Education and Skills

Liveblog: Latin America – delivering growth, strengthening societies

Ian Bremmer
President, Eurasia Group
Share:
Our Impact
What's the World Economic Forum doing to accelerate action on Education and Skills?
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Infrastructure is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
Stay up to date:

Latin America

What innovative approaches will ensure sustained economic growth and societal progress in the region?

Dimensions to be addressed:
– Understanding global trends
– Designing inclusive policies
– Guaranteeing long-term stability

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:18 pm

and that’s all from me for this summit on delivering growth and strengthening societies. don’t miss me later today when i liveblog the 2:15pm (local time– 3:15 est) summit on ‘latin america in the current global context.’

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:15 pm

here’s the peru gossip: peru’s first lady, nadine heredia, is a potential successor down the line– her approval ratings are high (61% in march)

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:14 pm

we’ve heard a lot about foreign firms’ growing interest in latam. a lot of that is on the back of a move to service the growing middle class region-wide… here’s an interesting piece on it: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21575750-long-exporter-talent-latin-america-now-importing-it-new-new-world

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:12 pm

klaus schwab: ‘3 conclusions. 1)reforming a country needs a comprehensive approach. 2) we have to get used to a new picture of latin america. it can become a kind of role model for inclusive growth policies. 3) in order to achieve what you want to achieve, you need a multi-stakeholder approach… business leadership… young leaders… women… social entrepreneurs.’

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:10 pm

and back to klaus, enthused by martinelli’s invitation to check out the reforms he’s mentioned that are underway in panama.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:09 pm

martinelli talking about tax rates in panama— sounds like a bargain to any americans in the crowd.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:08 pm

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:07 pm

growing middle classes across latam means citizens’ growing expectations– they’re becoming more organized and vocal than ever before, demanding better services– and they’re more willing to resort to social and labor unrest when these demands go unmet.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:05 pm

there’s a china reference– martinelli refers to ‘costa rican companies selling coffee in china.’

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:05 pm

martinelli: ‘we here today, as presidents, have committed to being players and not spectators.” buzzwords: expansion, modernization.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:04 pm

a man, a plan, a canal– panama.

i just couldn’t resist.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:03 pm

here’s the martinelli gossip: there’s been ample speculation that he might try to change the constitution to run for president again.. but the chances for that have significantly diminished as his popularity has ebbed.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20137:01 pm

i haven’t heard much mention of china’s growing regional influence yet… a topic that shouldn’t be ignored:

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:58 pm

so peru punches in at 6.3% expected growth for 2013.
mexico 3.4%–
panama taking the cake with expected 8.9%

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:57 pm

….but panama’s problems “are shared across latin america.”

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:57 pm

today, panama is a country “under construction.”

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:57 pm

president martinelli talking about his career path– very interesting. from criticizing the system from the outside, to rebuilding it from within.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:55 pm

martinelli: “latin america is no longer a mere spectator. we are players.”

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:54 pm

…and it’s klaus again, welcoming president martinelli of panama

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:53 pm

pena nieto: “i am very optimistic and very enthusiastic that mexico is going to have a better future.”

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:50 pm

pena nieto is talking credit/loans.

mexico’s credit as a % of gdp is ~26% …. lat am average? around 50%.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:48 pm

in mexico, reforms at different stages on a few key fronts–

teachers’ protests don’t seem to be discouraging pena nieto from implementing education reform.

telecom reform still needs lower chamber / state approval– could take a few years to implement..

and… financial reform is postponed given the electoral scandal that’s unfolding.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:46 pm

“in mexico, we now have an agenda for structural reforms that will lead to higher growth in the coming years.” — pena nieto. looks like he has his sights set higher than the 3-4% clip from last year/ this year.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:44 pm

mexico looking steady on growth. last year: 3.9% ; this year’s forecast: 3.4%

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:43 pm

despite the issues with the electoral corruption scandal back home, the prospects for economic reform in mexico are still high– largely because pena nieto has oodles of political capital, and this is where he’s willing to spend it.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:41 pm

pena nieto: let’s “democratize productivity.”

the twin term for humala’s “social inclusion” ?

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:40 pm

pena nieto: “mexico has a geopolitical position that is very relevant.”

yes, the shadow cast by usa to the north is hugely relevant on a host of issues

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:39 pm

his speaking here could perhaps be seen as a show of confidence on his end in the electoral corruption scandal.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:37 pm

it’s impressive that pena nieto is in lima at all today, given the scandal unfolding back in mexico. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-23/vote-scandal-threatens-pena-nieto-support-in-mexico-s-congress.html

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:36 pm

mexican president enrique pena nieto has the floor.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:35 pm

klaus to mexican president pena nieto: “you have…impressed the world.”

he’s inviting him up to speak now.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:35 pm

and president humala has concluded his open talk.

klaus schwab now congratulating him on his address, and emphasizing his enthusiasm for a panel of leaders at the forefront of “building a new latin america”

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:33 pm

humala’s focus on environmental policy is no coincidence. among active social conflicts, 72.2% of all conflicts relate to concerns about resources and the environment.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:32 pm

in peru, protests are still the weapon of choice for popular expression on policy– that won’t change until we see a strong institutional framework to channel discontent.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:31 pm

the peruvian president is now talking about environmental policy

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:29 pm

humala talking about improvements in peru– here’s a compelling one: peru fact #2: since 2004, the number of peruvians living in poverty has been halved from 59% to 28%

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:26 pm

and there’s humala’s “social inclusion” buzzword once again.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:24 pm

it makes sense humala is talking ‘social inclusion policies’ when it comes to growth: his original base of support is lower socioeconomic groups. he’s recently been able to recover some more support from them…

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:23 pm

spotlight president humala: he’s seen a recent marginal dip in approval ratings — (from 53% in feb to 51% in apr) — but he remains politically strong regardless.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:20 pm

humala: ‘to secure development, we need to grow economically and be able to distribute that growth… what we call ‘social inclusion.’

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:20 pm

peru fun fact: growth is expected to come in at a very impressive 6.3% clip this year.

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:19 pm

this is peru’s first time hosting a wef regional gathering

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20136:18 pm

introductory remarks have concluded– we’re talking entrepreneurship, development. the discussions to begin shortly….

peru’s president ollanta humala is up first…

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20135:58 pm

here’s a fun fact for before we get started: the country with the most physicians per capita is… cuba. (with 6.7/ 1000)

Ian Bremmer Ian Bremmer April 24, 20135:48 pm

excited to be liveblogging the upcoming summit — it kicks off in 10 minutes!

Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Related topics:
Education and SkillsClimate ActionEconomic GrowthBusinessFinancial and Monetary SystemsJobs and the Future of Work
Share:
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

3:12

EDISON Alliance: 1 Billion Lives Connected

Carlos Sanvee

September 6, 2024

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum