Today over 80 percent of the businesses in Latin America and the Caribbean have 10 employees or less and, depending on the country, they provide between 30 and 80 percent of employment. Yet, in spite of this new empowering view of microenterprises--as a means for the poor to earn their...

The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), MIF and the Latin American Federation of Banks (FELABAN) conducted an initial survey in December 2004 of 111 Latin American financial institutions, the purpose of which was to identify the propensity of Latin American and Caribbean banks to...

This paper outlines some of the issues that affect small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in three areas: regulation, procurement, and dispute resolution. The work presented herein is part of the Bank's most recent efforts to develop new approaches and instruments to strengthen its role as a...

The IDB Group, guided by its Strategy for Microenterprise Development, has made the creation of a sustainable market of services to the sector one of its most important priorities during the past decade. This report presents an overview of the contributions the IDB has made to the...

This document represents a contribution made by the Tripartite Committee comprising the Organization of American States (OAS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to the fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Pathways to...

The IDB Group, guided by its Strategy for Microenterprise Development, has made the creation of a sustainable market of services to the sector one of its most important priorities during the past decade. This report presents an overview of the contributions the IDB has made to the...

The eighteen months from June 2001 to end December 2002 were a period of unprecedented economic crisis within MERCOSUR, stemming from the sharp external shock that, with different characteristics, origins, and consequences in each member country, manifested itself in the bloc¿s two main...

This publication reports the results of a project on trade policy-making in eight Western Hemisphere nations jointly conducted by the IDB's INTAL and ITD, the University of Toronto's Munk Centre for International Studies, and the Inter-American Dialogue. The project focuses on the question of...

The Andean countries have made significant progress in their external agenda, above all because of the achievements with their main economic and political counterparts. Andean negotiations contributed to having the United States adopt the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, renewing...

This study was undertaken in response to a request from the government of Brazil that the Inter-American Development Bank support the analysis of infrastructure integration in South America at the level of the region¿s highest authorities. The request was made in light of the convening of the...