Latin American Economies Roundtable

The Latin American Economies Roundtable brings together a small group of leading economic analysts from the public and private sectors to analyze the state of Latin American and Caribbean economies, how they are affected by the external environment, and best policy options. The group meets to share information, assess developments, diagnose problems, exchange ideas on appropriate policy responses, and disseminate insights and conclusions through private meetings and reports. The roundtable is a joint initiative of the Dialogue, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Tulane University, and is directed by Peter Hakim and Nora Lustig.

Recovery On Its Way, Though
Substantial Downside Risks Remain
September 24, 2009

Participants at the eighth Latin American Economies Roundtable (LAER) expressed a sense of optimism that Latin American economies are recovering from the recent crisis. However, the economic gains are not shared equally across the hemisphere and substantial downside risks remain.

The economists were encouraged by green shoots, which continued to sprout in the second and third quarters of 2009. The positive economic news has gone hand in hand with a rebound of commodity prices, which benefits Latin American exporters. Rising equity markets are restoring investors’ confidence and the easing of global credit markets is facilitating trade finance and removes some of the constraints on government borrowing to finance continued economic stimulus packages. Participants therefore agreed that the recession will not be L-shaped and economic recovery is on its way.

Resources

READ Nora Lustig's blog:

Views from the Center

Roundtable Coordinators

Peter Hakim, Inter-American Dialogue
Nora Lustig, Tulane University

Staff

Chris Moore, Inter-American Dialogue

Recent Roundtable Topics

Recovery On Its Way, Though Substantial Downside Risks Remain. September 24, 2009. Full Report
Reasons for Cautious Optimism? June 16, 2009. Full Report
Forecasting Economic Recovery in Latin America and Around the Globe. April 22, 2009. Full Report

Related Link: Center for the Study of Economic and Social Affairs (CERES) director, Ernesto Talvi, shares his analysis in a power point presentation, "Policy Trade-Offs for Unprecedented Times."

Capital Shortage and the Need for Multilateral Financing in Latin America. December 16, 2008. Full Report
Latin America's Vulnerability to the Global Credit Crunch. October 21, 2008. Full Report

Related Link: Center for the Study of Economic and Social Affairs (CERES) director, Ernesto Talvi, shares his analysis in a power point presentation "Latin America in the Aftermath of the U.S. Financial Crisis."

Rising Commodity Prices and the Challenge of Inflation. June 30, 2008. Full Report

Related Link: Center for Global Development Senior Fellow, Liliana Rojas-Suarez, comments on the International Financial Crisis

How does the US Economic Downturn Affect Latin America? March 24, 2008. Full Report

About the Latin American Economies roundtable

Description
The Latin American Economies Roundtable
brings together a small group
of leading economic analysts
from government agencies,
international financial institutions,
the private sector, think-tanks
and universities. Participants analyze
the state of Latin American and
Caribbean economies, how they are
affected by the external environment
and what are the best policy options.

The group meets periodically in closed
sessions to share information,
assess and interpret
developments, diagnose potential
problems, and exchange ideas
about appropriate policy responses by
governments and others. The insights
and conclusions from the Roundtable
are disseminated through private
meetings and our meeting reports.

The Roundtable is a joint project
between the Inter-American
Dialogue, the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace and Tulane
University.

Participants
Hugo Beteta, Inter-American Development Bank
Nancy Birdsall, Center for Global Development
Barry Bosworth, Brookings Institution
Mauricio Cárdenas, Brookings Institution
Augusto de la Torre, World Bank
Robert Devlin, U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America
and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
Nicolas Eyzaguirre, International Monetary Fund
Alejandro Foxley, Carnegie Endowment
Michael Gavin, Citadel Investment Group LLC
Martin Gruenberg, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Frederick Jaspersen, Institute of International Finance, Inc.
Steve Kamin, Federal Reserve Board
Nancy Lee, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Santiago Levy, Inter-American Development Bank
Luis Lopez-Calva, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Claudio Loser, Inter-American Dialogue
Jorge Mariscal, Rohatyn Group, LLC
Gray Newman, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter
Brian O'Neill, Erste Bank Supervisory Board
Steve Phillips, International Monetary Fund
Jeffrey Puryear, Inter-American Dialogue
Robert Rennhack, International Monetary Fund
Liliana Rojas-Suarez, Center for Global Development
Barbara Ryan, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Michael Shifter, Inter-American Dialogue
Klaus Veigel, American University
John Williamson, Peterson Institute for International Economics

Contact
cmoore AT thedialogue DOT org