This book is the principal product of a collaborative project undertaken during 2013–2014 by American University’s Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) in collaboration with the Corporation for Latin American Studies (Corporación de Estudios para Latinoamérica, CIEPLAN), with funding provided by the Offi ce of Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The collaboration between CLALS and CIEPLAN has been intellectually fruitful and has resulted in a volume that we believe will be useful to a diverse array of stakeholders, in both academic and practitioner circles, who seek to better understand opportunities and challenges for the development agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean as the region endeavors to move beyond middle-income status and join the ranks of advanced economies.

A Spanish-language version of this volume, titled «Economías latinoamericanas: cómo avanzar más allá del ingreso medio», was published by CIEPLAN in December 2014, though substantial revisions have been made in this current version.