By Thiago de Aragao.

Nobody should be surprised at the result of the referendum on autonomy held on Sunday, May 04, in the province of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The highly anticipated "Yes" victory, to be confirmed by the end of the week when the vote's official results are due to be released, has led to reactions by Bolivia's central government and by the Santa Cruz government too, which did not expect a different result.

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By Thiago de Aragao.

Oil prices at $120 per barrel allow Hugo Chávez to do many things he would not normally be capable of. Venezuela, historically dependent on their greatest blessing, oil surpluses, has never developed other industries to help the country grow stronger, more developed and self-sufficient. Huge oil reserves have made the Venezuelan government and high society fond of imports.

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By Thiago de Aragao.

This March was one of the most exciting months in the latest years as far as South America is concerned. The diplomatic row between Colombia and Ecuador, with a gratuitous cameo by Venezuela, was certainly the month's greatest event. The troop movements, the hard stance taken by Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, and the apologies for invading Ecuadorian soil on the part of Colombian president Álvaro Uribe have left their mark in the continent's diplomacy this month.

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Thiago de Aragão

16th March 2006

Download the report (50 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

Who Can Deliver Sustainable Development?: The Challenges of Economic Growth and Social Stagnation in Latin America

Latin America is a region characterised by a consistently high potential for economic and social development, but faces serious difficulties in accomplishing this task. Throughout the last few decades Latin America has experienced periods of economic growth generally followed by moments of stark recession. Such economic growth cycles have always been tremendously difficult to maintain and, most of all, use in creating positive results for social development. In some ways, the economic history of South America has been a permanent alternation of these cycles - a typical stop and go – or, 'like a chicken flying', always short and low.

This problem of inconsistent economic growth inhibits the implementation of long-lasting social plans that are more than just a 'welfare safety net' on the part of most governments. Long-term planning becomes unfeasible whenever economic imbalances generate an environment of uncertainty. These uncertainties do not relate only to Latin American public policies, but mostly to political decisions that are always dependent on the financial possibilities available at given moments. It is thus possible to begin to understand why, regardless of relatively stable phases of economic development, many current Latin American governments prefer to act in a populist way as proponents of welfare. In turn, many members of society believe that a patronising state actually provides enough to escape from poverty and develop socially.

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Sponsored by Nestle

Friday 17 November, 15:00 - 19:00

Venue: Council Chamber, Ground Floor, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies , Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London, WC1B 5DR.

The Foreign Policy Centre and the Institute for the Study of the Americas would like to invite you to the following event:

Trading Out of Poverty in Latin America

Speakers:

Professor Janet Dine, Queen Mary, University of London

Professor Brigitte Granville, Queen Mary, University of London

Claire McGuigan, Christian Aid

Hilary W Parsons, Nestlé

Graham Symons, Department for International Development (DfID)

Chaired by: Diego Sanchez Ancochea, Institute for the Study of the Americas, University of London

Global fair trade sales have now reached $400 million annually and are projected to rise as the popularity of ethical trading gains increasing mass market appeal. Fair trade enterprise is estimated to return profits of between 25 to 30 percent to producers, improving the lives and livelihoods of those conventionally marginalised from global export markets. However, there are a number of challenges. Does growing competition within the sustainable trade sector compromise the values of alternative trade initiatives? Why do producers continue to channel the bulk of their produce through conventional markets? Why are so few small scale farmers participating in fair trade networks and should participation be extended to include plantation-based production in order to benefit poor farm workers? To explore how to constructively overcome the dilemmas facing fair trade and other ethical trade initiatives, designed to give farmers increased ownership of the goods they produce, the Foreign Policy Centre and the Institute for the Study of the Americas will host a forum to discuss whether fair trade can make a significant impact on poverty in Latin America while promoting ethical trading values.

Please RSVP to Andrew Russell, andrew.russell[at]fpc.org.uk or 0207 729 7566

This event is kindly supported by Nestlé

Download Seminar Report: Trading Out of Poverty in Latin America (150 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

16th March 2006

FPC launches Latin America work with seminar on sustainable development

Stephen Twigg, Director of the Foreign Policy Centre, chaired 'Enterprise in Emerging Economies - Who Can Deliver Sustainable Development?', a round-table discussion launching what the FPC hopes to be the first in a series of events and publications on Latin America.

The seminar was attended by a number of figures from the private, public and NGO sectors. Among the speakers were HE Mr Luis Solari Tudela, Peruvian Ambassador to the UK; Paul Bulcke, Nestlé's Executive Vice President for the Americas; and Thiago de Aragão, a Brazilian political analyst and the FPC's new Latin America Research Associate.