SER and CBCS: Data crisis may threaten future research and policy

Willemstad, October 5, 2023 – A scarcity of reliable and readily available data significantly hampers substantive socioeconomic and macroeconomic research in Curaçao. This was the unequivocal consensus reached during a strategic meeting between technical representatives of the Social Economic Council (SER) of Curaçao and the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS).
The meeting was convened at the SER’s offices on the Ansinghstraat in the Pietermaai district. In attendance were Mr. Raul Henriquez, Director/General Secretary of the SER, along with advisors from the SER. They were joined by Mr. Richard Doornbosch, President-Director of the CBCS, and CBCS’s senior official, Mr. Eric Matto. The gathering was not merely an introductory consultation; it served as a forum for exchanging focal points of each entity’s research agendas for 2023-2024 and for identifying potential areas of collaboration.
While CBCS’s research agenda centers on the monetary and financial systems, balance of payments, public finances, climate change, and inclusive growth, SER’s focus is both different and complementary. The SER concentrates on topics such as broad welfare, inclusive labor markets, labor migration, the future of work, and the sustainability of the social security system. Both parties acknowledged the significant potential for cooperative endeavors and the reciprocal sharing of expertise.
The meeting concluded with a mutual pledge to fortify existing partnerships. Both institutions committed to persistently utilizing each other’s domain knowledge and skills, thereby enriching the scope of inter-institutional cooperation.