Central America & Caribbean

At the Miami launch of the latest issue of Americas Quarterly, a panel moderated by Miami Herald columnist Andrés Oppenheimer examined Latin American social mobility and hemispheric trade policy, as well as Cuba’s economic outlook following Raúl Castro’s accession.

AS/COA’s second microfinance roundtable discussion provided an opportunity to discuss challenges and opportunities for expanding its outreach in Latin America. The sector has favored a commercial approach as Latin American microfinance moves beyond the distribution of loans.

As the Western Hemisphere experiences the consequences of rising food prices, experts and leaders seek to identify the crisis' source as well as solutions. A debate over biofuels has emerged with the food price hikes. 

Brazil leads the hemisphere in IPOs, but the region as a whole lags far behind other emerging markets.

After a rocky start, the free trade pact linking the U.S., Central America and the Dominican Republic finally takes off.

Targeted monetary transfer programs such as Brazil's Bolsa Família represent bold new alternatives in the field of poverty alleviation. Do they work as well as their advocates claim? Read the entire article in the Spring 2008 issue of Americas Quarterly.

Some of the region's most progressive laws have been passed in Argentina and Mexico, but the struggle for gay rights in Latin America is an uphill climb.