Out of the Border Labyrinth

Out of the Border Labyrinth
Author: Christian Volpe Martincus
Publisher: Inter-American Development Bank
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2016-12-12
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 159782271X

Real borders can be thick. They are not dimensionless lines as typically assumed in theoretical models and standard empirical analyses, but a zone populated by agencies that develop and administer regulations firms have to comply with when engaging in international trade, many of which have their own procedures. Borders can then easily become a labyrinth hard to get through. This is crucial because border agencies' procedures influence the time needed to ship goods from their origins to their destinations and can thereby affect trade, particularly in a context characterized by increasingly segmented production chains and rising lean retailing. Latin American and Caribbean countries have recently implemented various trade facilitation initiatives that aim to streamline the administrative processing of trade flows and accordingly reduce trading times. These initiatives include risk management, single windows, authorized economic operators, simplified postal exports, and expedited transit arrangements, all of which are cornerstones of the 2013 WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation and have been subject of multiple international organizations' operations. Despite of being ubiquitous, evidence on the impact of these specific initiatives has been extremely limited. Lack of precise data has been a major obstacle. Out of the Border Labyrinth fills this gap and sheds entirely new light on the trade effects of such trade facilitation measures and the channels thereof. It presents the results of thorough impact evaluations, which have been carried out by applying rigorous methods on unprecedented transaction-level data for several countries in the region. These results reveal that trade actually expanded as a consequence of such facilitation measures and that the primary channel has been shipping frequency. Based on these econometric examinations and careful institutional case studies, Out of the Border Labyrinth systematizes a new line of trade policy research and informs policymaking and assistance activities by international organizations by providing tools that will help design and assess policies in an area that will be very active in upcoming years as countries work towards implementing the multilateral agreement reached in Bali.

A Short Border Handbook

A Short Border Handbook
Author: Gazmend Kapllani
Publisher: Portobello Books
Total Pages: 144
Release: 2013-11-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1846275725

'It is not a recognized mental illness like agoraphobia or depression ... It's largely a matter of luck whether one suffers from border syndrome: it depends where you were born. I was born in Albania.' After spending his childhood and school years in Albania, imagining that the miniskirts and quiz shows of Italian state TV were the reality of life in the West, and fantasizing accordingly about living on the other side of the border, the death of Hoxha at last enables Gazmend Kapllani to make his escape. However, on arriving in the Promised Land, he finds neither lots of willing leggy lovelies nor a warm welcome from his long-lost Greek cousins. Instead, he gets banged up in a detention centre in a small border town. As Gazi and his fellow immigrants try to find jobs, they begin to plan their future lives in Greece, imagining riches and successes which always remain just beyond their grasp. The sheer absurdity of both their plans and their new lives is overwhelming. Both detached and involved, ironic and emotional, Kapllani interweaves the story of his experience with meditations upon 'border syndrome' - a mental state, as much as a geographical experience - to create a brilliantly observed, amusing and perceptive debut.

Emerging from the Pandemic Tunnel with Faster Growth and Greater Equity: A Strategy for a New Social Compact in Latin America and the Caribbean

Emerging from the Pandemic Tunnel with Faster Growth and Greater Equity: A Strategy for a New Social Compact in Latin America and the Caribbean
Author: Alejandro Izquierdo
Publisher: Inter-American Development Bank
Total Pages: 61
Release: 2020-07-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

While the pandemic lasts, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will go through a tunnel full of uncertainty. It is not known especially how long it is: how long until therapies or a vaccine emerge, or until best practices are known to control the pandemic to live with a virus of unknown lethality. This note describes policy options on how countries can expand their possibilities to meet the economic challenges of the crisis, with an emphasis on growth and equity. These options are based on the assumption that the fiscal situation of the region and its access to sovereign credit markets are much more restricted than in previous crises, which forces to think about policy reforms beyond fiscal ones to accelerate the Economic recovery. The options are ambitious, but the ambition meets the need. This document is part of a series of 3 IDB monographs on public policies in the context of COVID-19. The other documents can be consulted at the following links: Public Policy to Tackle COVID-19: Recommendations for Latin America and the Caribbean: https://publications.iadb.org/en/public-policy-to-tackle-covid-19-recommendations-for--latin-america-and-the-caribbean From Lockdown to Reopening: Strategic Considerations for the Resumption of Activities in Latin America and the Caribbean within the framework of Covid-19 https://publications.iadb.org/en/from-lockdown-to-reopening-strategic-considerations-for-the-resumption-of-activities-in-latin-america-and-the-caribbean-within-the-framework-of-covid-19

Hands on History

Hands on History
Author: Amy Shell-Gellasch
Publisher: MAA
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2007
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0883851822

In an increasingly electronic society, these exercises are designed to help school and collegiate educators use historical devices of mathematics to balance the digital side of mathematics.

Labyrinths from the Outside In (2nd Edition)

Labyrinths from the Outside In (2nd Edition)
Author: Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper
Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
Total Pages: 188
Release: 2013-04-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1594735328

The user-friendly, interfaith guide to making and using labyrinths—for meditation, prayer and celebration—updated, revised and expanded! A labyrinth is a circuitous path that people have used as a form of prayer and meditation for thousands of years—a path that is being rediscovered as a spiritual tool in our own day. There are now thousands of labyrinths in North America, made of stone, cement, sunflowers, grass or canvas; indoors and outdoors; in Christian, Pagan and even nonreligious settings; and adaptable for use by people of all spiritual backgrounds. This guide explains how the labyrinth is a symbol that transcends traditions, and how walking its path brings us together. Here is your entry to the fascinating history and philosophy of the labyrinth walk, with directions for making a labyrinth of your own or finding one in your area, and guidance on ways to use labyrinths creatively for: Prayer • Stress reduction • Meditation • Commemorating personal or family milestones • Faith rituals • Celebrations of all kinds Labyrinths—a twenty-first century method of approaching the sacred—are a spiritual practice more ancient than Stonehenge or the ruins of Troy. This practical and inspiring guide will help you to explore them.

Walking the Labyrinth

Walking the Labyrinth
Author: Travis Scholl
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2014-09-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830895930

Providing a historical and modern context for the unique spiritual discipline of walking a labyrinth, Travis Scholl weaves his own journey with a prayerful study of the Gospel of Mark, guiding readers to powerful encounters with God, even in the midst of quiet solitude, repetition and stillness. These 40 reflections are ideal for daily reading—during Lent or any time of the year.

Labyrinth Walking

Labyrinth Walking
Author: Patricia Telesco
Publisher: Citadel Press
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2001
Genre: Labyrinths
ISBN: 9780806522173

Discover the use of the labyrinth as a spiritual tool -- used throughout the centuries in many different cultures -- to find meditation, focus, peace, and wholeness. Includes a complete guide to crafting personal labyrinths for spiritual growth, as well as a dictionary of essential symbols and patterns.

A Short Border Handbook

A Short Border Handbook
Author: GAZMEND KAPLLANI
Publisher: New Europe Books
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2017-10-03
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 0997316993

An exhilarating and darkly comical exploration of migration and borders from an Albanian who grew up in Hoxha's madhouse, longing to cross to Greece, only to find another seam of absurdities and disappointments on his eventual arrival. After spending his childhood in Albania, and fantasizing about life across the border, Gazmend Kapllani escapes to Greece--only to get banged up in a detention center. As he and his fellow immigrants try to find jobs, they begin to plan their future lives in Greece, imagining success that is always beyond their grasp. The sheer absurdity of both their plans and their new lives is overwhelming. Both ironic and emotional, Kapllani interweaves the story of his experience with meditations upon "border syndrome"--a mental state, as much as a geographical experience--to create a brilliantly observed, amusing, and perceptive debut. And a timely one at that, given that immigration is again at the forefront of politics both in the US and Europe.

Making the Most of Connectivity

Making the Most of Connectivity
Author: Paolo Giordano
Publisher: Inter-American Development Bank
Total Pages: 72
Release: 2019-12-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Since the turn of the century, economic ties between Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and Asia have deepened to unprecedented levels. Due to high and growing complementarity, trade has been the anchor of the relationship. However, governments and firms cannot take the trade relationship for granted. This report presents an overview of how the LAC-Asia trade links have evolved over time and how policymakers and the private sector can make the most of the manifold opportunities on the horizon.