The online edition of the Washington Post features CGD visiting fellow Nancy Lee's proposal for regional integration in Latin America.
From the article:
"It may be time to try Plan B. Nancy Lee, former deputy assistant secretary for the Western Hemisphere at the Treasury Department, contends that rather than striving for an all-encompassing trade agreement, the region should get more of its fundamentals in order and pursue a narrower goal. In a chapter for the forthcoming book 'The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President,' to be published by the Washington-based Center for Global Development, Lee proposes a regional agreement to improve the hemisphere's investment climate.
Such an agreement would establish standards for doing business in the Americas, a region where many countries are far behind the average global standard. It would aim, for instance, to reduce burdens on private entrepreneurs by simplifying processes to start up a business, pay taxes, clear customs and access credit. "