First the name. Our old moniker, THE IDB, implied that this is a publication about an institution, whereas it is really about Latin America and the Caribbean and the complex currents that are reshaping its societies.

Second, the design. We think it's cleaner, more active, and more clearly focused. Busy readers should find it easier to home in on what interests them most.

And finally, the mission.

In the past, a development bank funded discrete projects with results that could be quantified in such terms as kilometers of transmission lines and cubic meters of concrete. Today, the IDB is financing change--better resource management, sounder fiscal policies, more effective judiciaries, stronger regulatory agencies and greater citizen participation. The impact of programs in these areas affects entire societies, making their results both less visible and more profound.

People charged with explaining the work of an institution sooner or later come to the realization that the institution is not the story, but rather a part of the story. In our case, it's a vast story involving 485 million people in 26 democratic societies that are undergoing profound transformations. IDBAMERICA will report on the Bank's contribution to this historic process.

An excellent example of the IDB's role can be seen in the information revolution, the subject of this month's focus section. It is a revolution without leaders, largely in the hands of upstart companies, great multinational firms and millions of ordinary people. Like an exotic organism in a new environment, it is constantly reinventing itself, penetrating new areas, redefining every aspect of our lives.

Although the informatics revolution is beyond the influence of any single actor, the IDB has an important job to do: the information highway is a freeway without speed limits, and care must be taken that less developed countries and less advantaged people are not left behind.

--the editors