The Inter-American Dialogue is pleased to publish this issue brief prepared by Marco Kamiya, regional principal executive for public policy and competitiveness at CAF – Development Bank of Latin America. An expert on productive competitiveness, Kamiya has written widely on industrial cluster development, financing challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises, and production networks in Latin America and Asia. This brief, which summarizes initial findings from a Regional Competitive Cities study conducted by CAF and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), compares cluster development and competitiveness in three cities in Asia—Ho Chi Minh, Dhaka and Seoul—and four cities in Latin America—Curitiba, Lima, Bogotá and Guayaquil. Kamiya’s paper is the fourth in a series of economics briefs published by the Inter-American Dialogue’s China and Latin America Program.

Previous contributors to the series have addressed such topics as China’s approach to renminbi internationalization in Latin America, China’s free trade agreements in Peru and Chile, and commodities-related trends in the region.

We are pleased to recognize Open Society Foundations and The Henry Luce Foundation for their assistance in publishing this and forthcoming China and Latin America economics briefs.

Download the full report below.