Una semblanza de la Centroamérica contemporánea. Coordinación de Luis Guillermo Solís, expresidente de Costa Rica. ¿Qué es Centroamérica en el siglo XXI? ¿Qué pasa con esta región de 500.000 km2 y cincuenta millones de habitantes, volcánica en su geografía, y volcánica en su historia política, en cuanto a sus sistemas económicos, la distribución de la riqueza, la condición social de sus habitantes, la igualdad de género, las poblaciones indígenas, sus recursos naturales y el medio ambiente, el estado de la educación? ¿Y la suerte de la democracia, el autoritarismo, los derechos humanos, las elecciones, la libertad de expresión? Este libro pretende levantar el velo y ofrecer una aproximación a esa realidad a través de la visión de un grupo de eminentes pensadores e investigadores de distintas disciplinas, bajo la coordinación del expresidente de Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera, él mismo historiador y científico social y político. Una fotografía múltiple que ayudará al lector a conocer y entender Centroamérica, en esta serie de ensayos escritos con amenidad y sin distancias académicas. «La región centroamericana, ese estrecho istmo que enlaza las dos masas continentales, ha sido, a lo largo de la historia, un lugar de encuentro, desde las migraciones indígenas que llegaron del norte y el sur y allí mezclaron sus culturas y lenguas, hasta los hechos de la conquista, cuando se buscaba el paso entre los dos océanos a través de esa angosta cintura geográfica. Un escenario de conflictos sangrientos y gestas heroicas desde la independencia, cuando los sueños de una república federal se vieron frustrados por luchas intestinas abanderadas por caudillos, hasta la llegada del siglo XX cuando la búsqueda de la modernidad democrática se vio frustrada por dictaduras militares, golpes de Estado, intervenciones extranjeras y revoluciones fallidas. ¿Qué es Centroamérica en el siglo XXI?». Sergio Ramírez, presidente de Centroamérica Cuenta.

This paper provides a brief historical journey of central banking in Latin America to shed light on the debate about monetary policy in the post-global financial crisis period. The paper distinguishes three periods in Latin America’s central bank history: the early years, when central banks endorsed the gold standard and coped with the collapse of this monetary system; a second period, in which central banks turned into development banks under the aegis of governments at the expense of increasing inflation; and the “golden years,” when central banks succeeded in preserving price stability in an environment of political independence. The paper concludes by cautioning against overburdening central banks in Latin America with multiple mandates as this could end up undermining their hard-won monetary policy credibility.

"With 80% of its population living in cities, Latin America and the Caribbean is the most urbanized region on the planet. Located here are some of the largest and bes-known cities, like Mexico City, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Lima and Santiago. The region also boasts hundreds of smaller cities that stand out because of their dynamism and creativity. This edition of State of Latin American and Caribbean cities presents teh current situation of the region's urban world, including the demographic, economic, social, environmental, urban and institutional conditions in which cities are developing." -- p.4 of cover.

For the first time in the republican history of Peru, the presidential transition takes place in democracy, social peace, fast economic growth and favorable world markets. In other words, there has never been a better chance to build a different Peru - a richer country, more equal and governable. There are multiple ways to achieve that goal. New reforms must stem from a widespread and participatory debate, one of a common vision conceived for and by Peruvians. This book aims at making a technical and independent contribution to such debate; it summarizes the knowledge available about the challenges to be faced by the new administration. The study does not recommend silver bullets, but suggests policy options. It is based on the analysis of the current reality and in six decades of relationships with Peru, in which the Bank has implemented more than 100 projects and prepared more than 500 technical reports covering the wide range of development topics. When necessary, the study provides lessons that the Bank has learned elsewhere. The study provides a conceptual framework to the analysis of the country's 34 economic sectors and the two historical perspectives behind them. In doing so, it offers a comprehensive reform agenda that sheds light on possible priorities and courses of action.

This book is a concise overview of the recent history of U.S.-Central American relations. Part of the Contemporary Inter-American Relations series edited by Jorge Dominguez and Rafael Fernandez de Castro, it focuses on the relations between the U.S. and this region since the end of the Cold War. The volume considers economic relations between the two regions, presenting pertinent information on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). It also looks at political issues such as military cooperation, security issues, the drug trade and organized crime, democracy in the region, and migration. Finally, it concludes with an assessment of the direction US-Central American relations are taking at present, moving beyond the black-and-white challenges of Soviet domination in the region to address post-9/11 security concerns. The United States and Central America will be of interest to students and scholars of foreign policy, Latin American politics and politics and international relations in general.

First published in Chile in 1969 as Interpretación del desarrollo social centroamericano, this classic is now available in English. The first attempt at an integrated analysis of modern Central America's socioeconomic structure, Torres Rivas's work traces the social development of Central America from independence (1871) up to the 1960s. Using a dependency framework, but not limited by it, Torres Rivas describes the various divisions of Central American society and their evolution within the liberal development model that has been so much a part of the past century of Central American economic history. The book is compelling in its explanation of the relationship between foreign and native elements in the social development of the region. Torres Rivas describes and analyzes the resulting long-term problems this development has posed for Central America. With a new chapter added for the English edition, History and Society in Central America remains vital for readers interested in the region.

The collected essays in this book provide a comparative examination of the process of grassroots mobilization and the development of community-based forms of popular democracy in Central and South America. The first part contains studies from individual countries on organizations ranging from those supported by governments and integrated into the country's political structure to groups that were organized against the existing political system. The organizations studied included those focusing on a particular concern, such as housing, and those with wide responsibility for community affairs; but all were organizations based on common interests where people lived and, in some cases, where people worked. The second part offers theme studies on men, women and differential participation; problems and meanings associated with decentralization, especially in relation to devolution of power to the local level and the construction of popular alternatives; and the competing theoretical paradigms of new social movements and resource mobilization.