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The Caribbean share of the global tourism market has been declining. This study examines what is driving tourism flows. It estimates the determinants of tourism and explores variations based on sample differences, and also constructs a static nominal price comparison index. The paper finds that: (i) tourism arrivals and expenditure are sensitive to both price and income factors in source markets; (ii) price and income elasticities of tourism have declined since 2008; (iii) price elasticity is statistically insignificant for “high-end” destinations; and (iv) the nominal cost of an average one week beach holiday in the Caribbean is higher than in other beach destinations around the world. These results point to the need for structural reforms to raise product quality, cost reduction or containment in “low-end” destinations, including possibly via exchange rates, and an adjustment in aggregate consumption to adapt to the implications of a lower contribution to GDP from tourism.
This book provides a diagnosis of the central economic and financial challenges facing Caribbean policymakers and offers broad policy recommendations for promoting a sustained and inclusive increase in economic well-being. The analysis highlights the need for Caribbean economies to make a concerted effort to break the feedback loops between weak macroeconomic fundamentals, notably pertaining to fiscal positions and financial sector strains, and structural impediments, such as high electricity costs, limited financial deepening, violent crime, and brain drain, which have depressed private investment and growth. A recurring theme in the book is the need for greater regional coordination in fin...
The opening of the expanded Panama Canal marks a unique opportunity to reevaluate Panama’s growth model. This paper reassesses Panama’s business model founded on its ability to be an attractive destination for international financial, business, and transportation services. A growth diagnostic exercise suggests that Panama is well-placed to maintain this business model, with improvements in the quality of education, a strengthening of governance, and reductions in bureaucracy important to further strengthen Panama’s comparative advantage. Additional analysis suggests that investment will continue to support growth, while the logistics and tourism sectors hold promise to further build on Panama’s comparative advantage.
The past three decades have witnessed the great success of lithium-ion batteries, especially in the areas of 3C products, electrical vehicles, and smart grid applications. However, further optimization of the energy/power density, coulombic efficiency, cycle life, charge speed, and environmental adaptability are still needed. To address these issues, a thorough understanding of the reaction inside a battery or dynamic evolution of each component is required. Microscopy and Microanalysis for Lithium-Ion Batteries discusses advanced analytical techniques that offer the capability of resolving the structure and chemistry at an atomic resolution to further drive lithium-ion battery research and development. Provides comprehensive techniques that probe the fundamentals of Li-ion batteries Covers the basic principles of the techniques involved as well as its application in battery research Describes details of experimental setups and procedure for successful experiments This reference is aimed at researchers, engineers, and scientists studying lithium-ion batteries including chemical, materials, and electrical engineers, as well as chemists and physicists.
This paper studies the role of airlift supply on the tourism sector in the Caribbean. The paper examines the relative importance of U.S.-Caribbean airlift supply factors such as the number of flights, seats, airlines, and departure cities on U.S. tourist arrivals. The possible endogeneity problem between airlift supply and tourist arrivals is addressed by using a structural panel VAR and individual country VARs. Among the four airlift supply measures, increasing the number of flights is found to be the most effective way to boost tourist arrivals on a sustained basis. As a case study, the possible crowding effect of increasing the number of U.S. flights to Cuba is investigated and, based on past observations, we find no significant impact on flights to other Caribbean countries. The impact of natural disasters on airlift supply and tourist arrivals is also quantified.
This 2019 Article IV Consultation explains that St. Lucia’s near-term growth prospects are favorable, supported by large infrastructure investment and robust tourist inflows. However, longer-term growth continues to be impeded by high public debt, lingering vulnerabilities in the financial system, and structural impediments to private investment. Diminishing policy buffers further weaken the country’s resilience to external shocks against the backdrop of aprecarious global outlook. Completion of long pending legislative initiatives, alongside stronger regional and domestic financial oversight, should provide banks with incentives to strengthen their balance sheets and increase the effici...
This edition of Progress in Ceramic Technology series contains a select compilation of articles on the topic of nanomaterials processing of powders; thin films, wires and tubes; and composites that were previously published in The American Ceramic Society Bulletin, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology, Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceedings (CESP) and Ceramic Transactions (CT).
This paper estimates medium-term potential growth for a country undergoing significant structural and secular changes. Our forward-looking framework, incorporating three analytical approaches for examining economic prospects, constitutes an important complement to typical backward-looking methods that filter or extrapolate historical data. In particular, the opening of the expanded Panama Canal in 2016 highlights significant structural changes underway in the Panamanian economy. We first analyze growth determinants and find that Panama is well-placed to maintain its business model, with improvements in education and governance important to support growth. Second, the current pipeline of investment projects can help sustain investment-led growth, although at a more moderate pace. Third, further development of the logistics and tourism sectors holds promise to further build on Panama’s comparative advantage.
This chapter presents the point of view and ideas of Sabina Alkire, an economist. Alkire wants the Multidimensional Poverty Index to be part of a data revolution to guide the fight against poverty. According to Alkire, learning to meditate soothed away what she describes as the temper tantrums of her childhood. The chapter also highlights the fact that an index is only as good as its underlying data, and in emerging market economies that quality is often inadequate. The quest for better poverty metrics coincides with growing doubts about the ability of conventional statistics, especially GDP, to gauge economic growth in the digital economy, let alone well-being, welfare, and environmental sustainability.