After the Legislative Assembly ratified the country's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the business sector is of the opinion that this will help consolidate the institutional reforms needed to make the State more efficient.
The Assembly informed that by approving in the second debate the bill 22.187, which contains the agreement on the terms of accession, the deputies gave the green light to Costa Rica's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
After 5 years of managing the admission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Council of the organization agreed to formally extend the invitation to the Central American country to become the 38th member.
The incorporation will allow the country to participate in more than 300 committees and groups to decide on equal terms in the development of innovative solutions to common challenges, such as the emergency in the face of COVID-19, issues associated with climate change and the fourth industrial revolution, among others, reported the Costa Rican presidency.
After the country has completed the 22 required assessments called for in the roadmap, in the coming months the organization's Council should take the decision to invite the country to formally become a member.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) issued its formal opinion favorable to the work that the country has been doing to address the recommendations provided by this committee since 2016, in areas such as macroeconomic and fiscal stability, inclusive economic growth, increased productivity and promotion of competition, among others.
Reducing trade barriers and procedures, increasing legal security and improving productive infrastructure are part of the changes required by the business sector for the region's economic development.
In Guatemala, the 12th Ibero-American Business Meeting is held, in which the private sector presents proposals to face the current challenges and generate opportunities for the countries of the region.
The State of the Nation 2018 Report explains that during 2017 and the first months of 2018 the progress of Costa Rica's economy has been adverse and, in the short term, the prospects for economic opportunities, solvency and stability are negative.
Most of the drivers of Costa Rica's economy have declined in recent months, resulting in Costa Rica going through a period of multiple economic and political risks.
Slow growth in credit, imports of final consumer goods and tax collection are strong indicators of a decline in domestic demand.
According to the Economic Situation Report October-2018 of the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR), the local economy is increasing as predicted in its macroeconomic programming, and inflation is kept within the target range. However, there are some indicators of deceleration in domestic demand (including slow growth in credit, imports of final consumer goods, and tax collection).
In spite of the economic progress that has been achieved in Costa Rica, employment growth has stagnated, results in education are deficient, and anti-competitive regulations continue to hinder business development.
The latest OECD economic study on Costa Rica details the factors that support the significant socio-economic achievements of the last decades, as well as the pending challenges to ensure sustainable and more inclusive growth.
Citizens are less than two months away from going to a ballotage to elect a new government without having discussed the country's priority issues, even though some of them require urgent attention and a deep national discussion in order to find a solution.
For every dollar invested in health and education, three need to be spent on direct social assistance in order to achieve the same effect on poverty reduction.
The report "Impact of Public Expenditure on Poverty Reduction and Inequality" by the Nicaraguan Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUNIDES) has similar conclusions to similar studies carried out in other countries: "In estimating the effect of public interventions on poverty reduction, it was identified that poverty was reduced from 7.2 to 10.1 percent depending on the poverty line used (US $1.8, US $2 and US $2.6), mainly due to social spending in health and education.On the other hand, the contribution made by electricity subsidies did not compensate for the reduction in incomes in households caused by payment of indirect taxes, therefore it did not affect poverty reduction.
Although the gradual process of credit dedollarization continues, the Central Bank has warned that a preference remains on the part of savers for instruments denominated in foreign currency.
From a statement issued by the Central Bank of Costa Rica:
The Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Costa Rica, in article 12, session 5768-2017, of April 26, 2017, according to the provisions of its Organic Law and based on an analysis of the international and national economic situation, decided to increase the level of the Monetary Policy Rate (TPM) by 25 basis points (bp) to 2.50% as of April 27 of this year.
Central Americans and other Latin Americans are feeling more concerned about what Trump can say or do, than over the only thing that can really change the fate of poverty in the region, which is education.
EDITORIAL
The recently published results of the PISA tests confirm that in the best case, these countries maintain positions midway down the table of global results, and in the worst case have fallen in the objective measurement of quality of the most important resource for economic and social development, people and their cognitive abilities.
The drama over the bulk of exports being primary products without added value is unfolding not only in Nicaragua.
The new president of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Nicaragua (APEN), Guillermo Jacoby, has carried out a lucid analysis of the difficulties faced by Nicaraguan exporters in increasing both the volume and the value of its sales abroad, and especially how to make this productive effort sustainable.
In El Salvador, the decision taken by the Sanchez Ceren administration not to attend the main business event in the country reveals either disinclination, inability to govern, or simple political manichaeism.
EDITORIAL
Maybe it is a persistence of visualizing the world as it was in the last century, dividing it into two antagonistic parties, capital on the one hand and labour on the other.
The very feasible expansion of the San José-Caldera highway will increase the success of a route that has favorably changed the prospects for real estate development in the west of the capital, and logistics and tourism in the Central Pacific.
EDITORIAL
An editorial in Nacion.com reports that the concessionaire of Route 27 has now presented "... an expansion project with six lanes between La Sabana and Ciudad Colón and four on the rest of the road which goes to the port of Caldera."
Income from self-employment has improved in rural areas, while urban households purchasing power fell by 1.2% in June 2015.
Although the unemployment rate in Costa Rica was close to 10% in October 2015, the income from self-employment has consolidated becoming the second largest source in the country: it increased by 22.7% in June 2015 compared to same month in 2014 in rural areas and 16.1% in urban areas, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census.
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