First phase of Forum

In its initial phase (2000-2001), the Social Equity Forum acted as a marketplace for the discussion and exchange of ideas on social equity. With Eduardo Aninat (former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund) as its president, and Nora Lustig (Director of the Universidad de las Americas, Puebla), and Nancy Birdsall (President for the Center for Global Development) as coordinators, the Forum consisted of 4 meetings aimed to discuss relevant topics that would enhance equity building policies and the reduction of poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean.

These topics were discussed in its plenary meetings and 16 papers were produced in order to build knowledge not only on the technical side but also on the political factors that can contribute or undermine such policies.  

Meetings

 

 Reforms and Social Equity in Latin America and the Caribbean

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Chapters:

  Introduction

   Chapter I. Macroeconomía con responsabilidad social.

   Chapter II. La nueva economía y la equidad de los mercados laborales.

   Chapter III. La economía política de las reformas sociales.

   Chapter IV. Transparencia y rendición de cuentas.

     First Meeting of the Social Equity Forum

The first meeting, held at New Orleans on March 24-25, 2000, focused on issues relating to mechanisms to integrate equity considerations into macroeconomic stabilization policies (socially responsible macroeconomics). The Forum members also conducted a diagnostic analysis of the effects of trade liberalization and financial market deregulation on labor opportunities and the state of economic justice (employment, opportunity, and economic justice) and garnered the experiences of policy makers present at the event, to explore ways to overcome the political economy problems that block the rapid implementation of social reform (the political economy of social reform).

La Distribución del Ingreso en Chile 1990-1996: Analisis del Impacto del Mercado de Trabajo y las Politicas Sociales.

by Bravo and Contreras

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

Crises and the Poor: Socially Responsible Macroeconomics,

by Nora Lustig

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

The Politics of Social Sector Reforms, Executive Summary,

by Nelson

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

Why is There so Much Economic Insecurity in Latin America?

by Rodrik

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

   

Second Meeting of the Social Equity Forum

The second meeting took place at the IDB headquarters in Washington, D.C. on November 1-2, 2000. It focused on the impact of the new economy (characterized by the widespread use of information technology) on equity in the labor markets and its implications for public policy. The discussions of the meeting emphasized central policy aspects for reforming the labor market, taking account of the need for equity, social protection, and fiscal sustainability in an economy marked by the intensification of world complementation and rapid technological change.

Information Technology, Work Place Organization and the Demand for Skilled Labor: Firm-Level Evidence,

by Timothy F. Bresnahan, Erik Brynjolfsson, and Lorin M. Hitt.

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

Chile: the Evolution and Reform of the Labor Market,

by René Cortázar.

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

Instituciones y el desarrollo económico: La experiencia para América Latina,

by Marta Lagos.

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

The Cost of Job Security Regulation: Evidence from Latin American Labor Markets,

by James Heckman and Carmen Pagés.

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

Information Technology and its Impact on Equity in the Labor Markets,

by Christopher A. Pissarides

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

   

Third Meeting of the Social Equity Forum

 

The third meeting, held during the IDB Annual Meeting in Santiago, Chile on March 16-17, 2001, focused on the role of political actors, and legislative and decision-making processes in the implementation of a social equity agenda. The sessions on this topic laid out one major theme of the Forum: the (long-standing) notion of a gap between expert analysis and political decision-making. The meeting also included a discussion on the phases of the policy process, focusing on the politics of gaining approval for reform proposals within the legislature and among the public, and a discussion on the importance of institutional factors for the quality of the policy process and the resulting policies.

A Brief Report on the Political and Legislative Processes Aimed at Tax System and Capital Reforms in Brazil,

by Antonio Kandir.

     

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

The Chilean Tax Reform of 1990: A Success Story,

by Manuel Marfán.

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

   

Fourth Meeting of the Social Equity Forum

 

The fourth meeting took place on November 1-2, 2001. During this meeting the Forum discussed different aspects of how transparency and governmental responsibility affect social equity. The sessions included a discussion of state reform in Chile and its potential implications for reform experiences designed to enhance transparency and accountability in other countries of the region. Experts presented and discussed with the Forum members an overview of transparency issues relevant to Latin America, considering how the concept if transparency might be broadened to include greater popular participation and representation in the full range of governmental activities in the region. The meeting also included a discussion on the current status of transparency and governmental responsibility, with a focus on recent governmental initiatives in Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico, and on civil society initiatives designed to enhance transparency and governmental responsibility.

The New Government Responsibility: The War Against Corruption, National Security, and Social Equity,

by Adolfo Aguilar-Zinser

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

Estado Actual de la Transparencia y la Responsabilidad Gubernamental en Colombia,

by Mauricio Cardenas

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

Transparency, Governmental Responsibility, and Social Equity,

by Juan Pablo Guerrero Amparán

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

Bolivia: Mechanisms for involving civil society in decision making in order to promote transparency, government accountability, and social equity,

by Ronald MacLean - Abaroa

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation

 

Transparency, Governmental Responsibility and Social Equity,

by Susan Rose-Ackerman

 

    Citation / Abstract  |  Paper  |  Presentation