Dominican Republic

La República Dominicana ha experimentado importantes avances socioeconómicos en las últimas décadas. El país ha sido una de las principales economías de América Latina y el Caribe en términos de crecimiento económico, alcanzando el estatus de economía de ingreso medio-alto en 2011. Sin embargo, los avances en las diferentes dimensiones del bienestar han sido insuficientes. En particular, las disparidades socioeconómicas y territoriales siguen siendo importantes, y las instituciones públicas aún enfrentan desafíos relevantes. Para que la República Dominicana avance en una senda de desarrollo más inclusivo y sostenible, es necesario abordar tres dimensiones críticas. En primer lugar, proporcionar empleos de calidad para todos, con especial énfasis en impulsar la formalización y la transformación productiva. En segundo lugar, movilizar más financiamiento público y privado para el desarrollo, con sistemas fiscales más progresivos y eficaces, un gasto público más eficiente, y mercados de capitales más profundos. En tercer lugar, acelerar la transformación digital para impulsar la productividad, mejorar la inclusión y apoyar la creación de empleo.

The Dominican Republic has made strides on many socioeconomic fronts over the years. The country has been one of the leading economies in Latin America and the Caribbean in terms of GDP growth, reaching upper middle-income status in 2011. However, progress on the different dimensions of well-being has been insufficient. In particular, socioeconomic and territorial disparities are still important, and public institutions remain insufficiently solid. For the Dominican Republic to embark on a more prosperous development path, three critical dimensions must be tackled. First, providing quality jobs for all, with particular emphasis on boosting formalisation and productive transformation. Second, mobilising more public and private finance for development, with more progressive and effective taxation systems, more efficient public expenditure and deeper capital markets. Third, accelerating digital transformation to boost productivity, enhance inclusion and support job creation.

Small island developing states (SIDS) have been acutely affected by the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper takes a broader perspective to explore how the revenue effects of this crisis in SIDS are connected to their unique financing and development challenges. It also suggests how SIDS governments and development co-operation providers can better partner together to strengthen mobilisation of domestic revenues – in particular tax revenues – in the recovery post-COVID-19.

Los gobiernos pueden utilizar la inteligencia artificial (IA) para diseñar mejores políticas, tomar decisiones más acertadas y específicas y mejorar la comunicación con los ciudadanos y la calidad de los servicios públicos. La región de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) está tratando de aprovechar el potencial de la IA para promover la transformación digital del sector público. La OCDE, en colaboración con CAF, Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina, preparó este informe para entender la línea base de acciones estratégicas y capacidades para la IA en el sector público; identificar los enfoques y acciones específicas para usar esta tecnología en la construcción de gobiernos eficientes, eficaces y receptivos; e impulsar la colaboración en la búsqueda de una visión regional para la IA en el sector público. Este informe incorpora un balance de las estrategias y compromisos de cada país en torno a la IA en el sector público, incluyendo su alineación con los Principios de IA de la OCDE. También incluye un análisis de los esfuerzos realizados para crear capacidades clave de gobernanza y poner en marcha los facilitadores críticos de la IA en el sector público. Concluye con una serie de recomendaciones para los gobiernos de ALC.

This report compiles comparable tax revenue statistics over the period 1990-2020 for 27 Latin American and Caribbean economies. Based on the OECD Revenue Statistics database, it applies the OECD methodology to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to enable comparison of tax levels and tax structures on a consistent basis, both among the economies of the region and with other economies. This publication is jointly undertaken by the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, the OECD Development Centre, the Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Governments can use artificial intelligence (AI) to design better policies and make better and more targeted decisions, enhance communication and engagement with citizens, and improve the speed and quality of public services. The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region is seeking to leverage the immense potential of AI to promote the digital transformation of the public sector. The OECD, in collaboration with CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, prepared this report to help national governments in the LAC region understand the current regional baseline of activities and capacities for AI in the public sector; to identify specific approaches and actions they can take to enhance their ability to use this emerging technology for efficient, effective and responsive governments; and to collaborate across borders in pursuit of a regional vision for AI in the public sector. This report incorporates a stocktaking of each country’s strategies and commitments around AI in the public sector, including their alignment with the OECD AI Principles. It also includes an analysis of efforts to build key governance capacities and put in place critical enablers for AI in the public sector. It concludes with a series of recommendations for governments in the LAC region.

Muchos países de América Latina han experimentado mejoras en sus ingresos en las últimas décadas, y varios de ellos han entrado en la categoría de países de ingresos altos o medio-altos en términos de métricas convencionales. ¿Acaso se han reflejado estas mejoras económicas en los distintos ámbitos de la vida de las personas? ¿Cómo va la vida en América Latina? Medición del bienestar para la formulación de políticas públicas aborda esta cuestión al presentar datos comparativos del bienestar en América Latina y el Caribe (ALC), centrándose en 11 países de ALC (Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, República Dominicana, Ecuador, México, Paraguay, Perú y Uruguay). El informe se basa sobre el Marco de Bienestar de la OCDE y presenta los datos disponibles sobre el bienestar antes y después del inicio de la pandemia, incluyendo condiciones materiales, calidad de vida, recursos para el bienestar futuro y desigualdades. El informe también identifica las prioridades para abordar las deficiencias en materia de bienestar y analiza el uso de marcos de bienestar en la formulación de políticas públicas en América Latina y otras partes del mundo, aportando lecciones sobre qué se necesita para que el bienestar de las personas sea el eje central de las actuaciones de los gobiernos. Este documento se ha elaborado en el marco del Mecanismo Regional de la UE para el Desarrollo en Transición para América Latina y el Caribe.

Many Latin American countries have experienced improvements in income over recent decades, with several of them now classified as high-income or upper middle-income in terms of conventional metrics. But has this change been mirrored in improvements across the different areas of people’s lives? How’s Life in Latin America? Measuring Well-being for Policy Making addresses this question by presenting comparative evidence for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) with a focus on 11 LAC countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay). Spanning material conditions, quality of life, resources for future well-being, and inequalities, the report presents available evidence on well-being both before and since the onset of the pandemic, based on the OECD Well-being Framework. It also identifies priorities for addressing well-being gaps and describes how well-being frameworks are used in policy within Latin America and elsewhere around the world, providing lessons for governments on what is needed to put people’s well-being at the centre of their action. The report is part of the EU Regional Facility for Development in Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean.

This report compiles comparable tax revenue statistics over the period 1990-2019 for 27 Latin American and Caribbean economies. Based on the OECD Revenue Statistics database, it applies the OECD methodology to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to enable comparison of tax levels and tax structures on a consistent basis, both among the economies of the region and with other economies. This publication is jointly undertaken by the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration, the OECD Development Centre, the Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The 2021 edition is produced with the support of the EU Regional Facility for Development in Transition for Latin America and the Caribbean, which results from joint work led by the European Union, the OECD and its Development Centre, and ECLAC.

A terceira edição do Panorama das Administrações Públicas: América Latina e Caribe contém as evidências disponíveis mais atualizadas sobre as administrações públicas e seu desempenho na ALC, comparando-as aos países da OCDE. Esta publicação inclui indicadores sobre finanças públicas e economia, emprego público, centros de governo, governança regulatória, dados abertos governamentais, integridade do setor público, aquisições públicas e, pela primeira vez, sobre os resultados centrais dos governos (p.ex., confiança nas instituições, redução da desigualdade). Os indicadores de governança são especialmente úteis para monitorar e comparar o desempenho dos governos nas suas reformas da administração pública. Cada indicador é apresentado em formato acessível para o leitor, e consiste em figuras ou quadros que ilustram as variações nos países e ao longo do tempo, análises descritivas breves, enfatizando os temas principais em cada área, e uma seção metodológica com a definição do indicador bem como qualquer limitação na comparabilidade dos dados.

This paper studies the potential drivers of governments’ approval rates in 18 Latin American countries using Internet search query data from Google Trends and traditional data sources. It employs monthly panel data between January 2006 and December 2015. The analysis tests several specifications including traditional explanatory variables of governments’ approval rates – i.e. inflation, unemployment rate, GDP growth, output gap – and subjective explanatory variables – e.g. perception of corruption and insecurity. For the latter, it uses Internet search query data to proxy citizens’ main social concerns, which are expected to drive governments’ approval rates. The results show that the perception of corruption and insecurity, and complaints about public services have a statistically significant association with governments’ approval rates. This paper also discusses the potential of Internet search query data as a tool for policy makers to understand better citizens’ perceptions, since it provides highly anonymous and high-frequency series in real-time.

The Dominican Republic, though the fastest-growing economy in Latin America and the Caribbean since 2010, cannot afford complacency. The COVID-19 crisis may accelerate existing global trends that created the need for reforms addressing structural weaknesses that lurked beneath the surface well before the pandemic. The current situation demands an unpreceded policy effort to ensure a prompt and effective health response, and to guarantee short-term support for workers and firms. The enduring challenge will be updating the country’s development model through targeted reforms. The Production Transformation Policy Review (PTPR) of the Dominican Republic identifies priority reforms to update the national strategy, with perspectives on agro-food and nearshoring. It benefitted from peer review from the United States Reshoring Institute and the Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil.

Digitalisation is transforming the world of work and societies, and creating opportunities to learn and develop skills in new ways, times and places. The adoption and use of digital technologies can help Latin American countries close the skills gap with more advanced economies. Making the Most of Technology for Learning and Training in Latin America demonstrates how Latin American countries can realise the potential of new technologies for skills development in schools and all stages of life. It identifies barriers to accessing ICT infrastructure and connectivity limitations in Latin America, and provides recommendations on how they can be overcome to ensure that all students and citizens can benefit from new technologies for learning. The report explores the relationship between technology use in initial education and students’ performance in Latin America, and how policies can best support teachers as digital tools enter their classrooms. Digitalisation provides new opportunities for lifelong learning and this report examines the potential of open education and MOOCs in reaching those adults who are most in need of training in Latin American countries.

Panorama de la Salud: Latinoamérica y el Caribe 2020 presenta indicadores clave sobre la salud y los sistemas de salud en 33 países de Latinoamérica y el Caribe. Esta primera edición del Panorama de la Salud sobre Latinoamérica y el Caribe fue preparada en conjunto por la OCDE y el Banco Mundial. Los análisis se basan en los datos comparables más recientes de alrededor de 100 indicadores sobre equidad, situación de salud, determinantes de la salud, recursos y actividades, gasto y financiación, y calidad en la atención de salud. El editorial discute los principales desafíos para la región en el contexto de la pandemia de COVID-19, incluyendo tanto el manejo de la epidemia como la movilización y el uso eficiente de recursos para asegurar una respuesta efectiva. El capítulo inicial, que resume el desempeño comparativo de los países antes de la crisis actual, está seguido por un capítulo especial sobre el malgasto en los sistemas de salud que redunda en acciones inefectivas o no mejora resultados, con el fin de redirigir esos recursos a otras áreas donde son altamente necesarios.