Caribbean Economic Trends

BID

Stay informed about Caribbean economic trends. Detailed analysis on the economies of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, The Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago.

  1. Headwinds Facing the Post-Pandemic Recovery in the Caribbean

    02/16/2023

    Headwinds Facing the Post-Pandemic Recovery in the Caribbean

    After two tumultuous years, 2023 remains characterized by headwinds facing countries across the world. Just as the pandemic’s effects began to dissipate in 2021, a new series of shocks emerged to test Caribbean economies’ fragile recoveries and resilience in 2022, linked in large part to residual impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on supply chains and demand conditions, rising inflation and tightening financial conditions, as well as new global shocks — particularly driven by the conflict in Ukraine. To learn more about the topics discussed, please: Visit this blog: https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/headwinds-facing-the-post-pandemic-recovery-in-the-caribbean/ Download the publication: https://publications.iadb.org/en/caribbean-economics-quarterly-volume-11-issue-3-headwinds-facing-post-pandemic-recovery #Caribbean #improvinglives #development #economy #recovery #COVID19 #pandemic #IDB #BID

    17 min
  2. The Fragile Path to Recovery in the Caribbean

    12/05/2022

    The Fragile Path to Recovery in the Caribbean

    For more than a year, the Caribbean economics team at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has focused on the potential implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for lives and livelihoods across the region. In this podcast episode, the Caribbean economics team discuss their latest Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin, highlighting two main themes: first, forecasts of key macroeconomic indicators, informed by recent expectations for the speed and breadth of tourism recovery across the region; and second, how financial sector risks have evolved since the onset of the pandemic, including a focus on policies undertaken across the region to dampen the impact of this historic shock on banks, corporates, and households. To learn more about the topics discussed please visit this blog https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/the-fragile-path-to-recovery-in-the-caribbean/ and publication https://publications.iadb.org/en/caribbean-quarterly-bulletin-volume-10-issue-2-august-2021.

    18 min
  3. Finance for Firms: Options for Improving Access and Inclusion

    09/20/2022

    Finance for Firms: Options for Improving Access and Inclusion

    #Caribbean #PrivateSector #Businesses #Firms #FinancialAcess #TheBahamas #Barbados #Guyana #Jamaica #TrinidadandTobago Our latest issue of the Caribbean Economics Quarterly, ( https://bit.ly/3S2946d )Finance for Firms: Options for Improving Access and Inclusion highlights new research from the IDB’s Caribbean Department, IDB Invest, and the Complete Caribbean Partnership which shows that firms from across the Caribbean face outsized challenges compared to other countries from around the world when it comes to firm access to finance. In our podcast, host Terry-Ann Coley-Graham talks with co-authors David Rosenblatt (Regional Economic Advisor, IDB Caribbean Department), Henry Mooney (Research Economics Advisor, IDB Caribbean Department), Maria Cecilia Acevedo (Strategy Officer, IDB Invest), Natasha Richardson (Regional Private Sector Coordinator, IDB Invest) and Stefano Pereira (Development Effectiveness Officer). To download the publication: https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Caribbean-Economics-Quarterly-Volume-11-Issue-2-Finance-for-Firms-Options-for-Improving-Access-and-Inclusion.pdf

    19 min
  4. Digital Infrastructure & Development in the Caribbean

    01/10/2022

    Digital Infrastructure & Development in the Caribbean

    Our latest issue of the Caribbean Quarterly Economic Bulletin highlights new IDB research suggesting that many Latin American and Caribbean countries lag behind most advanced economies in digital and telecommunications infrastructure. Closing these gaps could yield dividends in productivity, employment, and growth—particularly for the six members of the IDB’s Caribbean Country Department (The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago). For some Latin American and Caribbean countries, the benefits in faster growth outweigh the costs. In our podcast, host Golda Lee Bruce talks with co-authors David Rosenblatt (Regional Economic Advisor, IDB Caribbean Department), Henry Mooney (Research Economics Advisor, IDB Caribbean Department) and Antonio Garcia-Zaballos (Sector Lead Specialist, Telecommunications), who share some key insights from the publication. To download the publication: https://publications.iadb.org/en/caribbean-quarterly-economic-bulletin-volume-10-issue-3-january-2022.

    14 min
  5. Imagining a Post-COVID Tourism Recovery

    06/08/2021

    Imagining a Post-COVID Tourism Recovery

    Countries have endured over a year of extreme uncertainty due to the COVID-19 crisis, and economies in the Caribbean have suffered more than most. With the increasing availability of vaccines and prospects for a resumption of international travel, we can begin to imagine what a post-COVID tourism recovery would look like. In this conversation, our panel discusses the factors that will affect the pace of tourism recovery in the region, the policy actions that tourism-dependent countries can take, as well as the opportunities for growing the sector based on their findings in the latest Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin report. Our host, Golda Lee Bruce, talks with David Rosenblatt (Regional Economic Advisor, IDB Caribbean Department), Henry Mooney (Research Economics Advisor, IDB Caribbean Department) and Olga Gómez García (Operations Lead Specialist for the tourism sector, IDB Climate Change, and Sustainable Development Department). Download the latest Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin here: https://publications.iadb.org/publications/english/document/Caribbean-Quarterly-Bulletin-Volume-10-Issue-1-May-2021.pdf.

    26 min
  6. Caribbean Economic Recovery amid a Pandemic Surge

    11/25/2020

    Caribbean Economic Recovery amid a Pandemic Surge

    #pandemic #caribbeaneconomy #infrastructure The Pandemic has produced the deepest economic shock on record for most countries in the Caribbean region, and the pace and degree to which countries recover will depend crucially on policy choices and actions of governments in the near term. The surge in new cases further complicates the prospects for recovery as the recession grinds on. In this podcast, David Rosenblatt, Caribbean Regional Economic Advisor , and Henry Mooney, Research Economics Advisor for the Caribbean Department discuss the new Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin report on policy options for the region in balancing the need to keep citizens safe and open key economic sectors. They point out that regional responses focused on immediate health needs, as well as vulnerable households and corporations have been prudent, but the next phase should include an acceleration of infrastructure investment. This episode of Improving Lives in the Caribbean is hosted by Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller for the Caribbean. To access the new Quarterly Bulletin, A Pandemic Surge and Evolving Policy Responses, click here: https://publications.iadb.org/en/caribbean-quarterly-bulletin-volume-9-issue-3-november-2020. To learn more about our work in the Caribbean, visit: https://devtrends.iadb.org/en.

    27 min
  7. The Pandemic Saga Continues: Emerging Issues and Preparing for Economic Recovery

    08/05/2020

    The Pandemic Saga Continues: Emerging Issues and Preparing for Economic Recovery

    Governments in the Caribbean region have been relatively successful in flattening the infection curve of the Coronavirus in their countries. Geographical isolation is a contributing factor, but decisive and determined government action has been effective in reducing community transmission. As these countries begin to open their domestic economies, they are still battered by external shocks. This is particularly the case for the tourism-dependent economies that experienced a virtual shutdown of the sector during the second quarter of the year. The natural-resource-based economies are also suffering from the lingering effects of the decline in commodity prices and related external demand. Economics advisers, David Rosenblatt and Henry Mooney discuss the findings in their new report on the evolving economic issues surrounding COVID-19 and make recommendations on how the region can prepare for the next phase of the post-pandemic recovery. They also present new data on socioeconomic conditions and tourism dependency in Latin America and the Caribbean. Golda Lee Bruce, Development Storyteller for the Caribbean Country Department hosts this conversation. To download the 2nd special edition of the Caribbean Quarterly Bulletin. https://publications.iadb.org/en/caribbean-quarterly-bulletin-volume-9-issue-2-july-2020 To access the new global tourism dependency index. https://publications.iadb.org/en/extreme-outlier-pandemics-unprecedented-shock-tourism-latin-america-and-caribbean Here you'll find survey results on how the Caribbean is doing during the crisis. https://publications.iadb.org/en/covid-19-the-caribbean-crisis-results-from-an-online-socioeconomic-survey For more information about the Caribbean including blogs, publications and multimedia. https://devtrends.iadb.org/en

    19 min
  8. Extreme Outlier: The Pandemic’s Unprecedented Shock to Tourism

    07/08/2020

    Extreme Outlier: The Pandemic’s Unprecedented Shock to Tourism

    Latin American and Caribbean countries are among the most dependent in the world on the tourism sector. A recent publication from Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) economist's Henry Mooney and María Alejandra Zegarra: “Extreme Outlier: The Pandemic’s Unprecedented Shock to Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean,” develops a new global measure of economic dependence on tourism—the Tourism Dependency Index—to illustrate the extreme reliance of many Latin American and Caribbean countries on the sector. Using shock simulations, the authors highlight how potentially damaging the shock could be for output, employment and the balance of international payments across the region. In this podcast, hosted by Golda Lee Bruce, Caribbean Country Department Development Storyteller, Mooney and Zegarra emphasize that COVID-19 represents an unprecedented extreme outlier event, and government efforts to protect the sector and their citizens must be equally unparalleled. To learn more about this topic and the publication visit: https://blogs.iadb.org/caribbean-dev-trends/en/extreme-outlier-the-pandemics-unprecedented-shock-to-tourism-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean/. And explore more content from our work in the Caribbean region: https://devtrends.iadb.org/en.

    18 min
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Stay informed about Caribbean economic trends. Detailed analysis on the economies of Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, The Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago.

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