COVID-19 impacts will cut Latin American remittances

Significance The contraction, after several years of robust growth, will stem from a deep recession and measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. Impacts Rising unemployment in South American countries hosting Venezuelan migrants, and the return of many to Venezuela, will cut remittances. Efforts to educate migrants on using digital channels to send money home are likely to increase. Hostile attitudes towards immigrants in LAC will rise as a result of the economic crisis.

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 384-398
Author(s):  
Jorge Guadalupe-Lanas ◽  
Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas ◽  
Patricio Arévalo-Chávez ◽  
Andrés Palacio-Fierro

Purpose This study aims to analyze the influence of political regime on economic growth. Design/methodology/approach The methodology was based on an inter-period comparison of the evolution of macroeconomic fundamentals in three different political regimes in Ecuador, a South American country. Findings The results showed that what determines the evolution of macroeconomic fundamentals is not the political regime that oversees it, but the size of a positive exogenous shock on the price of raw materials, which, by providing higher incomes, considerably increases the level of investment and net exports. However, the political regime does affect the distribution of income in sectors such as health and education. Originality/value As far as the authors know, this may be the first paper to explore the importance of a positive exogenous shock on a political regime for the case of primary-exporting Latin American economies, which are price takers subject to exogenous shocks.


Subject Preparedness for COVID-19. Significance In two months since the first confirmed case in Latin America, COVID-19 has spread throughout the region and cases are rising rapidly. With a few exceptions, governments have responded with severe measures to contain the spread, including lockdowns and border closures. However, containing the impact of the disease will also depend critically on bolstering the region’s underprepared healthcare systems. Impacts Governments such as Brazil and Mexico could face a backlash if mortality rates dramatically exceed those of other countries. The economic impact of containment measures will be severe, and the region faces a deep recession. China’s geopolitical position in Latin America will benefit from the extensive assistance that it is providing.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Jenne

PurposeRelations between the People's Republic of China and Latin America have gradually expanded from commerce and finance to cover different aspects of security. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview over security cooperation between China and South America. Specifically, it analyses the motivations for security cooperation on both sides and its value added for Sino–South American relations.Design/methodology/approachThe article describes four dimensions of security cooperation between China and South America: functional cooperation, defence diplomacy, long-term cooperation initiatives and arms sales. For each dimension of security cooperation, the main motivations on the two sides are discussed, together with the value added of security cooperation to the “comprehensive and cooperative partnership” China's policy papers on Latin America and the Caribbean have called for.FindingsSecurity and defence considerations have not caused the development of Sino–South American security cooperation. Instead, it were the rapidly growing economic links from the 2000s on that facilitated China's broader political engagement with South America, including in the field of security. There are a number of important motivations that indicate security cooperation between China and South American states will further expand in the future.Practical implicationsSecurity cooperation should not only be practiced as an end in itself but also serve tangible outcomes to reduce insecurity.Originality/valueIn the context of Sino–Latin American relations, security cooperation has received relatively little attention beyond a comparatively small group of pundits despite the fact that military diplomacy has become increasingly important in bolstering China's growing international profile. This article makes an original contribution in discussing four dimensions of security cooperation between China and South America.


Significance The petro represents an attempt to alleviate Venezuela's deep economic crisis, which is also affecting military morale. Amid signs of military discontent, 19 officers have been arrested this month. At the same time, despite alleged US pressure and bitter criticism from opposition parties boycotting the May 20 presidential election, opposition candidate Henri Falcon has continued to mobilise for his presidential bid. Impacts Protests will be launched over coming days by the abstentionist block, elevating the risk of violence and disorder. Falcon’s continued candidacy will push abstentionist parties into a deeper and more domestically unpopular partnership with Washington. A disaffected and demoralised security sector will be a primary target for opposition lobbying and pressure. US petro sanctions will likely be followed by countries including Canada, the EU and some South American countries.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andres Borquez ◽  
Carlos Bravo

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to discuss the characteristics of China’s strategic partners in Latin America, emphasizing the foreign policy orientations of these nations towards China.Design/methodology/approachThe first part is a theoretical analysis of the foreign economic policy orientations of the Chinese strategic partners in South America. In the second part, attention is paid to the empirical regularities of economic cooperation between China and its South American strategic partners.FindingsChina seeks to diversify the profile of its strategic partnerships, as long as they increase Chinas complexity in the orientation of cooperation, using a multidimensional approach, based on three strategic cooperation networks (partners based on ideological affinities, geo-economic partners and trade partners).Originality/valueThis article increases the understanding of how new strategic partnerships take a more active position in the new great geo-economic game in which China is involved. China increases its facilitation role in Latin American Pacific rim countries, as well as its influence in countries historically close to the USA.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-471
Author(s):  
Jorge Cruz-Cárdenas ◽  
Jorge Guadalupe-Lanas ◽  
Ekaterina Zabelina ◽  
Andrés Palacio-Fierro ◽  
Margarita Velín-Fárez ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand in-depth how consumers create value in their lives using WhatsApp, the leading mobile instant messaging (MIM) application. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts the perspective of customer-dominant logic (CDL) and uses a qualitative multimethod design involving 3 focus groups and 25 subsequent in-depth interviews. The research setting was Ecuador, a Latin American country. Findings Analysis and interpretation of the participants’ stories made it possible to identify and understand the creation of four types of value: maintaining and strengthening relationships; improving role performance; emotional support; and entertainment and fun. In addition, the present study proposes a conceptual model of consumer value creation as it applies to MIM. Practical implications Understanding the way consumers create value in their lives using MIM is important not only for organizations that offer MIM applications, but also for those companies that develop other applications for mobile phones or for those who wish to use MIM as an electronic word-of-mouth vehicle. Originality/value The current study is one of the first to address the topic of consumer behavior in the use of technologies from the perspective of CDL; this perspective enables an integrated qualitative vision of value creation in which the consumer is the protagonist.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Delio I. Castaneda ◽  
Luisa F. Manrique

Subject area Innovation and creativity in small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Latin America. Study level/applicability The case is recommended for creativity and innovation subjects, in undergraduate and MBA levels. The case is also suggested for subjects associated with the organizational dynamics on SMEs. Case overview Colchones Eldorado is a Colombian company dedicated to the bedding industry. The company was founded in 1957 by Gumercindo Gómez Caro, a creative man who in 1959 invented a machine to make springs, which allowed the company to grow steadily for several decades. On November 18, 2004, the founder's daughter, Martha Luz Gomez, was appointed as General Manager. On April 2011 it obtained a license from Sealy, the biggest mattress making company in the USA. The license implied a challenge - testing the company's innovative capacities to adapt Sealy mattresses to satisfy consumers in the Colombian market. Expected learning outcomes Students are shown the characteristics of the creative and innovation process in a Latin American SME, and the innovation challenges which are faced. From the reading and the case discussion, the students should be able to: analyse the manifestations of the creative process in an SME; identify examples of the innovation types of an SME; and discuss the organizational conditions to answer the creativity and innovation challenges in an SME. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-276
Author(s):  
Lisana B. Martinez ◽  
Valeria Scherger ◽  
M. Belén Guercio ◽  
Sofía Orazi

PurposeThis paper analyses the evolution of the financial inclusion and its main determinants in seven Latin American countries.Design/methodology/approachThe database used is the Global Findex from the World Bank for the latest data released that includes the years 2011 and 2014. The variables used are formal financial accounts, formal savings and formal credit as proxies of financial inclusion for the years of study. Moreover, the use of debit and credit cards is considered. The methodologies applied are the mean difference tests, in order to contrast the hypotheses of the inclusion evolution and binary probit regressions models.FindingsThe results of the analysis show that there is a positive evolution in the use of financial instruments in the countries of the sample, especially in the use of formal accounts. On the other hand, considering the characteristics of the individuals, age, level of education and income positively affect their financial inclusion.Originality/valueThere are no similar works for the region of study that allow us to evaluate the evolution of financial inclusion considering the variables selected in the literature. It is possible to clearly fulfil the proposed objective, highlighting the importance of implementing financial inclusion policies in view of the low percentage of use of the instruments in the analyzed countries.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Innocent Otache

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore agripreneurship development as a strategy for economic growth and development. Design/methodology/approach Though a few related literature were reviewed, this paper relies heavily on the author’s viewpoint regarding how Nigeria can grow and develop its economy through agripreneurship development. Findings The present economic challenges that Nigeria is facing are blamed on overdependence on the oil sector, bad governance, corruption, leadership failure, policy inconsistency, overdependence on imported goods and ostensible neglect of the agricultural sector. Also, policymakers, economic analysts and the government have advocated strongly for diversification of the economy. Besides, there is a consensus among scholars, economic analysts and policymakers that “agriculture is the answer.” Research limitations/implications This paper addresses specifically one sector of the economy – the agricultural sector. On the other hand, economic crisis needs to be addressed holistically by resolving specific issues that confront different sectors of the economy. Practical implications This paper has some insightful policy and practical implications for the Nigerian Government and Nigerians. The government and Nigerians need to take practical steps to grow and develop the economy. On the part of the government, apart from the need to transform the agricultural sector by allocating enough funds to it, the government should establish well-equipped agripreneurship development centers and organize periodically agripreneurship development programmes for the main purpose of training and developing both current and potential agripreneurs who will be able to apply today’s agricultural techniques and practices which involve a great deal of creativity and innovation for a successful agribusiness. The federal government should integrate agripreneurship education into Nigeria’s education system. Similarly, the Nigerian people, particularly the youths or graduates should be encouraged to choose agribusiness as a career. Originality/value While previous papers have offered different solutions to the current economic crisis that Nigeria is experiencing, ranging from economic to structural reforms, this paper differs significantly from others by recommending specifically agripreneurship development as a strategy for revamping Nigeria’s economy from its current recession. Moreover, there is a dearth of literature on agripreneurship and agripreneurship development. This paper therefore fills the literature gap.


2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 588-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Losada-Otálora ◽  
Lourdes Casanova

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an analytical framework that challenges the condescending view of multinationals of emerging countries. In this paper, it is showed that emerging multinational companies (EMNCs) developed valuable resources that leveraged their internationalization strategies. Design/methodology/approach – An exploratory approach was used to investigate the internationalization strategies of EMNCs. A qualitative study was built on secondary data sources, particularly analysis of cases of the internationalization of Latin American companies. Findings – The internationalization strategies deployed by EMNCs are similar to the strategies of traditional multinationals (firms of developed countries). Similarly, EMNCs exploit, acquire or defend their resources in foreign markets. Additionally, the selection of each strategy depends on the availability, transferability and substitutability of the resources involved in the internationalization. Research limitations/implications – The traditional approaches that study the role of resources in the internationalization of the EMNCs have some shortcomings. It is worth conducting additional research including the approach developed here to advance in the comprehension of the behavior of EMNCs. Practical implications – Managers must identify and develop key resources to invest abroad. Additionally, managers need to take into account the characteristics of the resources of their firms to select an adequate strategy abroad. Originality/value – This paper shows that EMNCs are not resource laggards. Consequently, theoretical and empirical evidence is provided to advance the development of comprehensive theories of the internationalization of EMNCs. This paper offers academics and practitioners with a new focus to analyze the internationalization of EMNCs which are recognized as a driving force of the global economy.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document