Topics in this issue
   • Porteños go to the polls
   • Economy keeps growing

Alberto Saracho Martinez, executive director of Fundación IDEA, uses the new Institutional Quality Index to show that economic growth and citizen well-being hinge on respect for basic freedoms. IDEA is one of 18 Latin American think tanks that came together to develop and recently launch the index.

Just over a month after the last of the newly elected Andean leaders took office, AS/COA convened private and public sector experts to analyze the direction of the region. All agreed that the Andes are at a historic moment, both politically and economically.

Topics in this issue:
• Chávez’s new term
• Nationalization plans
• Oil companies

Topics in this issue:
• Economic outlook
• Presidential elections

Left-wing economist Rafael Correa’s come-from-behind victory over right-wing businessman Álvaro Noboa capped a roller-coaster campaign that proved to be full of surprises.