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This editorial summarizes the papers in issue 17(4) (2022). The first paper combines input–output modelling with priority weighting to analyse supply-chain impacts of disasters. The second paper examines skill-based functional specialization of value chains in Brazil using interregional and international value-added measures. The third paper questions the common belief that agglomeration economies are the driving force behind cluster formation using an agent-based model. The fourth paper applies modern instrumental variables techniques to measure the impact of forced migration flows from Venezuela to Colombia on house prices. The fifth paper explores the impact of an ageing population on per capita labour income, consumption and wealth at the regional level using a multivariate spatial econometric model. The sixth paper examines the impact of neighbouring countries on migrants' aggregate decisions to remit based on an advanced spatial econometric origin–destination model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effects of oil demand and supply shocks on emerging market economies in Latin America using a Bayesian vector autoregressive (VAR) model that combines zero and sign restrictions. Our results highlight the importance of separately identify the oil market shocks. The higher price of oil driven by increased global demand produces higher output growth in Brazil, Colombia, and Chile. The results are more persistent for Brazil and Colombia likely due to increased income from oil exports, as both economies are net oil exporters. The better times in the domestic economies result in lower uncertainty and appreciation of the exchange rate in all countries in the sample. Oil supply shocks and oil-specific demand shocks are not statistically significant for most variables. Our results provide important insights into the appropriate exchange rate policy in emerging market economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the effects of subordinate financial integration on workers in peripheral countries. The objective is to link the financial, productive and social reproduction spheres, taking into account the centre-periphery dynamic in the global process of capital valorisation. In this sense, the main contribution is the proposition of an analytical framework on the subject, based on Marxist and post-Keynesian inspired literature. Considering the asymmetric international relations within the hierarchical monetary system, the dynamics of capital cycles and the external imbalances of peripheral economies, five transmission channels are proposed concerning: (i) the burden of wealth transfer, (ii) the rise in household indebtedness, (iii) the effects of exchange rate volatility on real wages, (iv) the increased pressure for fiscal discipline which contributes to labour and social security reforms, and (v) the regressive specialisation of the productive structure and its impacts on employment. The secondary contribution refers to the comparative analysis of the cases of subordinate financialisation of Brazil and Colombia. The results of this analysis reveal the relevance of the proposed channels in terms of the dynamics of workers' social reproduction in a contemporary context, particularly with regard to wages, employment, household indebtedness and labour and social security rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coffee is a global value chain that has been going through many transformations, seeking to transition to sustainability. In this paper, a technological innovation system from multi-level perspective institutional dimensions (macro, meso and micro) was adopted to analyze the coffee value chain in Brazil and in Colombia. Our conceptual contribution lies on the connection across institutional levels, to understand sustainability transition. Thirty interviews with stakeholders from both countries were conducted. Results indicate that macro-institutions have a relevant effect on coffee-producing properties (micro-level), and meso-institutions play a central role in differentiating the way in which agents adopted voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in each country. Results also pointed out the importance of meso-institutions in the implementation of VSS at micro-level, in both countries, although in Colombia organizations at meso-level seem to be less supportive of adopting VSS than they are in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban laboratories are gaining popularity in Latin America as spaces of experimentation within urban planning. Based on semi-structured interviews across Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil, we identify two tensions behind the current proliferation of urban laboratories in Latin America. Firstly, the temporary and informal nature of urban laboratories, while promoting innovative thinking and experimentation, limits their long-term impact. Secondly, their reliance on international best practices and highly educated "trendy urbanists" often hinder their ability to foster more democratic and inclusive outcomes. We conclude by reflecting how these tensions highlight larger challenges in realizing the transformative potential of experimental approaches to planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Political leaders rely on narratives to make sense of crises, but the extent to which such narratives are used to (de)mobilize scientific evidence in policy responses has not been fully explored. Based on the analysis of public messages and communications of the presidents of Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, we discuss how they have narratively approached the Covid-19 crisis, particularly with respect to the degree of their reliance on scientific expertise. Building on debates on policy narratives, crisis management, and evidence-based policymaking, we argue that the narratives presidents devised had significant (and mostly negative) effects on the design of policy responses. Their narratives sidelined (Bolsonaro), leveraged (Duque), or limited (López-Obrador) the role of scientific expertise in policy responses. Thus, in contrast to previous literature, these narratives aligned more with the president's agendas and personal biases, than with the need to explain the crisis for their societies or to design appropriate policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customer's trust in vendors' reputation is a key factor that facilitates economic transactions in e-commerce platforms. Although the trust-sales relationship is assumed robust and consistent, its empirical evidence remains neglected for Latin American countries. This work aims to provide a data-driven comprehensive framework for extracting valuable knowledge from public data available in the leading Latin American e-commerce platform with commercial operations in 18 countries. Only Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Uruguay, and Venezuela showed the highest trust indexes among all nations analyzed. The trust-sales relationship was statistically inconsistent across nations but worked as the most important predictor of sales, followed by purchase intention and price. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]