The Theory of the Second Best implies that any country with less-than-ideal resources can lose from international trade. Recently it has been suggested this means the South (poor countries) are better off suppressing trade with the North, especially trade in natural resource products, since the...

This Article, a sequel to earlier articles by the author on financial regulation and global finance, retrieves and updates J. M. Keynes’s original International Clearing Union plan for what ultimately became the International Monetary Fund (“IMF,” “Fund”).  Its motives are not...

Rationale A geopolitical fragmentation of world trade, i.e. the emergence of two blocs that restrict trade with countries in the other bloc, has recently become a more likely prospect. How does this geopolitical risk affect the trade and economic outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean?...

Artículo de revista ; This article analyses the recent performance of the main Latin American economies (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Peru). In the first three quarters of 2019 the region’s growth was once again lower than expected and below that of other emerging areas of...

Artículo de revista ; This article offers an overview of the monetary policy framework review currently being conducted by the United States Federal Reserve (Fed). First, we examine the alternative strategies under consideration to address the likely greater incidence of episodes in which...

Artículo de revista ; This article analyses the link between the changes in and the drivers of inflation in a broad range of advanced economies, with special emphasis on those of the euro area. Inflation rates are seen to be highly synchronised across countries, especially in the euro area...

Artículo de revista ; To contribute to the fight against climate change and achieve a carbon-neutral economy, a large volume of funds must be mobilised to finance the necessary investment. The international financial system will play a key role in this process to channel the financing, but...

Artículo de revista ; The consequences of climate change affect both the financial system and the economy as a whole. Understanding the attendant risks and meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement, so as to restrict the rise in global temperature and mobilise the resources needed to achieve a...

Artículo de revista ; On 7 September 2021, El Salvador became the first jurisdiction to adopt bitcoin as legal tender. This initiative has raised as much enthusiasm as it has scepticism and potentially opens the door for other countries to follow suit. The initiative is underpinned by a law...