, giving them the context they need to understand the underlying business conditions. The book also addresses key challenges and issues that are unique to Latin America, and offers practical advice for tackling them. Each chapter features a focus country in order to provide a more in-depth understanding of what business opportunities exist in this region, how businesses operate and thrive there, as well as what internal and external factors affect the ability to do business in Latin America. The cases at the end of each chapter explore actual business ventures in a particular country. A highly practical book, Navigating Commerce in Latin America will give international business people the tools they need to manage successful businesses in this region.

This publication outlines the region’s economic performance in 2018 and analyses trends in the early months of 2019, as well as the outlook for the rest of the year. It examines the external and domestic factors that have influenced the region’s economic performance, analyses the characteristics of growth, prices and the labour market, and draws attention to some of the macroeconomic policy challenges of the prevailing external conditions, amid mounting uncertainty stemming mainly from political factors. It analyses the dynamics of investment and its determinants, with a view to identifying the different variables on which public policy can act to influence the trajectory of investment.