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After a period of rapid economic growth associated with high commodity prices, the region had entered a phase of lackluster performance. Recent developments, including a new oil price shock, and the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic will push the region into recession. Many countries are struggling to contain the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic while avoiding a dramatic decline in economic activity. The report analyzes how to think about this tradeoff. It estimates the potential health costs, assesses the effectiveness of diverse containment strategies, and discusses how large the economic cost could be. The current crisis is unprecedented because it combines a fall in global demand, tighter financial conditions and a major supply shock. The response needs to consider how to socialize the losses, how to prevent a collapse of the financial sector, how to protect jobs and livelihoods, and how to manage and divest the assets that will inevitably end up in the hands of the state.

COVID-19 --- Household Income Inequality --- Labor Force Participation --- Labor Income Inequality --- Latin America --- Slowdown

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After mediocre growth in 2018 of 0.7 percent. LAC is expected to perform only marginally better in 2019(growth of 0.9 percent) followed by a much more solid growth of 2.1 percent in 2020. LAC will face bothinternal and external challenges during 2019. On the domestic front. the recession in Argentina; a slowerthan expected recovery in Brazil from the 2014-2015 recession, anemic growth in Mexico. and thecontinued deterioration of Venezuela. present the biggest challenges. On the external front. the sharpdrop in net capital inflows to the region since early 2018 and the monetary policy normalization in theUnited States stand among the greatest perils. Furthermore, the recent increase in poverty in Brazilbecause of the recession points to the large effects that the business cycle may have on poverty. The coreof this report argues that social indicators that are very sensitive to the business cycle may yield a highlymisleading picture of permanent social gains in the region.

Elasticity --- Growth --- Household Income Inequality --- Inequality --- Labor Force Participation --- Labor Income Inequality --- Slowdown --- Terms of Trade --- Unemployment --- Latin America

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As usual, Chapter 1 of the report covers the short-term prospects and provides an analysis of the external factors affecting the region's economic slowdown. The focus is on the adjustment challenges faced by those Latin American countries experiencing a major adverse terms of trade shock, which comes after an unprecedented (in magnitude and duration) period of terms of trade bonanza. Chapter 2 discusses the key topic of this semiannual report, that is, the implications of the slowdown for labor markets - on jobs and wages. We describe the broad labor market trends observed during the boom and contrast them with the patterns observed during the slowdown. We also describe the implications of the slowdown for inequality. A corollary of the observed labor market patterns during the slowdown is that some of the gains towards greater income equality achieved in the past decade or so may be reversed, at least in part, and that we may see a divergence between labor income inequality and household income inequality, whereby the latter may rise more than the former.

Elasticity --- Growth --- Household income inequality --- Inequality --- Labor force participation --- Labor income inequality --- Slowdown --- Terms of trade --- Unemployment --- Latin America

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After a growth slowdown that lasted six years (including a contraction of 1.3 percent last year), the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region is finally expected to resume positive growth in 2017, with market analysts forecasting real GDP growth of 1.2 percent for 2017 and 2.3 percent for 2018. The recovery, particularly in South America, will be led by a strong rebound in Argentina, which is expected to grow by 2.8 percent in 2017 and 3.0 percent in 2018, and Brazil, which is expected to resume positive growth as well, expanding by 0.7 percent in 2017 and 2.3 in 2018, after contracting for two consecutive years. The usual external drivers of growth (particularly commodity prices, and growth in China and U.S.) are expected to remain relatively neutral, which points to the need for the region to reinforce its own sources of growth (e.g., structural reforms, investment in infrastructure, and further international trade both within and outside the region). Unfortunately, the region finds itself in a weak fiscal situation with 28 out of 32 countries with an overall fiscal deficit, which implies that a gradual but sustained fiscal consolidation will be needed in the years ahead.The report's main focus (Chapter 2) is on the monetary policy dilemma faced by countries in LAC. When a typical commodity-exporter country in LAC is hit by, say, a negative terms of trade shock, real GDP falls, the currency depreciates, and inflation increases. The Central Bank faces the dilemma of (i) increasing policy rates to defend the currency/fight inflation, but at the cost of aggravating the recession or (ii) reducing the policy rate, thus stimulating output, but encouraging further depreciation and inflation. Traditionally, LAC countries have chosen the first option and have thus pursued procyclical monetary policy (i.e., increasing policy rates in bad times). Recently, however, many countries have been able to switch and become countercyclical (i.e., reducing policy rates in bad times), which enables them to prop up the economy in recessionary times (which is particularly important when lack of fiscal space precludes countercyclical fiscal policy).

Elasticity --- Growth --- Household Income Inequality --- Inequality --- Labor Force Participation --- Labor Income Inequality --- Slowdown --- Terms Of Trade --- Unemployment --- Latin America

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After its worst economic crisis in 100 years, Latin America and the Caribbean countries are emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. The need to recover dynamic, inclusive, and sustainable growth to redress both the legacy of the pandemic and long-standing social needs has never been more acute. However, despite progress in some areas, the region is facing a weaker recovery than expected given the favorable international tailwinds and is likely return to the low growth rates of the 2010s. Moreover, growth could be further slowed by both internal and external factors: the emergence of a new variant of the virus, a rise in international interest rates to combat global inflation, and high levels of debt in both the private and public sector. Beyond offering the current macroeconomic outlook of the region and the near-term challenges it faces, this report explores three broad areas where growth-advancing policies and reforms could be undertaken within a constrained fiscal context: mobilizing sources of revenue that appear to be growthneutral; improving public spending efficiency to free up resources for other purposes; and reallocating spending to areas with highest growth and social impact.

COVID-19 --- Crisis --- Digitization --- Economic Growth --- Elasticity --- Electricity --- Excess Mortality --- Growth --- Labor Income Inequality --- Latin America --- Renewable Energy --- Structural Transformation --- Unemployment