At the request of the Central American countries, the World Bank has promoted studies on DR-CAFTA to identify opportunities and challenges arising from the implementation of this agreement, as well as to highlight areas in which countries must concentrate their efforts in order to optimize benefits from the agreement. Please click on the following links to access the documents.

Newly released

 Challenges and Opportunities of DR-CAFTA for Central America
Full report

  Is DR-CAFTA the End of the Road?: Trade and Development in Central America since 1990 (77k pdf)
  The Content of DR-CAFTA: Implications for Market Access and Domestic Reforms (103k pdf)
  Macroeconomic Policy Implications of DR-CAFTA (62k pdf)
  Policy Approaches to Managing the Economic Transition: Ensuring that the Poor Can Benefit from DR-CAFTA (224k pdf)



Trade and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

  Lessons from NAFTA for Latin America and the Caribbean

  Trade for development in Latin America and the Caribbean (S)


DR-CAFTA overview

  DR-CAFTA effects: What do we know about them? (41KB, PDF S)

  Trade structure, trade policy and economic policy options in Central America (330KB, PDF S)


Other studies on DR-CAFTA


  Expected Impacts of DR-CAFTA in Guatemala (1,091KB, PDF)

  Challenges and oportunities for the fishing, agriculture and agroindustrial sectors in Central America from a Free Trade Agreement with the United States (551KB, PDF)

  Financial globalization: Gain and pain for developing countries (458KB, PDF)

  Innovation and technology adoption in Central America (1.5MB, PDF)

  Reciprocity in free trade agreements (132KB, PDF)

 Trade integration and rural economics in less developed countries: Lessons from micro economy-wide models with particular attention to Mexico and Central America (770KB, PDF)

  Trade, regulations and growth (120KB, PDF)

  A tale of two ports: The cost of inefficiency (250KB, PDF)

  U.S. trade preferences: All are not created equal (KB, PDF)

  Regional integration and business cycle synchronization: A case study for Central America (85 KB, PDF)

  Price Effects of Preferential Market Access: Caribbean Basin Initiative and the Apparel Sector (241KB, PDF)

  Legal and institutional changes required to sign the DR-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) (885K PDF S)

  Labor standards and trade agreements (Univ. of Michigan, PDF)

  Financial integration in Central America: Prospects and adjustment needs (International Monetary Fund, PDF)

  The United States and the new regionalism/bilateralism (International Monetary Fund, PDF)

  CID Initiative: Civil proposal for post-CAFTA changes (223KB, PDF S)

  Differences in contemporary FTAs and DR-CAFTA (Organization of American States - 108KB S)

Sindicates the link is in Spanish