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- Volume 2002, Issue 76, 2002
CEPAL Review - Volume 2002, Issue 76, 2002
Volume 2002, Issue 76, 2002
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The transformation of collective action in Latin America
Author: Manuel Antonio Garretón M.We are witnessing the disappearance of the traditional paradigm that viewed the structural position as the determining factor in shaping collective action and social actors. Because of the structural and cultural changes that have occurred in the world and the region –the transformation of Latin America’s weak national Statecentred industrial society and the break-up of the traditional relationships between State and society– collective action is tending to take shape mainly along four axes: political democratization; social democratization or the struggle against exclusion and for citizenship; the reconstruction and international reintegration of national economies or the reformulation of the economic development model, and the redefinition of a model of modernity. As a result, social actors are becoming less wedded to single causes, more concerned with sociocultural issues than politico-economic ones, and more focused on demands concerned with quality of life and inclusion than on projects of broader social change.
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The idea of citizenship in the Latin American debate
Author: Carlos SojoThis article looks at some of the most significant contributions to the contemporary Latin American debate on citizenship. The subject has taken on central importance in the justification of public policy throughout the continent, chiefly because it allows the approach taken to the social question to be based on active integration of economic, social and cultural phenomena, and makes it possible to address aspects of life in society –such as gender, ethnic and environmental conflicts– that pose major challenges for political regimes and for economic stability. Following an introductory section, the article reviews the conceptual underpinnings of sociological thinking about citizenship, examines the implications of globalization for the analysis and identification of problems associated with citizenship, summarizes some Latin American contributions that have helped to expand the explanatory capabilities and practical usefulness of the concept and, lastly, offers some final considerations.
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Equity and exclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean: The case of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples
Authors: Álvaro Bello and Marta RangelThe purpose of this article is to show and explore some basic aspects of the situation in which Indigenous and Afrodescendant peoples live in Latin America and the Caribbean. Factors such as racism and discrimination will be analysed in an effort to interpret the causes that have resulted in millions of people in the region, from a variety of ethnic and racial origins, living in poverty and marginalization. It is suggested that the way to deal with this problem is to transform systems of exclusion and discrimination (which are cultural, economic, legal and political in nature) at the root by designing strategies ranging from formal recognition of identities and collective rights to public policy-making, stronger regional and international cooperation programmes and far-reaching reform of the State. The active principle underlying the application of these measures should be a new “citizenship” based on the promotion of cultural diversity and difference.
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Challenges for secondary education in Latin America
Authors: Néstor López and Juan Carlos TedescoIn recent years, most Latin American countries have committed themselves, implicitly or explicitly, to achieving universal provision of a good-quality basic secondary education. Despite the diversity of the situations to be found in the region, it is possible to see that what this commitment means for each of these countries is having to cope simultaneously with educational deficiencies inherited from the past –primarily, incomplete coverage that leaves some adolescents outside the system– and the new challenges raised by the exigencies of change in the organization of work, culture and citizenship. The present article sets out by recognizing this “surfeit of demands” on education, and seeks to show some of the greatest dilemmas and tensions faced by policies to achieve good-quality, universal secondary education in the region.
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The role of institutions in local contexts
Authors: Kirsten Appendini and Monique NuijtenThis article looks at some methodological issues that confront development research when local institutions are studied. It considers ways of formulating working concepts that are useful for obtaining information on institutions and their dynamic processes in relation to the economic activities of rural households. It presents and evaluates some quantitative and qualitative methods on the basis of case studies in Mexico and India, and considers the scope and limitations of these. The conclusion is that a flexible, multidisciplinary conceptual and methodological framework is needed to understand the dynamics of institutional processes, from established rules and norms to people’s organizing practices. It is stressed that policy-oriented research has to focus on specific objectives, such as institutional arrangements capable of supporting the poorest groups, and ways in which these groups can mobilize to transform institutions.
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Structural reforms and economic growth in Latin America: A sensitivity analysis
Author: Rafael CorreaSince the mid-1980s, most Latin American countries have undertaken far-reaching structural reform along the lines of the so-called Washington Consensus. This article tests the robustness of the empirical evidence provided by a variety of studies in support of the reforms and their positive impact on Latin American growth. The results are striking. No reform has a robust positive correlation with growth, investment or productivity in the region, and there is evidence that some reforms, particularly labour market deregulation, may actually be harming growth. The results also show that the time effects for the period 1987-1995 were if anything positive, contradicting the prevailing wisdom that the poor economic performance seen in Latin America in the face of numerous far-reaching structural reforms has been due to an adverse international environment.
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Urban traffic congestion: Its economic and social causes and consequences
Authors: Ian Thomson and Alberto BullIn recent years, and particularly since the early 1990s, rising transport demand and road traffic have led to increasing congestion, delays, accidents and environmental problems, particularly in large cities. This explosive increase has been the result of greater access to cars (as the purchasing power of the middle-income classes has risen), easier access to credit, falling retail prices, a larger supply of used cars, population growth, a decline in household size and an unstructured approach to urban transport policy. Transport in the largest cities consumes some 3.5% of the region’s GDP, partly as a result of traffic congestion, which affects both car and public transport users and which produces a loss of economic efficiency and other negative effects for society. Without seeking to propose specific solutions, this article analyses what congestion is and what the consequences of this modern urban scourge are for city dwellers’ quality of life.
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Hub ports in Mexico: Limitations and opportunities
Author: Carlos Martner PeyrelongueThe subject of hub ports has become an increasingly important one in Latin America owing to the rapid growth of international goods flows that has resulted from trade liberalization and economic globalization. The aim of this paper is to reappraise hub ports in Mexico from a viewpoint that situates the unit of analysis in the global sphere, as the technological, organizational and geographical changes being undergone by ports and liner shipping worldwide largely determine the limitations and opportunities for port development in the country. In this initial approach to the subject, five criteria of analysis are established for ascertaining the opportunities and potential of Mexican ports operating liner sea container services within the new international maritime and port context. The paper ends by setting forth some general prospects and conclusions for consideration by actors, both public and private, concerned with port development.
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The impact of exports on growth in Chile
Author: Ricardo Ffrench-DavisDynamic export growth has been a distinctive feature of the Chilean economy over the last quarter of a century. This strong performance, however, has been accompanied by only modest average growth in GDP. Whilst export volumes rose by 10% a year between 1974 and 2001, GDP growth was only 4.3%. Furthermore, whereas export growth was steady, GDP fluctuated greatly, with several episodes of 8% to 10% growth but also deep recessions of 14% or 15%. Here we shall look at the similarities and differences among three episodes (1973-1982, 1983-1989 and 1990-1999), analyse the interrelationship among export quality, the macroeconomic environment and overall growth in Chile, and touch on some challenges for the future.
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The strategies of multinational companies in 1990s Argentina
Authors: Daniel Chudnovsky and Andrés LópezIn the 1990s, Argentina received large amounts of foreign direct investment and the participation of multinational companies in the country’s economy increased significantly. As during the import substitution industrialization period, the basic goal of multinationals is still to exploit the domestic market. Two differences from that period can be observed, however: access to the Brazilian market allows for greater economies of scale and specialization, and increased competition in many tradable sectors is forcing subsidiaries to bring their operations closer to international best practice. These differences, though, are not reflected in the trading practices of subsidiaries. Although these have considerably higher import ratios than local firms, differences in the export ratios of the two types of companies are not statistically significant.
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Bolivia’s commodity price shock
Author: Gabriel Loza T.The adverse shock affecting commodity prices has received little attention, at least by comparison with the recent financial crisis. The latest fall in international prices shows that, contrary to what is claimed in the empirical literature, most of these prices tend to move in unison during periods of expansion and contraction in the economic cycle. Constant shocks help account for the variability of Bolivian export prices, and the inclusion of a new sector, soya, in the export portfolio has not reduced overall risk. The conclusion is that Bolivia’s policy of diversifying commodity exports has not had the effect of reducing risk, evening out cycles, reducing price volatility or increasing real export revenue. It is suggested that manufacturing exports be developed to make the country less vulnerable to shocks.
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