All that Glitters May Not Be Gold: Assessing Latin America`s Recent Macroeconomic Performance

Latin America is growing fast and fundamentals look healthier. Are these achievements here to stay? Strong commodity prices may not last forever and a US recession could have major repercussions in the region. Should countries prepare now for tomorrow's crisis? What is the top-ten list on the policy agenda? This report's aim is to present an alternative perspective in order to avoid either complacency or the "irrational exuberance" famously noted by Alan Greenspan, instead bringing into focus the macroeconomic policy challenges that logically follow from this alternative perspective. Our hope is that both policymakers and multilateral organizations will find this material stimulating enough to precipitate a useful-and in our view, necessary-debate.