Srivastava: At EVS, Brazilians outnumber other foreigners.
By Narayan Ammachchi
Ever wondered why IT and BPO companies in Chile have continued to expand despite what is commonly seen as a severe shortage of skilled workers locally? In Chile, immigration rules are strikingly different than nearby nations like Brazil. IT companies can bring in as many skilled professionals from overseas countries as they want. Jobseekers from across the world are arriving by thousands and filling up the vacant positions in all sectors of the economy.
By Timothy Wilson
The state of Jalisco, Mexico, and particularly its capital city Guadalajara, is becoming a hotbed for mobile application development. There are many reasons for this, but one is the important role played by Guadalajara’s Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESO) and its Program for Management of Innovation and Technology (PROGINNT).
LATAM at Risk of Falling Twenty Years Behind in Global-Ready Education
January 22nd, 2013
Näslund-Hadley: Math and science matter
By Narayan Ammachchi
For all the excitement over the relatively strong performance of Latin America’s economies, persistent weakness in the region’s education systems has become a major barrier to global competitiveness. Flawed teaching methods are holding back millions of students from gaining proficiency in math and science subjects, says a new study from the Inter American Development Bank (IDB).
PRONicaragua Number One Investment Promotion Agency: World Bank
April 27th, 2012
PRONicaragua stood out with the best results among all investment promotion agencies in the world in the 2012 Global Investment Promotion Benchmarking, recently published by the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).
Among the 189 institutions evaluated, PRONicaragua was the only institution to achieve a rating of “best practice,” the highest distinction awarded by the study in each of the three evaluations implemented. This edition marks the first time in history that a non-member country of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) receives such recognition.
Robert Whyte, the World Bank’s Project Manager for the GIPB 2012, mentioned that with FDI levels only slowly recovering post-crisis, it is more important than ever for government agencies to be highly responsive to the needs of potential investors as they search for new investment locations, adding that …
Billionaire Slim Criticizes OECD Report on Mexico’s Phone Industry
February 2nd, 2012Source: Business Week
Billionaire Carlos Slim was out of context and off the mark in his criticism of a study finding a lack of competition in Mexico’s phone industry, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said.
Slim told reporters yesterday that the group’s report, released earlier this week, seemed to use data “pulled out of thin air.” The 72-year-old, who controls Mexico’s largest wireless and landline-phone companies, denied the study’s claims that Mexican carriers overcharged consumers $13.4 billion a year for phone and Internet services from 2005 to 2009.
Mexico’s government, which commissioned the study, is using it to validate efforts to create more competition in telecommunications. The findings support the government’s plan to auction off fiber-optic lines owned by the state power company and contracts to push high-speed Internet into communities where it’s not available, Communications and Transportation Minister Dionisio Perez-Jacome said this week.
“The OECD stands by its …
Will Colombia Join the OECD? President Santos Wants In to Elite LatAm Club with Chile and Mexico
February 10th, 2011Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos recently submitted his country’s application to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In an e-mail interview, Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, discussed the prospect of Colombia’s OECD membership.
WPR: What are the benefits and responsibilities of OECD membership?
Michael Shifter: The OECD is a privileged club: In Latin America, only Chile and Mexico are currently members. Membership is a measure of a certain level of economic development and a commitment to sound policies and good-governance practices. OECD members are expected to make important policy decisions in accordance with the highest standards and to coordinate economic approaches among themselves. Membership is symbolically significant and conveys a strong message to the world that serious institutional-reform efforts are underway.
WPR: What is the likelihood that Colombia will gain membership?
Shifter: Though it is hard to know with any certainty, …
