Exports in the Face of Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers: A Comparison between Latin American Countries and Developed Economies

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of corruption on economic growth, human development and natural resources in Latin American and Nordic countries.Design/methodology/approachUsing the hierarchical prior of Gelman et al. (2003), a Bayesian panel Vector AutoRegression (VAR) model is estimated. In addition, two alternative approaches are considered, namely, a panel error correction VAR model and an asymmetric panel VAR model.FindingsThe results reveal some relevant contrasts: (1) in Latin America there is support for the sand the wheels hypothesis in Bolivia and Chile, support for the grease the wheels hypothesis in Colombia and no significant impact of corruption on growth in Brazil and Peru, while in Nordic countries the response of growth to shocks in corruption is negative in all cases; (2) corruption negatively affects human development in all countries from both regions; (3) corruption tends to spur natural resources sector in Latin American countries, while it is detrimental for natural resources sector in Nordic countries.Research limitations/implicationsThe panel VAR approach uses recursive scheme identification. The authors have analyzed robustness using alternative ordering of the variables. The authors also have followed two alternatives suggested by the Referee: a panel error correction VAR model and a panel asymmetric VAR model. However, another more sophisticated identification scheme could be used. Also other variables could be introduced in the VAR model.Practical implicationsRegardless of the issue of the “grease” vs the “sand the wheels” debate, corruption should be reduced because it is anyway harmful for human development. The differences in the results for Latin American and Nordic countries show that the effects of corruption have to be assessed considering the different institutional and economic conditions of the countries analyzed.Social implicationsGovernments should seek to reduce corruption because, despite corruption can have mixed effects on economic growth in some contexts, it is anyway harmful for human development. Besides, the finding that in some Latin American countries more activity in the extractive industries is generated by means of corruption confirm the association between corruption and extractivism found by Gudynas (2017) and can explain why there are issues of environmental damage and social conflict linked to natural resources in those countries.Originality/valueThe present study contributes to the literature by presenting evidence on the effects of corruption on growth, human development and natural resources sector in Latin American and Nordic countries. It is the first study on economics of corruption which directly compares Latin American and Nordic countries. This is relevant because there are important differences between both regions since Latin American countries tend to suffer from widespread corruption, while the Nordic ones have a high level of transparency. It is also the first in using a Bayesian panel VAR approach in order to evaluate the effects of corruption.

PART OF LATIN AMERICAN TRADE with countries of the European Payments Union is conducted on a dollar basis, part on a sterling basis, and the remainder on the basis of other currencies. The payments, clearing, and compensation arrangements of Latin American countries with Europe differ widely from country to country and are subject to frequent change, making difficult a precise division of Latin America into "dollar area" and "nondollar area" countries. Some Latin American countries which have "Bilateral Accounts" with the sterling area are "dollar countries" insofar as continental European countries are concerned. Other Latin American countries, however, which are classified in the "American Account" group of the sterling area, have bilateral arrangements with some continental countries. Certain bilateral payments agreements between Latin American and European countries provide that freely disposable U.S. dollars shall be used as the means of effecting commercial payments (e.g., the agreement between Uruguay and Italy and that between Peru and Western Germany). Other agreements, in contrast, employ the U.S. dollar as a unit of account ("restricted" dollars); the mechanism of current settlements, however, is designed to avoid payment in freely disposable U.S. dollars, and only final settlement at the termination of the agreement is to be effected in freely disposable U.S. dollars, other agreed currencies, or gold. (See Table 1.) With countries that are classified in the American account group by the U.K. Exchange Control, U.K. trade is in effect conducted on a dollar basis, under a mechanism whereby the United Kingdom makes payments in sterling which is convertible into dollars whenever the recipient country so requests. In this group are the Central American countries, the Caribbean countries, and Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia. The Latin American countries included in the American account group of the sterling area do not coincide exactly with the countries

A promising potential partner for the Latin American region is Canada, which is also interested in diversifying its economy and strengthening investment and trade ties. But the closest economic ties have developed between Canada, the United States and Mexico, which is due not only to geographical proximity, but also to participation in the North American Free Trade Agreement - NAFTA, and later USMCA. The subject of the study in the article is Canada's trade cooperation with Latin and North American countries. The aim is to study the economic and trade relations of Canada and Latin American countries in the context of North American integration from the point of view of a holistic view of their evolution. Methods: in studying the model of economic integration, the historical method and comparative analysis were used; statistical analysis was used to analyze the trends in the development of trade cooperation between Canada and Latin American countries. The following results were obtained: based on the analysis, it is noted that the development of economic and trade relations between Canada and Latin American countries almost completely corresponds to the interests of Canada, which wants to get a quick return on its investments in the region. Latin America appreciates working with Ottawa in key areas, actively using Canadian investments in the industrial and social spheres. But the closest economic ties have developed between Canada, the USA and Mexico, which is due not only to geographical proximity, but also to their economic integration, which was regulated by various documents - NAFTA and USMCA. Conclusions: Canada considers the Latin American region as a rather promising direction of development due to the richness of economic relations, the volume of trade turnover is quite stable, and today there are hardly any factors that can influence this trend. At the same time, the closest economic ties are developing between Canada, the USA and Mexico within the framework of the USMCA integration agreement and their intensification is given special attention, taking into account new requirements.

I compare the primatological literature in 4 Latin American (Brazil, Peru, Mexico and Argentina) 2 European (Great Britain and France) and one African (Kenya) countries with regard to: (1) total number of publications; (2) productivity of scientists; (3) quality of the publications; and (4) the range of subjects studied. Data are from Current Primate References (CPR; 1985–1994). Publications included in the sample show an address from the countries considered. The results showed that GB and France had a far larger number of publications than the other countries. They have respectively >7 and 4 times more authors than Brazil, the country with the highest number of authors among Latin American and African countries. But the mean number of publications per author shows little difference among the 7 countries. The quality of publications as measured by the percentage indexed by ISI shows that, GB and France fare much better than the Latin American countries. Kenya did not follow the pattern of the other underdeveloped countries and showed a high percentage of indexed publications. Not all subjects reviewed in CPR were studied by scientists from the 7 countries. GB and France presented the widest range of subjects. Scientists in countries with greater primate diversity concentrated their publications in behavior, ecology and conservation, colony management and general primatology with the exception of Kenya. These results suggest that scientific production in Latin American countries can be increased by increasing the number of scientists, either through educational programs or via incentives for the career. However, more specific action is needed to improve the quality of publications and the range of subjects studied.

The article is dedicated to diplomatic and trade-economic relations between Russia and Latin American countries as one of bases of multipolar world’s formation. Clearly, the emergence of the multipolar world is a difficult and long-term process. Yet, this world is now being created by states, political and economic associations, regions and whole continents. Latin American and Caribbean countries are actively participating in the formation of this new world order. The countries of the region hold quite independent views on many international problems including the formation of new world order, and these views share much similarity with Russian opinion on the matter. These states support the leading role of the UN and its Security Council; they did not join the western sanctions against Russia and practically stopped being the USA’s “backyard”. Moreover, the majority of Latin American countries have introduced the visa-free regime for Russian citizens. This lets us consider the Latin America to be the element in the building of the new world order. Many states seek to develop and support the stable diplomatic and trade-economic relations with Latin American countries, especially China, the USA and the European Union. Russia has a long history of international relations with Latin American countries. In the XIX century the Russian Empire established the diplomatic relations with Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela. Later, the USSR supported close diplomatic and trade-economic relations with a number of Latin American states. After the dissolution of the USSR the Russian relations with these countries were recreated, developed and strengthened. Our cooperation is growing in all areas: diplomacy, trade, science, education, medicine, energy etc. Now the questions of creating the common bank and trading in national currencies are being discussed. Russia enjoys the diplomatic relations with all Latin American countries; these relations are evolving, and there are perspectives of their future enhancement.

Five-year trend of antimicrobial susceptibility rates and daptomycin activity among Staphylococcus aureus isolates collected in Latin American medical eenters (2005-2009)

WE-AB-213-04: IAEA Support to Medical Physics in Africa and Latin America: Achievements and Challenges

WE-AB-213-02: Status of Medical Physics Collaborations, and Projects in Latin America

WE-AB-213-00: Developments in International Medical Physics Collaborations in Africa and Latin America

WE-AB-213-03: Challenges and Opportunities

AAPM projects and collaborations in Africa Adam Shulman (AA-SC Chair) The African Affairs Subcommittee (AA-SC) of the AAPM will present a multi-institutional approach to medical physics support in Africa. Current work to increase the quality of care and level of safety for the medical physics practice in Senegal, Ghana, and Zimbabwe will be presented, along with preliminary projects in Nigeria and Botswana. Because the task of addressing the needs of medical physics in countries across Africa is larger than one entity can accomplish on its own, the AA-SC has taken the approach of joining forces with multiple organizations such as Radiating Hope and TreatSafely (NGO's), the IAEA, companies like BrainLab, Varian and Elekta, medical volunteers and academic institutions such as NYU and Washington University. Elements of current projects include: 1) Distance training and evaluation of the quality of contouring and treatment planning, teaching treatment planning and other subjects, and troubleshooting using modern telecommunications technology in Senegal, Ghana, and Zimbabwe; 2) Assistance in the transition from 2D to 3D in Senegal and Zimbabwe; 3) Assistance in the transition from 3D to IMRT using in-house compensators in Senegal; 4) Modernizing the cancer center in Senegal and increasing safety and; 5) Training on on 3D techniques in Ghana; 6) Assisting a teaching and training radiation oncology center to be built in Zimbabwe; 7) Working with the ISEP Program in Sub-Saharan Africa; 8) Creating instructional videos on linac commissioning; 9) Working on a possible collaboration to train physicists in Nigeria. Building on past achievements, the subcommittee seeks to make a larger impact on the continent, as the number and size of projects increases and more human resources become available. The State of Medical Physics Collaborations and Projects in Latin America Sandra Guzman (Peru) The lack of Medical Physicists (MP) in many Latin American (LA) countries leads to recruitment of professionals with incomplete education. In most LA countries only one MP responsible for each Center is currently mandated. Currently there is a large disparity among MP training programs and there is significant debate about the standards of MP graduate education in many LA countries. There are no commonly recognized academic programs, not enough clinical training sites and clinical training is not typically considered as part of the MP work. Economic pressures and high workloads also impede the creation of more training centers. The increasing need of qualified MPs require establishing a coordinated system of national Education & Training Centers (ETC), to meet the international standards of education and training in Medical Physics. This shortfall calls for support of organizations such as the IOMP, AAPM, ALFIM, IAEA, etc. Examples from various LA countries, as well as some proposed solutions, will be presented. In particular, we will discuss the resources that the AAPM and its members can offer to support regional programs. The ‘Medical Imaging’ physicist in the emerging world: Challenges and opportunities - Caridad Borrás (WGNIMP Chair) While the role of radiation therapy physicists in the emerging world is reasonably well established, the role of medical imaging physicists is not. The only perceived needs in radiology departments are equipment quality control and radiation protection, tasks that can be done by a technologist or a service engineer. To change the situation, the International Basic Safety Standard, which is adopted/adapted world-wide as national radiation protection regulations, states: “For diagnostic radiological procedures and image guided interventional procedures, the requirements of these Standards for medical imaging, calibration, dosimetry and quality assurance, including the acceptance and commissioning of medical radiological equipment, are fulfilled by or under the oversight of, or with the documented advice of a medical physicist, whose degree of involvement is determined by the complexity of the radiological procedures and the associated radiation risks”. Details on how these requirements can be carried out in resource-limited settings will be described. IAEA support to medical physics in Africa and Latin America: achievements and challenges Ahmed Meghzifene (IAEA) Shortage of clinically qualified medical physicists in radiotherapy and imaging, insufficient and inadequate education and training programs, as well as a lack of professional recognition were identified as the main issues to be addressed by the IAEA. The IAEA developed a series of integrated projects aiming specifically at promoting the essential role of medical physicists in health care, developing harmonized guidelines on dosimetry and quality assurance, and supporting education and clinical training programs. The unique feature of the IAEA approach is support it provides for implementation of guidelines and education programs in Member States through its technical cooperation project. The presentation will summarize IAEA support to Latin America and Africa in the field of medical physics and will highlight how the new International Basic Safety Standards are expected to impact the medical physics practice in low and middle income countries. Learning Objectives: 1. Learn about the shortage of qualified Medical Physicists in Africa and Latin America. 2. Understand the reasons of this shortage. 3. Learn about the ways to improve the situation and AAPM role in this process.

WE-AB-213-01: AAPM Projects and Collaborations in Africa

Gross domestic expenditure on R&D is one of the most analyzed indicators in terms of growth and economic development of a country. Improving this indicator would lead to the achievement of the SDG that UN Member States adopted in 2015, which responds to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation. In this research, a descriptive analysis of the GDE on R&D indicator of Latin American countries, in the period 2008 - 2017, has been carried out in order to analyze and compare it. Firstly, information is presented on the GDE on R&D indicator. Then, the analysis and comparison of the indicator among Latin American countries is shown. In the same way, for the countries that obtain better results, they are compared with the values of the indicator of other countries of Ibero-America and North America. Brazil is the only Latin American country that presents the highest average value of the indicator (0.012), above the average value of Latin American and Caribbean countries, and even of Ibero-American countries.

This article provides an extensive analysis of the technological specialisation of three Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil and Mexico) and two East Asian countries (South Korea and Taiwan). Technological specialisation is measured both with respect to patents and trade flows. This article provides different measures of technological specialisation: Ricardian and Smithian specialisation indexes and the contribution to trade balance. These indicators provide a new picture of the evolution of the patterns of technological specialisation. Latin American countries show a divergent technological specialisation from East Asian countries, since the 1970s. In particular, Latin American countries display weaknesses in computers and communications and electrical and electronic sectors and their specialisation in fast growing technological classes is declining, in contrast to East Asian countries. While East Asian countries have shifted to specialised supplier or science-based sectors, Latin American countries have increased their trade specialisation in supplier-dominated or scale-intensive sectors. During January–December 2004, Marcela Miozzo will be visiting the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Buenos Aires. E-mail: hsintinghuang@hotmail.com

A neurology revival in Latin America