Op-Eds

Op-Eds published in 2016

Incentives to economic sectors (Incentivos a sectores económicos)

Plaza Pública. November 21, 2016. Export diversification is key to achieve economic development. Nonetheless, to start exporting more sophisticated products may need government support to overcome many hurdles existing in developing nations.

It´s not about promoting entrepreneurship (No es la empresarialidad)

Plaza Pública. September 12, 2016. Developing countries like Guatemala have a high proportion of entrepreneurs while it has a small proportion of workers in big firms. In this situation, the latter provides higher income levels and the benefits of a formal job. Hence, the need to support the growth of firms rather than to support small firms with limited growth potential.

Guatemala vs Panama (Guatemala versus Panamá)

Plaza Pública. August 29th, 2016. Both countries are receiving massive injections of foreign resources. Guatemala as remittances. Panama as foreign direct investment (FDI). The impact is clearly different with Panama´s growth picking up because they´re leveraging those resources to promote infrastructure and new businesses.

The economy in the time of anti corruption fight. (La economía en tiempos de la CICIG)

Plaza Pública. July 04th, 2016. Fighting corruption is not enough for countries like Guatemala. An explicit effort to build institutions, improve public service provisions, and reactivate the economy needs to be key items in the agenda.

Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle (El Plan de la Prosperidad)

Plaza Pública. May 09th, 2016. Is the Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle, involving the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, design to promote development or will it continue promoting illegal immigration? It appears its current design favors illegal immigration.

Tourism is not a viable development strategy for Guatemala (¿Turismo? Tampoco exageremos)

Plaza Pública. February 29th, 2016. It is a fantasy to believe that tourism will be a development strategy for Guatemala.