A Partnership for a New Latin America
Submitted by sball on Wed, 2011/03/09 - 22:38.
"It is Latin America's time to shine." Luis Alberto Moreno believes this is Latin America's decade and, as the most influential development banker in the western hemisphere, he's in a position to make that difference. Last summer, Moreno was re-elected to another five years as head of the Inter American Development Bank.
A Partnership for a New Latin America is an article he wrote for the Huffington Post in February.
Also, Luis Alberto Moreno, Business Solutions to Poverty, chronicles some of his successes as Minister of Development of Columbia, Columbian Ambassador to the US, and President of the IDB.
Through this experience, Moreno realized that strategy for creating prosperity for all citizens of any nation had to include the private sector. "Enterprise solutions to poverty" was a paradigm shift. Until then, most other decision makers in Latin America believed that government officials should set competitive strategy. Moreno was one of the first leaders in the world to observe that it wasn't working. Poverty rates were increasing. Traditional positive values were under assault. Social cohesion, itself, was threatened.
I've had six months of gray - time for shine is fine
First the good news: U.S. thrashing out in eastern deserts has kept its attention there for years, giving breathing room to Latin America.
Now the bad news: (Sorry, I can't cite the book I heard of a couple days back, but the idea is simple.) The U.S. is going to bite it. The 20th century saw rural electrification, nationwide highway and telephone systems, urbanization, massive industrialization, and all the rest. That's done. That's over. No more gravy.
But not for Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia.
Look for huge changes there.
After reading "The Open Veins of Latin America" I came to understand that the continent is vastly underpopulated. Exactly how much is a question, but seems true in general, which is another plus for the place.
No Sniveling!
Good general comments
About how the progresive states are trying to work within democracy and free market economics to inprove their condition. For the purposes of his article, there was no need to mention the reactionary states who are trying to mimic the politics and economics of the 1920s. (Unfortunately, that be us!).
Also, like most economists, he is not paying much attention to population growth and resource depletion. A larger middle class (percentage wise) with a larger NET number of poor and a devestated environment is the probable future of many countries, not just in Latin America.
''Remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away''