Jorge Mario Martinez, from ECLAC-UN, ends his research stay at Loyola University

Jorge Mario Martínez Piva during a seminar at Loyola University.

 

Dr. Jorge Mario Martínez Piva, United Nations official and Head of the International Trade and Industry Unit of ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) at its subregional headquarters in Mexico, has recently completed his research stay at Loyola University within the framework of the United Nation Sabbatical Leave program.

The main objective of Dr. Martínez’s four-month stay was to carry out research on the implementation policies of the progressive structural change proposed by ECLAC, with a specific focus on the Central American reality.

He has also carried out various academic activities with the team of professors and researchers specialized in development and regional integration of the Department of Economics and the ETEA Foundation, Institute of Development of Loyola University, under the coordination of Dr. Pedro Caldentey, Director of the Department of Economics.

Among other results of this stay, Jorge Mario Martínez and Pedro Caldentey are coordinating the publication of a book in an international publishing house, in English and with the collaboration of a group of authors with high recognition in the subject. Both researchers have prepared a proposal for an agreement between ECLAC and Loyola University that will be the framework for a series of academic activities on regionalism in Latin America and the economic development of Central America.

Research for structural change in Latin America

The research paper prepared by Jorge Mario Martínez identifies five pillars for undertaking progressive structural change in Latin America: industrial policy for the 21st century, the development of regional value chains, increased innovation and value added, sustainable development and environmental protection, and equality at the center of all public policy actions. The author is working on the publication of a synthesis of this work for the Revista Fomento Social.

According to Dr. Martínez, “the stay has been useful to get in touch with new ideas and bibliographical references, research trends and work networks”.

A great involvement with Loyola’s training activities.

During his stay, Jorge Mario Martínez participated as a speaker in a panel on the SDGs at the Meeting of Directors of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), together with the Director of EADI, Henning Melber, and Cristina Gallach, High Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda of the Government of Spain, moderated by Iliana Olivié of the Elcano Royal Institute.

He also coordinated together with Pedro Caldentey the Seminar Central America 2020: new crossroads (November 2019), focused on the challenges of development in Central America, with the participation of the specialist in regional integration and Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United Nations agencies in Geneva, Ms. Elayne White and Loyola researchers Vicente González, Francis Santos and Pedro Caldentey.

In addition, the Economics Department organized a dialogue on the work being carried out by ECLAC in Mexico on Input-Output Matrices. The ECLAC team presented the progress in the construction of a regional input-output matrix. The possibilities of sharing information and deepening work with existing material were discussed with doctoral students and professors from Loyola University.  The seminar provided a valuable opportunity for analysis of integration in Central America, regional value chains and regional value creation, among other topics.

Finally, Jorge Mario Martínez has taught sessions in the Regionalism and Development course of the Doctoral Program in Inclusive and Sustainable Development at Loyola University, as well as in the subjects of International Economic Organizations and Development and Cooperation.

During his stay in Spain, Dr. Martinez has lectured at UNCTAD headquarters in Geneva in the framework of the “UNCTAD Research Seminar Series”. He has also lectured at the University of Oviedo and at the Master in Economic Development and Public Policy of the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.