The financial crisis has prompted a fundamental shift in the corporate governance landscape. John C. Wilcox, chairman of the global consultancy firm Sodali, outlines the trends that will define a new era of corporate governance.

Hispanic immigrants stand out for their ability to weather the housing crisis. A number of programs offered by financial institutions and community groups in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Nashville help support Hispanic homeownership.

U.S. President Barack Obama and his hemispheric counterparts must take concrete steps at the Summit of the Americas to head off the global financial crisis. "But they will face an uphill battle," writes AS/COA Director of Public Policy Programs Juan Cruz Díaz.

In the face of the a global economic downturn, Latin American leaders must build on successes of recent years by maintining open markets and avoiding anti-investor rhetoric, writes COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth. "To use the language of the stock market, they do not want to take policy steps that will lock in their losses," he writes.

With the latest Doha Round ending in failure, Latin American nations should seek out further trade ties to the Asia-Pacific region, advise Osvaldo Rosales of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and COA's Eric Farnsworth.

Underdeveloped logistics and online payments methods are the main impediments to greater e-commerce transactions in Latin America, writes Klaus Stoll, the senior executive vice president of the Community Access Foundation.

AS/COA Director of Public Policy Programs Juan Cruz Diaz draws on his experience at the 2005 Mar del Plata Summit to look ahead to next year’s meeting of regional leaders, outlining steps that should be taken for a successful summit.