Development in the Americas

Development in the Americas is the flagship publication series of the Inter-American Development Bank, formerly known as the Economic and Progress Social Report (IPES as per its Spanish acronym), the DIA is produced annually, but compiles the results of research conducted over a span of two to three years. Each edition focuses on a topic that is regional in scope and importance and is viewed from a comparative perspective. DIA topics have covered such far-flung issues as debt, productivity, social exclusion, the policymaking process, quality of life and most recently, information and communication technologies. Under the direction of the IDB Chief Economist, a team of researchers from throughout the Bank use cutting edge methodologies and practices to produce a quality document on the vanguard of research on the region. The DIA represents a valuable input for IDB operations, a crucial resource for regional policymakers, and a key element in the Bank’s efforts to position itself as a leading producer of knowledge on Latin America and the Caribbean.

History of Development in the Americas

Development in the Americas (DIA) has changed greatly since the first edition was published in 1961. The report was originally known as the Economic and Social Progress Report (IPES as per its Spanish acronym). The 1961 edition of IPES was published under the terms of an agreement whereby the United States Government designated the IDB in 1960 as Administrator of the Social Progress Trust Fund (SPTF), to which the United States assigned $525 million in order to finance social development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean in the context of the Alliance for Progress. The report contained information on the operations of the Fund during the fiscal year from June 19 through December 31, 1961, the progress of the projects for which disbursements were made and other matters relating to the Fund, including a factual presentation of the measures being taken in the borrowing countries to accomplish the objectives stated in Section 1 of the Act of Bogotá, which established the IDB as the administrator of the SPTF. The resources of the SPTF were fully committed by 1965, and by the end of 1970 the SPTF’s loan commitments had been disbursed. Consequently, the United States Government relieved the IDB of the obligation to issue a report on the SPTF. Since 1970 the IDB’s financial statements have been published in the Annual Report of the Bank, and the IPES focused on the general economic and social trends of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, with economic data compiled in a statistical appendix available at the end of the report.
Over the following three decades, one chapter of each edition of the IPES was dedicated to an issue of particular relevance to the region. In the mid-1990s the IPES was again refocused and assumed its present form. With the advent of new technology such as personal computers, the Internet and statistical packages—and because other international organizations such as the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) were already focused on gathering economic and social data from the region—the IDB decided to re-focus the report towards the analysis of pressing issues for the region in a comparative perspective. The IPES thus focused on examining the strengths and weaknesses of each country and of the region as a whole, raising fundamental questions and producing inputs and tools to help researchers and policymakers understand the key elements of development.
In 1997, IPES was first made available on the World Wide Web. Nine years later IPES was rebranded with a new name “Development in the Americas” and the size of the hard copy was reduced from 9 ½’ X 12’ to 7½’ X 12’.
Reports before 1997 are available in hard copy at the IDB’s Felipe Herrera Library. Reports after 1997 are available at www.iadb.org/dia.

DIA 2011 - Development Connections: Unveiling the Impact of New Information Technologies

Can information and communication technology contribute to economic development? Policymakers and academics agree that computers, the Internet, mobile phones and other information and communication technologies can be beneficial for economic and social development. But how strong is the impact? What conditions influence their effectiveness on development? The IDB applied strict statistical tools in a systematic way to evaluate how these technologies contributed to the success of several development projects in the region.

DIA 2010 - The Age of Productivity: Transforming Economies from the Bottom Up

Productivity, the main driver of economic prosperity, is languishing in Latin America and the Caribbean and is preventing the region from catching up with the developed world. Asking why the region is falling farther and farther behind, this book looks beyond the traditional macro explanations and digs all the way down to the industry and firm level to uncover the causes of this low productivity. It provides tools to ponder productivity growth beyond conventional aggregate analysis, focusing on the extreme heterogeneity of sectors and firms while emphasizing the importance of policies that allow high productivity firms to thrive and expand. While it certainly considers the plight of manufacturing, the book zeros in on the critical service sectors, particularly those, such as transportation and retail, with important repercussions on the rest of the economy.
It challenges the argument that the region is condemned to stagnation and examines a number of policy levers that can transform the economies of the region.

DIA 2009 - Beyond Facts: Understanding Quality of Life

Traditionally, the concept of quality of life has been viewed through objective indicators. Beyond Facts looks at quality of life through a new lens, namely, the perceptions of millions of Latin Americans. Using an enhanced version of the recently created Gallup World Poll that incorporates Latin America-specific questions, the Inter-American Development Bank surveyed people from throughout the region and found that perceptions of quality of life are often very different from the reality. These surprising findings have enormous significance for the political economy of the region and provide a wealth of information for policymakers and development practitioners to feast upon.

IPES 2008 - Outsiders? The Changing Patterns of Exclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean

This report raises a number of fundamental questions about the multidimensional and interrelated nature of social exclusion and moves beyond the traditional emphasis on outcomes and groups to view exclusion as a process that results from societal traits that limit the functionings of the excluded. Using the tools of experimental economics, the report shows the enormous economic and welfare costs of exclusion, suggesting that inclusion policies should be viewed as an investment rather than as a supposedly generous handout to the worst off in society. Inclusion policies thus are more than new programs or new institutions to redress past injustices through income transfers, and imply fundamental changes in the way decisions are made, resources are allocated, and policies are implemented in democratic societies.

IPES 2007 - Living with Debt: How to Limit Risks of Sovereign Finance

The 2007 Report ¬analyzes the nature and evolution of sovereign debt in Latin America and discusses the policies that countries and international financial institutions (IFIs) can follow to reduce the vulnerabilities associated with it. There is currently a receptive attitude in international markets to new financial instruments, such as obligations denominated in domestic currencies, which opens up opportunities for improving the profile and risk characteristics of Latin American public debt. This report seeks to contribute, as well, to the debate regarding the international financial architecture, and to discuss ideas and initiatives aimed at improving the management of key risks such as those associated with rollovers, currency denomination, commodity price volatility, and economic shocks.

IPES 2006 - Politics of Policies

Why do some policies succeed while others do not? Why do some reforms persist while others fall apart? What determines the capacity of countries to design, approve and implement effective policies and sustain them over time? The 2006 IPES explores these questions and analyzes how the workings of the policymaking process affect the quality of policy outcomes. Rather than focusing on the content of public policies, it focuses on the crucial processes by which policies are discussed, approved and implemented.

IPES 2005 - Unlocking Credit: The Quest for Deep and Stable Bank Lending

Credit supplied by the banking sector is the most important funding source for firms and households in Latin America and the Caribbean. Unfortunately, credit is scarce, costly and volatile. Without deep and stable credit markets, the region will be hard pressed to achieve high and sustainable growth rates and combat poverty. Given the importance of banking to growth and prosperity, the Inter-American Development Bank focused its 2005 Report on this sector. The Report analyzes the three main characteristics of bank credit—scarcity, expense and volatility—and makes policy recommendations.

IPES 2003-2004 - Good Jobs Wanted: Labor Markets in Latin America

People and their jobs: What could be more basic to a person’s well being? Where people work determines how they live, how their families live, and how economies perform. The quantity and quality of jobs available has implications for individuals and countries alike. That is why the problems with Latin America’s labor markets are so worrisome. Unemployment, under employment, job instability and low wages are not just personal problems, they are national problems as well—and much of the region is suffering from them. Unemployment is at its highest in years; much of the labor force earns poverty-level wages; wage inequality is one of the highest in the world and is not getting any better; and while the probability of losing a job is high, only a dwindling minority of workers is insured against this risk. Not surprisingly, in public opinion surveys, Latin Americans identify unemployment, low wages and job instability as the most pressing problems in the region, ahead of corruption, crime and other troubling social ills.

IPES 2002 - Beyond Borders: The New Regionalism in Latin America

Regional integration initiatives have long been part of the world economic landscape. In Latin America, integration flourished in the early post-war era but then lost momentum until the 1990s, when there was a new wave of initiatives ranging from free trade areas to customs unions. This Report examines such dimensions of integration as market access, institutional arrangements, regional infrastructure, financial integration, and macroeconomic and exchange rate coordination. It also looks at the effects on productivity, foreign direct investment and economic inequality. Other topics include the configuration of subregional integration initiatives, the Doha multilateral trade agenda, and North-South initiatives such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas and inter-regional agreements with the European Union.

IPES 2001 - Competitiveness: The Business of Growth

Competing in the world economy does not automatically boost a nation's productivity and restructure its economy. Such progress requires mobilizing capital, employment, technology and knowledge. Opportunities beyond the business realm must be fully exploited to the benefit of society as a whole. The Report provides clear policy guidelines and priorities for both government and the private sector to foster competitiveness. It identifies each country's strengths and weaknesses and proposes strategies to increase productivity and improve access by businesses to productive resources.

IPES 2000 - Development Beyond Economics

This Report moves beyond the conventional scope of economics to examine three entrenched structural factors -demography, geography and institutions- that are closely connected to economic and social development. Historical in nature and slow to evolve, these variables are not always in the forefront of economic analysis. They do, however, hold the key to better understanding Latin American societies and the challenges awaiting them in the new century. Development Beyond Economics compares Latin America's development with that of other regions of the world not only in terms of economic progress, but also human development and the capacity of people to work together as a society. This means examining variables ranging from income distribution to social indicators, democratic benchmarks and crime.

IPES 1998-1999 - Facing Up to Inequality in Latin America

Latin America in the 1990s remains the most unequal region in the world in terms of income distribution. Yet because of its changing demographics -declining fertility rates and large number of young people entering the workforce- the region now has a unique window of opportunity to reduce the income gap by accelerating the development process, putting people to work, improving education, and saving for the future. This Report assembles the available evidence on inequality in order to test a wide range of explanations and remedies.

IPES 1997 - Latin America After a Decade of Reforms

The 1997 Report examines the complex forces that have shaped the reform process and assesses the challenges ahead to sustain economic growth, prevent instability, improve income distribution, and foster participation in public decision-making.

See also

• Africa Development Indicators
• ESDS International
• Global Competitiveness Report
• Global Development Finance
• Human Development Report
• World Development Indicators
• World Development Report
• World Economic Outlook
• World Health Report

External links

• CEPALSTAT
• Datagov
• Dataintal
• Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean
• Foreign Direct investment in Latin American and the Caribbean
• Geppal
• Indigenous Legislation DataBank
• INTradeBID
• Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy
• Latin American and Caribbean Macro Watch Data Tool
• Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean
• IDB-Sociometro
• Social Panorama of Latin America
• Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean