The Central Bank of the Argentine Republic (BCRA) and CAF (Development Bank of Latin America) today presented the awards to the two young winners of the Ideas for the Future essay contest. Paula Luvini and María Josefina Mignone, who presented papers on the efficiency of the financial sector and on the quality of public policies, will compete for a regional award with young people from universities in the 19 CAF member countries.
In a ceremony held at the BCRA headquarters, the winners received a certificate of recognition granted by Santiago Rojas, CAF’s representative in Argentina; Fabián Zampone, superintendent of Financial and Exchange Entities; and Mauro Alessandro, Deputy General Manager of Economic Research of the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic.
“The BCRA joined this award along with other central banks in the region, seeking to promote the implementation of public policies based on the interaction of analysis and evidence,” said Alessandro, adding: “This initiative is in line with our actions for education and the stimulation of research and economic analysis.” For his part, the CAF representative highlighted the level of participation and the quality of the works presented in Argentina.
Paula Luvini, 23, a recent graduate in economics from the University of Buenos Aires, presented the essay The efficiency of the financial sector and the correct design for its future, where she analyzes the role of fintechs and the challenge of reducing intermediation costs to obtain credit. “The essay I presented proposes how fintechs can make the system more efficient, for example, by lowering intermediation costs,” says Paula. “I also proposed to closely follow legislation to simplify people’s access to the financial system.”
For her part, María Josefina Mignone from the Torcuato Di Tella University, draws up a Roadmap to generate quality public policies in Latin America and the Caribbean, with recommendations to move towards more effective, efficient and transparent practices. The author reviews the challenges that exist in the design of policies, the culture of evaluation, technical teams, budget allocation, among other aspects to be considered according to minimum standards that allow their dissemination in the countries of the region with a view to favoring their integration and development.
The contest designed by CAF seeks to recognize the talent of young people from Latin America and encourage productions that reflect the visions of the future for their countries, including the challenges and challenges, as well as proposals on how to face them.
“On the occasion of our 50th anniversary CAF, together with the BCRA, we seek to promote the exchange and discussion of ideas by taking advantage of the great talent existing in young people in the region, who contribute to sustainable development, integration and building a better future,” said Santiago Rojas, during the award ceremony.
The next instance will take place within the framework of the CAF Conference, which will take place in Quito in November 2019, where the local winners will compete with their peers from the 19 CAF member countries.
