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rachelramirez

Political Crisis Looms in Nicaragua in Run-Up to Elections | Inter Press Service - 0 views

www.ipsnews.net/...caragua-in-run-up-to-elections

Nicaragua elections

shared by rachelramirez on 26 Jun 16 - No Cached
  • Political Crisis Looms in Nicaragua in Run-Up to Elections
  • The seventh consecutive nomination of Daniel Ortega as the governing party’s candidate to the presidency in Nicaragua, and the withdrawal from the race of a large part of the opposition, alleging lack of guarantees for genuine elections, has brought about the country’s worst political crisis since the end of the civil war in 1990.
  • If he wins his term of office will be extended to 2021, by which time he will have served a record breaking 19 years, longer even than that of former dictator Anastasio Somoza García whoruled the country for over 16 years.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • The CSJ determined in 2011 that an article in the constitution banning indefinite reelection was a violation of Ortega’s right to be a candidate
  • Earlier the Supreme Electoral Council (CSE) cancelled the legal status of the leadership of the Independent Liberation Party (PLI), the largest member of the Coalition, and handed over PLI representation instead to a political faction supportive of the FSLN.
  • Social scientist Nicolás López Maltez, a member of Nicaragua’s Academy of Geography and History, said that the way Ortega has pursued his presidential aspirations is unparalleled in Central America in the past 150 years.
  • According to López Maltez and other analysts, Ortega has taken control of all government branches, and is therefore practically assured of victory at the ballot boxes in November.
  • Ortega has followed sound macroeconomic policies and this is recognised by both domestic and international organisations.
  • Opposition sectors claim the results of municipal elections in 2008 and of the 2011 general elections were fraudulent. Observers from the U.S. Carter Center and from the European Union observers/ said they lacked transparency.
  • But in May Ortega decided not to invite international or local electoral observers, whom he referred to as “shameless scoundrels.”
  • Humberto Meza, who holds a doctorate in social sciences, said that Ortega’s stratagems to perpetuate himself in power “will drastically affect the legitimacy of the elections,” no matter how high his popularity rating.The Supreme Court “is condemning a vast number of voters to non participation in the electoral process,” he told IPS.
  • Meza said the concern expressed by the OAS secretary general and any pressure exerted by the international community, led by the United States, were unlikely to have “much impact” on Nicaragua’s  domestic crisis
  • rachelramirez on 26 Jun 16
     
    This article sheds light on the chaotic nature of elections in Nicaragua, and shows the vast amount of control the current president, Daniel Ortega, holds. In the past the United States and the European Union have monitored elections in Nicaragua, but were left saying that the elections lacked transparency. The elections for president this year will not involve the US or EU as the current president, and one of the few candidates in the race, will not allow the two powers back to monitor elections. If Daniel Ortega wins this election, and it appears that he most likely will, then he will be longest serving president Nicaragua has ever had. It appears that there needs to be greater action taken to assure the transparency of elections in the future, and help for Nicaraguans so they can be sure they have a fair government.
nick_gauthier

OAS: Save Human Rights Body | Human Rights Watch - 0 views

www.hrw.org/...oas-save-human-rights-body

human rights human IACHR OAS economy diplomacy politics

shared by nick_gauthier on 05 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • Member countries of the Organization of American
  • Member countries of the Organization of American
  • Member countries of the Organization of American
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • Member countries of the Organization of American
  • States (OAS) should promptly ensure that the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights receives enough financial support to fulfill its mandate, Human Rights Watch said today. The commission, a key defender of human rights in the Americas, faces a financial crisis that threatens justice and protection to victims of abuses across the continent.
  • If OAS member countries don’t address this financial crisis, it will cast serious doubts on their commitment to human rights, and raise suspicions that they want to do away with the commission’s scrutiny.”
  • Such standards relate, amongst others, to the incompatibility of amnesties for serious human rights violations with human rights law, the scope of criminal military jurisdiction, access to public information, the rights of LGBT people, and gender-based violence.
  • OAS member states fail to promptly address this financial crisis, the risks for activists, human rights defenders, and others are likely to increase, Human Rights Watch said.
  • dozens of human rights organizations bring complaints of abuses before the commission and have the opportunity to call government authorities to account on their rights record in what is the most important human rights forum in the Americas
  • However, the OAS has yet to live up to its commitment and the commission continues to rely on voluntary donations, which account for around half of its budget. Such donations – especially from non-OAS member states – steeply decreased in 2015 and 2016, fostering this financial crisis.
  • nick_gauthier on 05 Nov 16
     
    This article is a plea for money to fund the IACHR which relies 50% on volunteers and donations, when in fact it needs money from OAS member states and the OAS to fully support itself and advocate sufficiently for Human Rights.
Javier E

Insight-Batista's Brazilian Empire Was Sunk by More Than Hubris - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...l-batista-history-insight.html

brazil rich oil crisis economic

shared by Javier E on 30 Aug 13 - No Cached
  • things have gotten worse for Batista. Hit by mounting debt, a series of project delays and a crisis of confidence, his six publicly listed companies have suffered one of the most spectacular corporate meltdowns in recent history.
  • He pumped billions into the group's companies even as share prices plunged by as much as 90 percent.
  • His own fortune - the world's seventh-biggest last year, according to Forbes - has declined by more than $25 billion over the past 18 months.
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  • His empire also fell victim to the sudden end of both the global commodities boom and a wild exuberance for emerging markets - two forces that attracted investors to Batista's vision.
  • A former Brazilian finance minister, a former energy minister and a former chief justice of Brazil's supreme court joined the OGX board, bolstering the credibility of the polyglot, European-educated "Brazilianaire".
  • When Batista raised $4.11 billion in OGX's initial public offering in June 2008, interest in Brazil was feverish. Petrobras had just made giant offshore oil discoveries and Brazil was expected to become one of the world's top five oil producers by 2020.
  • Record demand from China drove up the price of Brazilian soybeans, iron ore, coffee, sugar and other commodities. Oil rose to an all-time high. EBX had also just sold most of its first listed company, iron ore producer MMX Mineração e Metálicos SA, to Anglo American Plc for $6.65 billion, enriching Batista and his investors.
  • A lot of the people who invested with Batista were not fools, and his rise and fall has followed that of Brazil.
  • DeGolyer & MacNaughton (D&G), a Dallas-based certification company, estimated OGX's potential resources at 10.8 billion barrels of oil and natural gas equivalent. That would have been enough - if OGX could figure out how to get it out of the ground - to supply all U.S. oil needs for more than a year and a half.
  • OGX estimated it would produce 1.4 million barrels a day by 2019, equivalent to 70 percent of Brazil's output, or about half of the output of Venezuela, a founding member of OPEC.
  • Already Brazil's richest man, Batista bragged he would surpass Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Mexico's Carlos Slim to become the world's wealthiest person. Today he does not even make Forbes' top 100 list.
  • The consequences of Tubarão Azul's failure quickly spread because of the close links between EBX Group companies. EBX shipbuilder OSX Brazil SA was formed to build and lease a fleet of offshore oil vessels for OGX. Power producer MPX Energia SA is developing gas fields with OGX in Brazil's northeast. Port operator LLX Logística SA is home to OSX's shipyard, a place to store and process OGX oil and to ship Anglo American's iron ore.
  • Batista may also have been hurt by Brazil's efforts to help his and other companies weather the 2008 U.S. financial crisis and the world economic slowdown that followed. As Brazilian stocks, currency and bonds plunged, EBX stocks briefly fell to levels that were only broken this year.
  • EBX was one of the main beneficiaries of cheap capital that Brazil's government pumped into the economy to fight the downturn.
  • In Batista, the government was pursuing its then-fashionable strategy of creating "national champions" while making up for delays in its own infrastructure projects. It encouraged Batista to speed up just as Brazil's boom was about to end.
  • Batista and Brazil, though, have struggled since. As China slows, commodity prices are falling. In the last year Brazil's Bovespa stock index was the worst performer among the world's 28 largest indexes and the only one to fall in the period.
Javier E

Are We Abetting Central American Gangs? Ctd « The Dish - 0 views

dish.andrewsullivan.com/...ing-central-american-gangs-ctd

central america gangs guns US relations

shared by Javier E on 23 Jul 14 - No Cached
  • Alec MacGillis shines a light on US gun trafficking to Central America, making the argument that our loose gun regulations are contributing to these countries’ gang violence problem:
  • Of the $3.7 billion requested by the administration for dealing with the child migrant crisis, a very small percentage of it, about $295 million, goes to addressing root causes of the violence
  • There’s been a focus in the US and elsewhere in the region on capturing drug kingpins, but I think a lot of people who have looked at this, given the weakness of institutions, including police and law enforcement, including the judiciary, have said that a better approach is to try to reduce the violence connected with local illegal markets, and focus on providing citizen security to the general population. You can’t abandon the attempt to capture major traffickers, but you cannot do that without providing for safer communities and creating greater resilience at the individual and the community level.
Javier E

Brazil's European Dream - 0 views

www.foreignpolicy.com/...brazils_european_dream

brazil foreign policy europe loan international IGO BRIC diplomacy

shared by Javier E on 23 May 14 - No Cached
  • The news that Brazil has overtaken Britain to become the world's sixth largest economic power is being touted as a sign that that the longtime "country of the future" has finally arrived.
  • In the past 20 years, Brazil has become well known for turning crisis situations into geopolitical opportunities, becoming a leading voice in international forums devoted to AIDS, poverty, and even the environment. And now, it is doing it again with a challenge that Brazilians understand all too well: a debt crisis.
  • The IMF contributions stem from Rousseff's intention to maintain a tradition that began under her predecessor, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of using foreign assistance as a means to strengthen Brazil's international reputation and influence. Yet another example is Brazil's annual contributions to the World Bank, which have averaged $253 million from 2004 to 2009. Brazil was the first nation to contribute -- $ 55 million -- to the World Bank's Haitian Reconstruction Fund. From 2003-2007, Brazil also gave approximately $340 million to fund the U.N.'s operations. Lula also increased Brazil's contribution to the U.N.'s World Food Program from $ 1 million in 2009 to $ 27 million in 2011.
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  • in 1998, it was the Brazilian government, under President Fernando H. Cardoso, that was running to the IMF for assistance. Brazil was trying to recover from a capital flight of roughly $30 billion dollars, triggered by a lack of foreign investor confidence due to exorbitant debt and recession. To help quell investor speculation that Brazil would default (like Russia did months earlier), the IMF provided a bailout package of $41 billion on the condition that Cardoso prune government expenditures by 20 percent and reform the pension system.
  • in 2001, after a steep decline in foreign investment, currency depreciation, and a debt crisis in neighboring Argentina, Brazil essentially begged the IMF to help avoid a default on its external debt. This time the government received $15 billion in exchange for reducing federal expenditures and maintaining a primary budget surplus of approximately 3.75 percent through 2005.
  • Rousseff also wants an expanded role for Brazil within the IMF, along with the other BRICS, mainly through increased quota shares and voting rights. She has joined her colleagues from China, India, Russia, and South Africa in emphasizing that the IMF needs to recognize the importance of the world's largest emerging economies
  • Rousseff's European strategy is a smart move. By providing financial support in time of need, Brazil can strengthen its partnership and economic relationship with several European countries, as well as with the IMF. And by lending a hand, Rousseff may be able to garner more European support as she strives to boost Brazil's influence within the U.N. system and the IMF. Through these calculated endeavors, Rousseff can signal that Brazil isn't just arriving on the international scene, it's here to stay.
Javier E

Mexico Faces Growing Gap Between Political Class and Calls for Change - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...lass-and-calls-for-change.html

mexico politics corruption president party crisis

shared by Javier E on 13 Dec 14 - No Cached
  • “What has been proposed as solutions are like treating cancer with an aspirin,” said Juan Pardinas, a political analyst at the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness, a research group based here. “There is a kind of deafness on their part without recognizing the huge opportunity to change things in Mexico as a result of this crisis.”
  • “It is a historic breach here,” said Mauricio Merino, an analyst at CIDE, a Mexico City policy institute, and one of 80 intellectuals and representatives of watchdog groups who called on political leaders this week to jettison the proposal for a single special prosecutor and instead create an independent body to fight corruption at the highest levels. “The political class has the power, and they are trying to keep it.”
  • “The federal government has shown a very limited and inappropriate capability to react, and it hasn’t found a rhetoric and narrative that fits this moment of crisis,” he said. “It will be very hard for him to find it, since every discovery and confirmation of the students’ death only fuels the movement and empowers people to mobilize.”
jblackwell2

Colombia's long war, and its squandered bid for peace - Chicago Tribune - 0 views

www.chicagotribune.com/...rd-edit-md-20161003-story.html

politics colombia war peace

shared by jblackwell2 on 02 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • After a half century of war, and after four years of grinding negotiations, the Colombian government and leaders of the country's insurgency reached an accord in August to end a conflict in which more than 220,000 people were killed and six million displaced
  • The world watched Sept. 26 as President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londono, leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), signed the agreement, hailed as a blueprint for resolving war through dialogue and compromise.
  • Polls had the yes vote comfortably ahead by a 2-to-1 ratio.
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  • Spearheading the "no" vote in Colombia was former president and current senator Alvaro Uribe, whose father was killed by FARC rebels.
  • It has thrived as a stable democracy amid neighbors governed by leftist leaders.
  • jblackwell2 on 02 Nov 16
     
    This article acts as a brief summary for the peace crisis in Columbia.
rachelramirez

Nicaragua's first lady the face of government - POLITICO - 0 views

www.politico.com/...sario-murillo-nicaragua-109508

nicaragua government politics

shared by rachelramirez on 02 Jul 16 - No Cached
  • Nicaragua's first lady the face of government
  • Her husband, Daniel Ortega, is president, but as chief of communications, Murillo is the voice and the other face of the government. At border crossings and on roadside billboards throughout the country, "Daniel and Rosario" are pictured side-by-side.
  • She speaks on behalf of her husband's government in a stream of rhetoric that blends socialism, New Age spirituality and Catholicism, but brooks no criticism.
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  • Given that, the political partnership of Ortega and Murillo leads many here to speculate that she aspires to succeed Ortega as president one day.
  • Barring illness or death, the 67-year-old Ortega is not likely to leave office soon, thanks to his backers in Congress and on the Supreme Court who approved a constitutional change allowing for unlimited re-election
  • rachelramirez on 02 Jul 16
     
    It was interesting to read this article, after hearing no mention of the First Lady previously. Nicaraguans see Rosario Murillo as their 'mother', who many are able to look up to in a time of crisis while their president is worrying about his own family (such as during the earthquake in April 2014). We are able to learn from this by seeing the dominance of one couple over this entire country, and their need for power. If they are not reigned in, what will they do to ensure their dominance in Nicaragua?
Javier E

Middle Class and Hungry in Venezuela - The New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...s-and-hungry-in-venezuela.html

venezuela politics economy OAS

shared by Javier E on 11 Aug 16 - No Cached
  • Coffee and milk became luxuries for me a few years ago, but the really scary scarcity — of things like bread and chicken — hit my middle-class home at the beginning of this year. There was a week when I had to brush my teeth with salt.
  • Nine out of 10 Venezuelans can no longer afford to buy enough food, according to a study by Simón Bolívar University. The I.M.F. has forecast that inflation would exceed 700 percent this year.
  • We agreed that our best hope, really, is the Organization of American States and its Democratic Charter thing.
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  • “Did you see what Almagro said?” Luis Almagro is the O.A.S.’s secretary general. He has blamed Mr. Maduro for the crisis and has called on the O.A.S. to consider taking the steps necessary to “restore democratic institutions” in Venezuela.
  • “Yeah, it looks like they’ve invoked the Charter.” Under the charter, the O.A.S. can suspend a member state that fails to preserve the democratic order. Mr. Almagro seems to be hoping this threat will convince the Maduro government to accept humanitarian aid from abroad, which it has pre-emptively ruled out.
  • I realize these diplomatic processes can take months: It’s a whole continent trying to find consensus on a complicated subject.
  • Hurry up, O.A.S. guys, we’re hungry.
g-dragon

Antigua's Water Crisis | Dale Destin - Antigua Met Service - 2 views

anumetservice.wordpress.com/...antiguas-water-crisis

shared by g-dragon on 11 Jun 16 - No Cached
    • g-dragon
      g-dragon on 11 Jun 16
       
      Antigua is running out of water and we do not know why. In 2013 the water stopped and the Antigua Public Utilities Authority blamed id on a water plant. They then changed this to running out of water because of a drought. Studies show that there is enough rainfall to support Antigua, but we do not know why a drought is happening. This largely affects the Antiguan economy because it runs on its fresh water supplies.  - Daniel Lin
g-dragon

No end in sight to A&B's water crisis | Antigua Observer Newspaper - 3 views

antiguaobserver.com/d-in-sight-to-abs-water-crisis

shared by g-dragon on 11 Jun 16 - No Cached
    • g-dragon
      g-dragon on 11 Jun 16
       
      Now fast forward to 2015, they say that there is not enough rain water. The main water source is only thirty three percent full which can sustain only 2-3 months of water supply. Now the APUA(Antigua Public Utilities Authority) has moved into desalination of water. Desalination of water is making salt water fresh which seems like a great idea, but is very expensive. The country is already relying on this process for seventy percent of their water and they may have to start fully relying on this process soon. - Daniel Lin
Javier E

Brazil, Fortune and Fate Turn on Billionaire - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...-fate-turn-on-billionaire.html

brazil economy rich crisis

shared by Javier E on 24 Jun 13 - No Cached
  • After years of economic expansion, the South American nation has begun to sputter. Inflation has become a major concern. Brazil’s stock market index has declined about 23 percent this year, the most of any large country. This month, Standard & Poor’s cut its outlook on Brazil’s credit rating to negative, citing slowing growth and weakening finances.
  • Mr. Batista’s conglomerate, as an emblem of the nation’s industrial mettle, ranked among the government priorities now being questioned, receiving more than $4 billion in loans and investments from the national development bank.
  • authorities channeled huge resources of the state to projects controlled by tycoons.
horowitzza

Latin America Less Peaceful In 2015 Due To Rising Instability: Report - 0 views

www.ibtimes.com/ing-instability-report-1971908

latin latin america america rising instability

shared by horowitzza on 02 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • Latin America emerged in 2015 as a less peaceful region than it was the year before, according to a new study on global peace released Wednesday.
  • The Global Peace Index, which gauges peace levels by measuring intensity of conflicts, pervasiveness of crime and violence and availability of weapons, issued its 2015 report Wednesday, showing that South America’s overall peace score dipped below the global average this year.
  • Latin America as a whole remained the most violent region in the world -- outside of conflict zones -- based on homicide rates and personal safety.
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  • Venezuela saw an increased risk of “violent demonstrations, violent crime and political instability as the economic crisis has deepened and anti-government sentiment has risen
  • Political instability and an increased likelihood of violent demonstrations accounted for Brazil’s low score as well
horowitzza

SAP Secretariat for Political Affairs - 0 views

www.oas.org/...PeaceMissions

sap affairs politics latin america nicaragua

shared by horowitzza on 02 Nov 16 - No Cached
  • The OAS has vast experience and expertise in conflict resolution and peace efforts. Since its inception, the Organization has been continuously called upon by its member states in times of crisis and has deployed dozens of peace missions of a different nature, ranging from short-term ad hoc and good offices assignments to longer term demobilization, disarmament and peace building missions.
  • it was its purpose as well to establish an international presence in the country and serve as a deterrent to those who might attempt again to disrupt democrac
  • The OAS has continuously supported Haiti in its efforts to achieve a full-fledged and stable democracy, and durable peace.
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  • Capitalizing on the demobilization and reintegration experience gained in the CIAV-OAS peace mission in Nicaragua (1990-1997), the OAS led an extremely successful reinsertion project
  • This conflict prevention and management program helped Guatemalans address ongoing social and political tensions by providing them with training on negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution skills.
  • Secretary General was asked to take urgent action to defuse a conflict in Nicaragua that threatened to upset the institutional order.
  • Experience in Bolivia, Ecuador, Haiti and Nicaragua showed that the OAS played a decisive role in resolving the political and institutional crises in those countries, and took an active part in overcoming various situations that threatened democratic stability.
evanpitt14

A&B most vulnerable of CARICOM states | Antigua Observer Newspaper - 0 views

antiguaobserver.com/t-vulnerable-of-caricom-states

shared by evanpitt14 on 30 Sep 16 - No Cached
  • is the most vulnerable of CARICOM states.
  • most vulnerable groups include women, youth, elderly, disabled and children in exploitative labour conditions.
  • doesn’t measure existing poverty
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • youth are a critical vulnerable group
  • Risk factors identified include teenage pregnancy, domestic violence, ineffective school systems and high health care costs.
  • at risk of becoming poor
  • grow up in abusive families and violent communities, leading to deviant behaviours such as drug abuse and violence, resulting in young males to be both the main victims and the main perpetrators of crime in the Caribbean
  • chain effect
  • gender violence
  • However, women showed greater resilience than men in retaining jobs during the 2009 economic crisis, possibly due to better secondary and tertiary educational performance.
  • evanpitt14 on 30 Sep 16
     
    This articles tells how poverty affects Caribbean countries and especially A+B. It says that this can lead to abuse, violence and drug use.
g-dragon

Antigua and Barbuda Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Anti... - 3 views

www.encyclopedia.com/...Antigua_and_Barbuda.aspx

shared by g-dragon on 12 Jun 16 - No Cached
    • g-dragon
      g-dragon on 12 Jun 16
       
      Antigua's little existing water supply left is threatened by pollution from liquor manufactures, food processing facilities and other industrial facilities. One reason why the water escapes so quickly is because of all the soil erosion from deforestation and agricultural development. This has also causes threat to two bird species, five reptile species, eleven fish species, and four plant species. Not only is the water crisis hurting the natives, but also the economy. Since Antigua is a tourist country, the lack of water decreased the amount of tourists, which decreased the GDP. -Daniel Lin
g-dragon

Scientists are turning salt water into drinking water using solar power - ScienceAlert - 1 views

www.sciencealert.com/inking-water-using-solar-power

shared by g-dragon on 13 Jun 16 - No Cached
    • g-dragon
      g-dragon on 13 Jun 16
       
      We all know that water is Antigua's first priority. As they run out of fresh water, their economy is dropping. They have been using reverse osmosis as a way to create fresh water, but that is a very costly method. This source states that they have a method of desalinating water that works well, cost efficient, good for the environment, and energy efficient. They use solar panels to charge a battery that powers a machine that removes salt. The machine pulls the salt ions out of the water and fresh water is left coming out. They say that this method wastes less water and the machine lasts longer and requires less maintenance. This method is something that Antigua should look into to help their water crisis. - Daniel Lin
Javier E

As Argentine Peso Falters, President Keeps a Low Profile - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...esident-keeps-low-profile.html

argentina economy

shared by Javier E on 01 Feb 14 - No Cached
  • The peso plunged 15 percent on Jan. 22 and 23, from around 6.9 pesos to the dollar to 8 pesos, according to Bloomberg News, and has since stablized. It closed on Friday at 8 pesos to the dollar. It weakened by a total of 19 percent in January.
  • Generous social spending after the economic collapse, like freezing household electricity rates, has widened Argentina’s budget deficit, encouraged energy consumption and increased the country’s dependence on energy imports, eroding the central bank’s hard currency reserves. Inflation is so high that it has become a heated political issue, with economists saying it exceeded 28 percent in 2013 and officials insisting it was 10.9 percent.
Javier E

G.D.P. Doesn't Measure Happiness - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...-doesnt-measure-happiness.html

US economic performance measure GDP happiness goal national education history

shared by Javier E on 09 Oct 11 - Cached
  • “happiness is, in the end, a much more complicated concept than income. Yet it is also a laudable and much more ambitious policy objective.”
  • it’s a challenge to set criteria for measuring happiness. However, in a conversation, she told me she did not see it as an insurmountable one: “It doesn’t have to be perfect; after all, it took us decades to agree upon what to include in G.D.P. and it is still far from a perfect metric.”
  • there remains the issue of being No. 1. Many of us have lived our lives in a country that has thought itself the world’s most powerful and successful. But with the United States economy in a frustrating stall as China rises, it seems that period is coming to an end. We are suffering a national identity crisis, and politicians are competing with one another to win favor by assuring a return to old familiar ways.
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  • When Newsweek ranked the “world’s best countries” based on measures of health, education and politics, the United States ranked 11th. In the 2011 Quality of Life Index by Nation Ranking, the United States was 31st. Similarly, in recent rankings of the world’s most livable cities, the Economist Intelligence Unit has the top American entry at No. 29, Mercer’s Quality of Living Survey has the first United States entry at No. 31 and Monocle magazine showed only 3 United States cities in the top 25.
  • On each of these lists, the top performers were heavily concentrated in Northern Europe, Australia and Canada with strong showings in East Asian countries from Japan to Singapore. It is no accident that there is a heavy overlap between the top performing countries and those that also outperform the United States in terms of educational performance
  • Nearly all the world’s quality-of-life leaders are also countries that spend more on infrastructure than the United States does. In addition, almost all are more environmentally conscious and offer more comprehensive social safety nets and national health care to their citizens.
  • providing the basics to ensure a high quality of life is not a formula for excess or the kind of economic calamities befalling parts of Europe today. For example, many of the countries that top quality-of-life lists, like Sweden, Luxembourg, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, all rank high in lists of fiscally responsible nations — well ahead of the United States, which ranks 28th on the Sovereign Fiscal Responsibility Index.
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