Trade policy on a country basis and multilateral arrangements: The case of Uruguay

This paper sheds some light on two issues related to recent the multilateral trade agreements (Ronda Uruguay of GATT and the creation of WTO). First, are they binding for the design of trade policies in Uruguay? Second, how have they posed restrictions on these policies? In the first chapter a revision of the trade policies developed in Uruguay along the last decades is done, with a historic perspective. It is there concluded that Uruguay has had a continuous unilateral pro-liberalization position. The description of government institutions and private lobby groups is used in the second section to analyze the process. There is enough evidence supporting the hypothesis that the trade liberalization process can be thought of as a political equilibrium between government and private lobby groups. Finally, the paper concludes that multilateral agreements are increasingly determining the characteristics of trade policies in Uruguay.

Wage rigidity and disinflation in emerging countries

This paper examines the consequences of rapid disinflation for downward wage rigidities in two emerging countries, Brazil and Uruguay, relying on high quality matched employer-employee administrative data. Downward nominal wage rigidities are more important in Uruguay, while wage indexation is dominant in Brazil. Two regime changes are observed during the sample period, 1995-2004: (i) in Uruguay wage indexation declines, while workers'resistance to nominal wage cuts becomes more pronounced; and (ii) in Brazil, the introduction of inflation targeting by the Central Bank in 1999 shifts the focal point of wage negotiations from changes in the minimum wage to expected inflation. These regime changes cast doubts on the notion that wage rigidity is structural in the sense of Lucas (1976).Labor Markets,Income,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies

Post-Uruguay Round price linkages between developed and developing countries

The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture attempted to lower distortions in the global agricultural markets. However, the significant fall in commodity prices in late 1990s may have reduced the incentives for both developed and developing countries to better integrate into the world markets. This study analyzes price linkages and adjustment between developed and developing countries during the post-Uruguay Round period. Prices of two key commodity markets, long-grain rice and medium-hard wheat, are assembled for major exporters and producers. Results from the multivariate cointegration analysis suggest partial market integration between developed and developing countries in the post-Uruguay Round period. Developed countries are found to be price leaders in these two markets, and in most cases, the changes in their prices have relatively large impacts on those of the developing countries. The new entrants into world markets (Vietnam and Argentina) have faced considerable price adjustment due to changes in the developed countries' prices.Price linkages ,Wheat markets ,Rice markets ,Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA) ,Doha Developmental Round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) ,

Monitoring the Socio-Economic Conditions in Uruguay

This document is the first of a series of reports on the socio-economic situation in Uruguay. It is mainly based on a wide range of distributional, labor and social statistics computed from microdata collected by the Encuesta Continua de Hogares (ECH) from 1989 to 2003. Data has also been drawn from other sources and the existing literature. In contrast to the significant advances in poverty reduction recorded since the mid-eighties, in the last years Uruguay witnessed a deterioration of distributional, labor and social conditions. However, the country’s social performance is still one of the best in the region.poverty, inequality, education, labor, wages, employment, Uruguay

Re-member: rehabilitation, reintegration and reconciliation of war-affected children

Reseña a cargo de uno de los co-editores,Prof. Dra. Cindy Mels.   Departamento de Psicología del Desarrollo y Educación Facultad de Psicología. Universidad Católica del Uruguay

Argentina

After decades of being a marginal player in the GATT trade negotiations, Argentina decided to participate actively in the Uruguay Round. This chapter measures the imbalance between the concessions given and received and concludes that the value of the first are far more important than the second. I discusss the economic consequence of this imbalance, and the prospects that the outcome of the Doha Round can be more balanced outcome for Argentina.Argentina, GATT, Uruguay Round, Reciprocity, Intellectual Property

Redescripción de la pupa de Mallochohelea termophila (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae)

Se describe, fotografía e ilustra la exuvia pupal de Mallochohelea termophila (Spinelli), en especial sobre la base de la serie-tipo. Las pupas de la serie-tipo fueron recolectadas mediante pinzas en un arroyo termal, adheridas a rocas, aproximadamente a 200 m del manatial y las pupas de Uruguay mediante el uso de un cucharón tanto en ambientes lóticos como lénticos. Ellas fueron criadas hasta adultos en el laboratorio. Ésta es la primera descripción detallada de una pupa de una especie de Mallochohelea y el primer registro de la especie para Uruguay. Se destacan semejanzas y diferencias con las pupas de Neobezzia.The pupal exuvia of Mallochohelea termophila (Spinelli) is redescribed, photographed and illustrated mainly based on the type-series. Pupae of the type-series were collected with forceps from a thermal stream and were attached to rocks about 200 m from the spring head. Pupae from Uruguay were collected with a dipper in lotic and lentic environments. They were reared to adults in the laboratory. This is the first detailed pupal description of a species of Mallochohelea, and the first record of this species from Uruguay. Similarities and differences with the pupae of Neobezzia are provided.Fil: Ronderos, Maria Marcela. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Entomología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Spinelli, Gustavo Ricardo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. División Entomología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnología; Argentin

Desarrollo y Filantropía en el Uruguay Fundaciones: Comunitarias en Uruguay - Recursos locales para el desarrollo

El presente informe es el resultado de un proceso de investigación desarrollado en el marco del proyecto Fundaciones Comunitarias en Uruguay. Dicho estudio persigue el objetivo de analizar y delinear los perfiles de la filantropía local y profundizar sobre los desafíos que el concepto de fundaciones comunitarias plantea al contexto Uruguayo en la opinión de todos los involucrados en el desarrollo nacional

Income and beyond: Multidimensional poverty in six Latin American countries

This paper presents empirical results of a wide range of multidimensional poverty measures for: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Mexico and Uruguay, for the period 1992–2006. Six dimensions are analysed: income, child attendance at school, education of the household head, sanitation, water and shelter. Over the study period, El Salvador, Brazil, Mexico and Chile experienced significant reductions of multidimensional poverty. In contrast, in urban Uruguay there was a small reduction in multidimensional poverty, while in urban Argentina the estimates did not change significantly. El Salvador, Brazil and Mexico together with rural areas of Chile display significantly higher and more simultaneous deprivations than urban areas of Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. In all countries, access to proper sanitation and education of the household head are the highest contributors to overall multidimensional poverty.Multidimensional poverty measurement, counting approach, Latin America, Unsatisfied Basic Needs, rural and urban areas.

Making water privatisation illegal: new laws in Netherlands and Uruguay

Both Uruguay and Netherlands are legislating to make privatisation of water illegal. This report describes the processes and discusses the context of international laws