At the end of 2020, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador remained at the bottom of the Human Development Index ranking, while Costa Rica and Panama were better evaluated.
The report entitled The Next Frontier, Human Development and the Anthropocene, which was published on December 15, 2020 at the global level, updates the Human Development Index (HDI) that is calculated by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The latest PISA assessment confirms that Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic, the only countries in the region to appear in its ranking, are far from the average results obtained by the OECD group of nations.
Although in the last ten years the average expenditure per primary and secondary student increased by about 15% in OECD countries, most of their states do not report significant progress in education.
Gaps in GDP per capita between different countries are directly related to the productivity gaps between their respective economies, with education being the main factor in these differences.
The OECD report "Promoting inclusive growth of productivity in Latin America" says that although the region made progress in reducing poverty over the past 20 years, it still stands out at the global level, because of the unequal income its inhabitants.
The more financially educated people are, more rational their economic and political decisions are, creating greater economic development and better quality of life in society.
EDITORIAL
This fact is clearly indicated by the results of a comprehensive study by McGraw Hill Financial on financial literacy, which is defined as the ability to understand how the money in the world works, what to do to earn it, and how it is administered.
Report of Costa Rica´s performance, through the selection, measurement and evaluation of a set of variables that include social, economic, environmental and political aspects of development.
Overview of the State of the Nation Report 2015:
In the past five years, the State of the Nation has warned about the severity of the problems that threaten the sustainability of human development, the political system's inability to find answers and the need to correct the country's course. Therefore, in 2011 it was stated that behind the political and economic stability a wearing down of Costa Rica's historical progress could be detected. In 2012 the absence of solid progress was noted and in 2013, the existence of myths about the "country we are," which led to do the same actions being repeated with different results expected. Last year, the Twentieth Report stated that it was the end of an era and the political system was being called on to lead the transition with minimal confrontation and costs for the weaker groups.
Adpoting the PISA tests as a basic tool for the management of education systems is essential if you want to push back the boundaries of underdevelopment.
EDITORIAL
It is not uncommon to hear from officials in Latin American educational corporations that the PISA assessment system is "unfair" because it compares results with those obtained in advanced countries.
Avoiding the generation of power using fossil fuels is a necessary goal, but alleviating the energy poverty in which millions of Central Americans find themselves is a priority.
EDITORIAL
Bjorn Lomborg's article published in Laprensagrafica.com analyzes the difficult choice between taking measures to prevent global warming, and facilitating the use of cheap fossil fuels -carbon- for 1,200 million poor people in the world.
The education of children and young people must be the appropriate in order to fit into a labor market that gets more competitive dayby day or to start their own businesses.
From a statement by the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP):
CONTINUING MODERNIZATION OF EDUCATION IS TASK FOR EVERYONE
In a few days thousands of children and young people will enter classrooms to prepare to be the future of our country.
Although improvements have been noted, the region's human resources are still far from achieving the level necessary to sustain competitive economies at the global level.
The Human Capital Index, constructed by the World Economic Forum, provides a long-term focus on how nations are developing their human capital and establishing workforces prepared for the demands of the increasingly competitive global economy.
Report on the Performance of Costa Rica, through the selection, measurement and evaluation of a set of factors covering social, economic, environmental and political development.
From the Synopsis of the State of the Nation Report 2013:
State of the Nation Report 2013
Persistent myths about our country, have led to Costa Rican society, for decades, doing the same thing and hoping for different results.
the report presents a series of statistics and relevant findings on key demographic, social, economic, environmental and regional policies.
From the introduction:
This document is a tool for Central American societies which can be used for monitoring, analysis and constructing knowledge about the advances and letdowns in sustainable human development in the region during the first decade of the century.
Consumer sensitivity to prices implies that tax cuts would promote access and use, contributing to social and economic development.
A report on Telecommunications Taxation in Latin America presents the results of research conducted on behalf of the Latin American Association of Research Centers and Telecommunication Enterprises (AHCIET by its initials in Spanish) on taxation and telecommunications in 11 countries in Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia , Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Uruguay).
"The country has entered a new and more dangerous phase, a clear erosion of some of the most precious historical advantages of human development."
Synopsis of the Seventeenth Report of the Nation on Sustainable Human Development:
When examined closely, 2010, a year without dramatic events, seemingly calm, reveals the seriousness of the problems experienced by human development in Costa Rica.
Out of all the countries on the isthmus, only Panama’s Human Development Index follows the upward trend set by Latin America and the Caribbean.
Since the 1990 publication of the Human Development Index (HDI), the number has shown an upward trend for the vast majority of nations. This overall positive trend has been exceeded by some countries, such as South Korea and China, while others, such as Zimbabwe and Lesotho, have actually moved in a negative direction.
According to the UN Development Program (UNDP) index, within Central America Panama comes first at no. 58 followed by Costa Rica (69), El Salvador (105), Honduras (121), Nicaragua (129) and Guatemala at no. 131.
While Panama's ranking has moved up one spot since the last time the UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) was published, Costa Rica and Honduras have slipped back a place.