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| Fedesarrollo | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fedesarrollo |
| Native name | Centro de Estudios Económicos Regionales |
| Type | Think tank |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Headquarters | Bogotá, Colombia |
Fedesarrollo is a Colombian private non-profit think tank based in Bogotá focused on public policy research, economic analysis, and social indicators. Founded by a group of Colombian business and academic leaders, the institute produces policy studies, surveys, and forecasts that inform debates in Bogotá, Medellín, and other regions. Its work intersects with scholarly institutions, international organizations, and media outlets across Latin America and beyond.
Fedesarrollo was established in 1970 by Colombian business leaders and academics inspired by models such as Brookings Institution, Heritage Foundation, National Bureau of Economic Research, OECD, and Inter-American Development Bank approaches to policy analysis. Early collaborations involved local universities including Universidad de los Andes (Colombia), Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, and it quickly engaged with Colombian policy actors like the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (Colombia), Banco de la República (Colombia), and regional chambers of commerce in Antioquia Department, Valle del Cauca Department, and Atlántico Department. During the 1980s and 1990s Fedesarrollo produced studies that interacted with reforms influenced by the Washington Consensus, the Constitution of Colombia, 1991, and negotiations involving the Andean Community and Mercosur. In the 2000s its surveys and indices were cited alongside work from World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and United Nations Development Programme reports on Colombian development.
Fedesarrollo states objectives linked to evidence-based policy advising, comparative analysis, and capacity building similar to mandates at institutions such as Centre for Economic Policy Research, Peterson Institute for International Economics, and Cato Institute. Its mission emphasizes producing applied research for public decision-makers in Bogotá and regional capitals such as Cali, Medellín, and Barranquilla. Objectives include informing fiscal debates related to the Ley de Financiamiento (Colombia), analyzing labor-market issues referenced alongside studies from International Labour Organization, and contributing to discussions on social protection systems comparable to reports by Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo and United Nations agencies.
Fedesarrollo’s governance and operations mirror structures found at other policy centers such as RAND Corporation and Aspen Institute. It is governed by a board composed of figures from Colombian business associations such as ANDI (Asociación Nacional de Empresarios de Colombia), representatives from universities like Universidad del Rosario, and former officials connected to institutions like DIAN and Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia. Research divisions include macroeconomics, labor markets, public finance, and social policy, with staff who have trained at institutions such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, London School of Economics, and University of Chicago. Operational links extend to municipal governments in Bogotá, Medellín, and Pereira, and to regional think tanks like CIPPEC and FLACSO.
Fedesarrollo publishes working papers, policy briefs, and surveys comparable to outputs from NBER working papers, IMF staff reports, and World Bank policy notes. Signature outputs have included consumer and business confidence indices comparable with Conference Board indicators, monthly macroeconomic forecasts used by analysts at Banco de la República (Colombia), and labor reports referenced by the Ministerio del Trabajo (Colombia). It issues studies on taxation and public spending that enter debates around laws such as the Statutory Law on Fiscal Responsibility and engages in applied research on topics that also attract attention from UNICEF, WHO, and USAID. Publications appear in Spanish and English and are cited in Colombian outlets like El Tiempo (Colombia), Semana (magazine), and La Silla Vacía.
Fedesarrollo’s analyses have informed legislative debates in the Congress of Colombia and administrative decisions by agencies including the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (Colombia), Ministry of Education (Colombia), and Departamento Nacional de Planeación. Its forecasts have been used in fiscal planning alongside projections from Banco Mundial and Fondo Monetario Internacional, and its indices shape market expectations monitored by private banks such as Bancolombia and Banco Davivienda. The institute has participated in multi-stakeholder initiatives with organizations like Confederación Colombiana de Cámaras de Comercio, ProColombia, and international partners such as GIZ and USAID in program evaluation, regional development, and policy design.
Fedesarrollo’s funding model combines corporate donations from firms and chambers including ANDI, grants from multilateral organizations like Inter-American Development Bank and World Bank, and commissioned research contracts with Colombian public bodies such as Ministerio de Hacienda y Crédito Público (Colombia). It maintains academic partnerships with universities including Universidad de Antioquia and Universidad Externado de Colombia and collaborates with international centers such as Institute of Development Studies, Centre for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA), and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. Project-level partners have included CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and foundations like Ford Foundation and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Fedesarrollo has faced critiques familiar to think tanks worldwide, including debates over transparency of funding similar to controversies at Chatham House and Atlantic Council and questions about independence raised in discussions paralleling scrutiny of Peterson Institute for International Economics. Critics in Colombian media outlets such as Caracol Radio and El Espectador have questioned potential conflicts of interest when business associations commission studies used in policymaking. Academic critics have debated methodological choices in studies referenced against work from CEPAL, Oxford University, and Cambridge University researchers, and civil society groups including Colombian Commission of Jurists and Dejusticia have occasionally challenged policy recommendations promoted by the institute.
Category:Think tanks in Colombia