Research Paper: The Rising Price of Oil: A Window of Opportunity for Some Central American and Caribbean Countries 
Carlos Guerrero de Lizardi and Ramón Padilla-Pérez
November 2010

The increase in oil prices has a direct and dramatic impact on shipping costs making products from Central America, Mexico or the Dominican Republic more competitive in the U.S. versus products from Asia. This study looks into the opportunities generated by this state of affairs and makes recommendations.

Available in Spanish: El alza del precio del petróleo: Una ventana de oportunidad para las exportaciones de los países latinoamericanos y del Caribe

Report: Toward a Successful Summit: Exploring the Use of Public Opinion Polls
Gabriel Murillo
March 2010
 
This meeting report recounts the main aspects of a video conference at the Organization of American States headquarters and discusses the outcomes of the conversation that took place between Bogotá and Washington. The high quality of the ideas exchanged in this meeting as well as its innovative and unprecedented character indeed call for a detailed account of the dialogue to serve as background for the group of participant stakeholders. But first, this report analyzes the main policy issues brought to the fore by the meeting.

Metropolis North America Report: Managing Undocumented Migration in North America
Barbara MacLaren
March 2010

On March 12, 2010, FOCAL attended a seminar on Managing Undocumented Migration in North America organized by the International Steering Committee of the Metropolis Project in Phoenix, Arizona. This report was prepared by FOCAL in collaboration with the International Metropolis Secretariat and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.

FOCAL Project Report: Creating Opportunities for Temporary Foreign Workers and Their Communities
February 2010

The Canadian Foundation for the Americas (FOCAL) and the Rural Development Institute (RDI) at Brandon University, in collaboration with the 7th Street Health Access Centre, held consultationsin February 2010 with temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in Brandon, Manitoba.1 The aim of theconsultations was to collect perceptions of TFWs on labour migration experiences (before and uponarriving in Canada) using two tools: a survey and focus group discussions. Research themes included thetype and quality of information TFWs receive about jobs and host communities, problems encounteredprior to and landing in Canada, actual and desired skills acquisition and training, and TFW objectivesregarding employment and remittances sent home.