CAF Rewards Winners of “Ideas for the Future” Essay Competition in Argentina

Students Paula Luvini from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) and María Josefina Mignone from the Torcuato Di Tella University (UTDT) were chosen as winners of the Ideas for the Future essay competition, organized by CAF together with the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA), for young people from universities in the country and the region. CAF’s goal is to recognize young talent in Latin America and to encourage ideas that can reflect their vision of the future for their countries, including challenges, as well as proposals for how to address them.

“The efficiency of the financial sector and the correct design for its future,” submitted by Paula Luvini in the Innovation category, analyzes the role of fintech and the challenge facing Argentina to reduce the costs of intermediation in securing credits to benefit not only large enterprises but also “SMEs and individuals, allowing a greater number of productive projects and the expansion of the formal economy.”

In the Public Policy category, Josefina Mignone draws up a “Roadmap for quality public policies in Latin America and the Caribbean,” with recommendations to advance towards more effective, efficient and transparent practices. The author reviews the existing challenges in policy design, evaluation culture, technical teams, budget allocation, among other aspects to be considered as per “minimum standards” that allow their dissemination in countries of the region with a view to promoting their integration and development.

The winners—who were selected by a jury made up of CAF and BCRA representatives—received a certificate of recognition from Santiago Rojas, CAF representative in Argentina, and Mauro Alessandro, deputy general manager of economic research at the Central Bank of Argentina. “On our 50th anniversary, CAF and BCRA seek to promote the exchange and discussion of ideas by leveraging the great talent of young people in the region, who contribute to sustainable development, integration and to building a better future,” Santiago Rojas said during the award ceremony.

“In line with our institutional actions for education and encouragement to research and economic analysis, the BCRA joined this initiative along with other central banks in the region, seeking to promote the implementation of public policies based on interaction of analysis and evidence,” Alessandro said.

“I think it is a very good the initiative because it encourages college students to work on research, with a clear goal, and that allows fresh minds to produce new ideas. My essay is based on the question of how to make the financial sector more efficient in Argentina and how the implementation of new technologies can encourage competition and reduce costs,” said Paula Luvini after receiving the award.

The next ceremony will take place in the framework of the CAF Conference, to be held in Quito on November 7, 2019, where local winners will compete with their peers from the 19 CAF member countries for USD 2,000 in each category.

#IdeasForTheFuture is one of CAF’s 50th anniversary celebration activities, and promotes the exchange and discussion of ideas that help foster sustainable development and regional integration by encouraging the best university talents in Ibero-America.