Administrative Autonomy, Institutional Reforms and Foreign Investment: the case of the Panama Canal (1977-2007)

Authors

  • Fernando Seabra Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
  • Samuel Teles de Melo Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12957/rmi.2012.6382

Abstract

The expansion of the Panama Canal marked a new phase in international trade relations. In response to the rising volume of international trade and increased capacity of merchant ships, the canal has started to present physical limitations. By means of a comparative analysis between the different stages in the canal's administration, this study discusses the role that the autonomy of the canal's management, through the Panamanian government agency, represents for the consolidation of the canal as an East-West trade link and hub of regional development in Central America. As a result of these institutional reforms of a political and economic nature, it is demonstrated that the Panamanian economy, especially the Canal Zone, has received a significant influx of foreign investments for the revitalization of the port system and the consolidation of the production clusters promoting exports in the vicinity of the Canal Zone.

Keywords : Expansion of the Panama Canal; Institutional reforms; Foreign Direct Investments.

Received on November 1, 2012. / Accepted on November 30, 2012.

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Author Biographies

Fernando Seabra, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Professor do Departamento de Economia e Relações Internacionais/Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Samuel Teles de Melo, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Mestrando em Relações Internacionais/Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

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Published

2012-12-31

How to Cite

SEABRA, Fernando; DE MELO, Samuel Teles. Administrative Autonomy, Institutional Reforms and Foreign Investment: the case of the Panama Canal (1977-2007). Mural Internacional, Rio de Janeiro, v. 3, n. 2, p. 40–47, 2012. DOI: 10.12957/rmi.2012.6382. Disponível em: https://www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br/muralinternacional/article/view/6382. Acesso em: 4 feb. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 2 (2012): JUL-DEZ

Section

ARTICLES

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