Vol. 6 No. 4 (2020)

In the wake of new challenges such as income inequalities, populism, the rise of protectionism, climate change, the development of new technologies, demographic structure shifts and migration, the pandemic and its consequences countries and international organisations are looking for new solutions. The debates on prospective and post-liberal social and economic paradigms that would respond to these challenges have already begun worldwide. Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are the regions of the world characterised by the biggest persistent disparities. Therefore the new conditions of development combined with still unsolved problems create both threats and opportunities for policy-makers and chances for academics to contribute to the debate. Against this background the leading theme in this issue of the Economics and Business Review papers were invited that aimed to answer the following research questions from an economic perspective: 1. What is the current macroeconomic situation of countries or regional international organisations of which they are a member and what are the factors that influence the economic development? 2. What are the most important structural problems of the economy of the country, what are the policy successes and failures? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the institutional environment supporting developmental processes in Latin America and the Caribbean? 3. What is the condition of the financial sector and what are the possibilities of accessing capital in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean? 4. What are the relationships between education, the labour market and the competitiveness of the economies? 5. What are the prospects for social cohesion and social inclusion in particular countries and organisations? (Ida Musiałkowska)