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The first conference of Latin America 2000 yielded several papers on current and future aspects of privatization, deregulation and property rights in Latin America. This first of two conferences on these topics was held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from Nov 19-20, 1992, in cooperation with the University of Texas at Austin. The issues discussed by the more than 60 North- and Latin-American business leaders included the experiences of Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Chile in selling their state-owned enterprises to the private sector; deregulating public services and facilities; and developing an efficient and impartial contract law system. The last is necessary in support of the first two programs, as both privatization and deregulation give rise to questions regarding efficient property usage. Another potentially troublesome issue is taxation, which is a regulatory tool for the control of natural monopolies.

The first conference of Latin America 2000 on privatization, deregulation and property rights in the region neglected several issues. Attention to agricultural aspects was minimal, despite that fact that it is a major concern for all people. Aside for major government intervention in this sector, the land tenure system in Latin America is a potentially explosive issue that has great consequences for these economies. In addition, inequitable distribution of income and the lack of a systems of standards were not addressed. In terms of intellectual property rights, biological and biotechnological research rights and laws are as important as those regarding patents and pirating. Finally, private sector investment in education and research and development should be considered in the next round of talks.