The Western Hemisphere has the world’s most extensive network of free-trade agreements with developing and developed trade partners, concludes the report A New Trade Policy for the United States: Lessons from Latin America, published by the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Because of its diverse free-trade relationships, Latin America has become a rich environment for examining the effects of free-trade agreements. At a time when the European Union, China, Korea, and India are all expanding their trade ties in the region, authors draw valuable lessons about things that “work” and “don’t work” in the current U.S.–Latin America trade regime.
A growing body of research looks at ways private companies can promote development through for-profit “inclusive business” models. El Consejo Empresarial Colombiano Para el Desarrollo Sostenible’s new report, Negocios Inclusivos: una Estrategia Empresarial para Reducir la Pobreza, gives readers a panoramic view of businesses in Colombia—large and small—that are tackling poverty by promoting greater social inclusion and market access but also turning a tidy profit.
The Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) has published a series of papers on governance and democratic consolidation through Latin America. Its latest contribution, Gobernabilidad y Convivencia Democrática en América Latina y el Caribe: Jóvenes en el Mapa, takes an in-depth look at the role of young people in the region’s democracies. The report suggests that policymakers need to rethink ways to include youth in community-based decision making, encourage the participation of children in public life and boost public support for youth civic groups.
