This issue of MicroEnterprise Americas features a series of articles including topics such as how communication and information technology is fostering growth in the microcredit industry; the role of the State as governments are responding to persistent high rates of unemployment and lack of...

This study is an input to the Inter-American Development Bank's regional strategy to improve access to credit for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Latin America region. The core of this strategy is a reform of secure lending on the basis of movable collaterals that will allow SMEs to...

This paper surveys four Argentinean industries—light ships, television programs, wines, and wooden furniture—that have experienced substantial export growth in recent years, particularly to developed countries. The case studies first describe the structure of the industries, then...

This working paper contains a review and analysis of environmental policy tools in Latin America. It contains a review of the instruments themselves and their properties are discussed in both static and dynamic contexts. The report brings together the institutional and more narrowly economic...

This study examines the determinants of technological innovation and its impact on firm labor productivity across six Latin American countries (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Uruguay) using micro data from innovation surveys. In line with the literature, in all countries...

This study combines detailed datasets on 39.1 million hospital discharges in six countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with summary statistics for the remaining countries in the region in order to estimate the number and economic effect of avoidable hospitalizations for ambulatory care...

Beyond Reforms presents the contributions of some United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) analysts as well as research articles prepared for the Commission. It reviews long-term growth and development patterns and focuses on macroeconomic vulnerability and...