Many economists advocate the use of tradable water rights as the most efficient system for allocating scarce water resources among alternative economic uses. According to this view, a private market in tradable water rights would maximize the economic value of the resource; would help to reduce...

Genuine participation in the development process on the part of beneficiaries and other affected people is critical to sound project design, effective implementation, efficient management and sustainability. Nowhere is this more evident than in environmental assessment (EA). People's...

Ahead of the Uruguay Round accord of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in December of 1993, numerous developing countries, especially in Latin America, embarked on a process of unilateral trade liberalization. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, bound tariffs were instituted,...

The impact of risk on agriculture and the alternative ways of dealing with it has captured the attention of economists and policy makers for a long time. In recent years, the issue has gained renewed interest. Many countries have started policy reforms aimed at liberalizing domestic markets,...

During the past decade, many countries in Latin America and the Carib-bean that previously were plagued by high inflation, a large debt burden, and low growth have transformed themselves into stable, capital-receiv-ing, and growing economies. They achieved this by implementing high-quality...

This paper examines the main distinctions between the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and regional trading arrangements (RTAs), noting that under the former, liberalization of trade is based on the most favored nation (MFN) principle, while under the latter, there is a departure...

The water and sanitation sector in Latin America and the Caribbean is facing a crisis of confidence. The return of cholera to the region in 1991 was a symptom of deep seated problems and exposed the fragility and inadequacy of publicly operated water supplies and sanitation systems. Despite...

To ease transitional problems during stabilization and structural reform and to protect the well-being of the poor, the Government of the Philippines have focussed on three major 'safety net' programs. Although substantial resources have been devoted to theses programs, few studies have been...