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Connecting the productivity challenge with development policies in Latin America and the Caribbean
ECLAC and UNU-WIDER event
Connecting the productivity challenge with development policies in Latin America and the Caribbean
Wed, 13 March 2024
How can Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) overcome the challenge of low productivity levels and productivity growth in order to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs?
Productivity is a crucial element for the development of people and societies worldwide. Studies show that monetary income is one of the main determinants of wellbeing, with labour productivity being its primary determinant. In LAC, poor productivity has led to the last decade (2014-2023) to be worse in terms of economic growth than the infamous ‘lost decade’ of the 1980s.
Against this backdrop, UNU-WIDER and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) partner for a discussion on the potential of productive development policies (PDP’s) to address this challenge.
ECLAC has been promoting the escalation and better implementation of PDPs as part of the policy toolkit to increase the region’s productivity. However, many challenges and questions remain with regards to ‘what to do’ and ‘how to do it’. UNU-WIDER’s research and policy analysis provide valuable insights to support the work of ECLAC and can assist in answering such questions.
The event begins with a presentation by UNU-WIDER Director Kunal Sen on research and policy analysis on productivity and varieties of structural change, with a focus on the LAC region, drawing from a recent publication and the UNU-WIDER’s report, Towards peace, decent work, and greater equality. ECLAC's Executive Secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs also presents on the topic of LAC's productivity challenges and on the need to scale-up productive development policies in the region to address this challenge.
In the panel discussion, experts from international organizations, academia, and policy networks exchange diagnostics on the region's main productivity problems and discuss ideas on how to progress towards productive development in the region across two panel discussions.
Programme
| 09:00-09:10 | Welcome address Kunal Sen | Director UNU-WIDER José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs | Executive Secretary, ECLAC |
| 09:10-09:30 | Productivity and Varieties of Structural Change in LACs Kunal Sen | Director, UNU-WIDER |
| 09:30-09:50 | The Need to Escalate Productive Development Policies in LAC José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs | Executive Secretary, ECLAC |
| 09:50-11:10 | Panel 1: The Productivity Challenge of LAC Chair: Kunal Sen | Director, UNU-WIDER William Maloney | Chief Economist, Latin America and Caribbean, The World Bank Daniel Samaan | Senior Economist, Research Department, International Labour Organization Javiera Petersen | Under-secretary of Economy of Chile Andrés Solimano | President, CIGLOB |
| 11:10-11:30 | Coffee break |
| 11:30-12:50 | Panel 2: Productive Development Policies to address LAC’s productivity challenge Chair: Marco Llinás, Director, Division of Production, Productivity and Management, ECLAC Juan Carlos Hallak | Professor, University of Buenos Aires Tommaso Ciarli | Researcher, UNU-MERIT Chiara Criscuolo | Head of the Productivity and Business Dynamics, OECD Felipe Correa | Researcher, Division of Production, Productivity and Management, UN-ECLAC |
| 12:50-13:10 | Questions and discussion with audience |
| 13:10-13:15 | Final remarks |