Colombia recognises SELA as a strategic ally to promote transformations in the region

"This workshop is evidence of the enriching work that SELA carries out in the construction of policies that contribute to the integration of the region. The Colombian government recognizes in this organisation a strategic ally to promote the social transformations required by humanity to face the multiple global crises that threaten our survival, such as the fight against climate change and the storm of nature,” the Director of Economic, Social and Environmental Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Constanza Bejarano, said on Tuesday during the opening of the IV Workshop on public policy instruments based on behavioural economics, organised by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) together with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). 

The representative of the Foreign Ministry recalled that this year Colombia was elected second vice-chair of the Latin American Council of the organisation, from where they hope to continue supporting SELA's work as "a meeting space for new initiatives to guide the region along the path of sustainable, fair and equitable development for all." 

"SELA can count on our experience to continue building new proposals aimed at pursuing its mission, such as this workshop," she added. 

Regarding the Workshop on public policy instruments based on behavioural economics, she stressed that "all economics is based on decision-making, a complex process that is influenced by different factors and variables. Understanding them clearly allows us to have a better overview to have more effective public policies that respond effectively to the needs of society.” 

For his part, the Permanent Secretary of SELA, Ambassador Clarems Endara, stressed that "it is essential to understand how people behave in order to create public policy interventions that are effective, efficient, fair and equitable.” He added that "by incorporating behavioural insights, policymakers can simplify the communication of policies and make them more accessible to the public, thereby increasing transparency and trust, and thus the effectiveness of their implementation.” 

"We at SELA express our desire for Latin America to move towards a region that is more equitable and capable of facing challenges, with expanded access to opportunities that promote shared well-being for all," the Permanent Secretary emphasised. 

The first day of the workshop was appropriate to share conceptual foundations of this economics and its application in public policies; as well as success stories in the region from experts in the area, such as Julia Seither Afonso, Senior Lecturer in Economics at the Universidad del Rosario and Director of the Rosario Experimental and Behavioural Economics Lab (REBEL); Carlos Scartascini, Leader of the Behavioural Economics Group at the IDB; Andrea López, Assistant Professor of the Economics Department at the Universidad del Rosario; Mario F. Sanginés, Senior Specialist in the Fiscal Management Division of the IDB; and José Manuel Castro, Director of the Centre for Fiscal Studies at the Universidad Externado. 

The second day of the event was conducted by Indhira Ramírez and Karina Márquez, Economists members of the IDB Behavioural Economics Group; together with Lina Díaz, Economist specialised in behavioural issues. They were in charge of introducing the implementation of public policies based on behavioural economics, so that attendees could present their proposals for strategies developed by the working groups, to address a local problem, under a behavioural approach. 

The "IV Workshop on public policy instruments based on behavioural economics" concluded on Wednesday 24 April in Bogotá, Colombia, with the purpose of training Colombian public officials on the benefits of behavioural economics and its tools, as a way to achieve better public policies, through the exchange of experiences, the development of practical cases and addressing local problems.