Weekly Review – November 5, 2020

This week we wrap up our Focus 2020 Series. We hope you found the analysis and discussion of those ideas interesting and thought-provoking. We also present an analysis of PROMESA’s virtues and defects. Four years after its enactment, what has worked?; what has failed?; and what is missing?

Electronic Export Information

A little over a month ago the U.S. Census Bureau published a notice of proposed rulemaking for the elimination of the Electronic Export Information filing requirement for shipments between the United States and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. While for the most part this notice has flown under the radar, the negative implications it poses over Puerto Rico’s economic data merits our attention.

Weekly Review – October 29, 2020

This week we reintroduce the idea of a fiscal rule for Puerto Rico, as part of our Focus 2020 Series. In addition, we write about the potential adverse effects of a proposal regarding Electronic Export Information. Finally, we take a look at the Electoral College process and its implications for this year’s elections.

The intricacies of the election process in the U.S.

This year things are complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and a record number of voters who have already cast their ballots to avoid the crowd on Election Day. This combination could result in a strange election night.

El que mucho promete, mucho olvida

En un momento tan doloroso como este, en el que el mundo experimenta semejante pandemia, vale recordar que Puerto Rico atraviesa una situación aún más delicada. Hay toda una generación en la isla que solo conoce la palabra “crisis”.

Weekly Review – October 22, 2020

In the sixth installment of our Focus 2020 series, we explore the idea of a Universal Basic Income to address economic insecurity and the deficiencies of the social safety net. We also analyze how austerity policies have eroded the Spanish government’s capacity to address the COVID-19 pandemic in that country.

Europa: Transformación en tiempo de pandemia

España apostará a la economía verde y a la transformación digital tras el azote del COVID-19. Con más de 860-mil contagios detectados y 33-mil muertes contabilizadas a mediados de octubre, la pandemia ha golpeado fuertemente al país: el Banco de España estima que la economía española decrecerá entre 10.5% y 12.6% durante 2020 y que registrará una de las caídas más graves entre las economías avanzadas.