Desmond Hawkins
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Mexico is twice as rich as China. The aptly named "catch-up" effect says that China will grow faster than Mexico while catching up.
I think pretty much every government has a fair amount of corruption, especially at local levels. I mean my own local government got pretty much sacked for thier abuse of thier right to buyout property from unwilling landowners.Dann said:
If you only knew...
Corruption IS a way of life here. But surprisingly, it doesn't go in the way of progress, unlike other countries.
Officials here are always on the edge, corrupt or not. They need to have something to show to their superiors in order to not get sacked. They need to have good relations with their peers, to guard against a jealous rival stabbing them in the back. And they need to take care of their subordinates and their subjects the common people, less these go over his head and complain to the next higher bureaucratic level.
These gives undue stress to officials, but ensures that whatever corruption there is won't be overdone, and that some good will be done.
Sobieski II said:Mexico is twice as rich as China. The aptly named "catch-up" effect says that China will grow faster than Mexico while catching up.
This just proves it. Except for the nationalism and anti-Americanism, you just basically described my home country too.Drewcifer said:... I think that a big part of what holds Mexico back is the way the rich and the political elite have set up the system to perpetuate their own interests at the expense of the good of the nation as a whole. I think the biggest two problem areas are with corruption and the mess of the education system. For example: I don't know if it is still true but at one time the government provided free college education to those who could make it into college while large segments of society only got a rudimentary education, this was a giveaway to elite at the expense of the general education of the nation.
Most of my friends from Mexico have funny stories about the first time they were stopped by traffic police in the US, most tried to bribe the police without even thinking twice about it. Fortunately for them most of the police in Minnesota know what the Mexican police are like and just tell them to put away their money. But the fact that this sort of corruption is endemic throughout Mexican society means that roads are more exensive to build, government services are more expensive to deliver, etc.; it is in effect a secret tax that is put on the shoulders of the average Mexican. And when the people start questioning their government the elite just wraps themselves in nationalism and anti-Americanism to distract the people.
But anyway, according to the Economist Mexico's per capita GDP is triple that of China and now the highest in Latin America (with the collapse of Argentina). It is not all that far behind Greece and Portugal. I think the main problem is with how income is distributed.
I may be wrong but I believe that the CIA bases their numbers on exchange rates while the Economist bases it on purchasing power parity based on a basket of goods.rmsharpe said:CIA data:
Uruguay: $12,800
Argentina: $11,200
Chile: $9,900
Costa Rica: $9,100
Mexico: $9,000
If you're going to count small states, you could also add Bermuda ($36,000) and the Cayman Islands ($35,000.)
Drewcifer said:I may be wrong but I believe that the CIA bases their numbers on exchange rates while the Economist bases it on purchasing power parity based on a basket of goods.
Looking at the Economist's "World in 2005":
Uruguay: Not Listed
Argentina: $3,800
Chile: $6,180
Costa Rica: Not Listed
Mexico: $6,300
Brazil: $3,200
Neither Bermuda, the Bahamas nor the Caymen Islands are part of Latin America. Mexico is farther behind Greece and Portugal than I thought but ahead of Turkey:
Greece: $20.210
Portugal: $17,680
Turkey: $4,150
China: $1,360
Yes and no. They have one index based on the price of a Big Mac, the one they normally use for per capita income comparisons is based on a basket of good needed for a working class lifestyle IIRC and is not based on any particular country.Uiler said:Doesn't the Economist base their figures on the idea of an American going to said country and buying the exact same goods (including brands)? I remember this argument over the Economist's saying Tokyo and Osaka being the most expensive cities in the world and people say they are pretty expensive but if you buy Japanese food and Japanese goods rather than the Economist's assumption of buying American brands things are much cheaper than what the Economist says.
In a way though it doesn't matter what the average rating for China is. China is so huge that a small affluent % can still be a huge market. Likewise it's huge population means that even if its per capita rating is low its overall economy (and hence impact on the world economy) can still be massive. This can also apply to India.
XIII said:Like Jeff had mentioned, China has something most 3rd World nations don't - a large, affluent diaspora - the Overseas Chinese - who're still somewhat attached to their ancestral homeland. They form the largest bloc of foreign investors on the mainland - Taiwanese, Hong Kongers, SE Asian Chinese tycoons etc.
rmsharpe said:The Chinese are basically stuck in China, Mexicans can sneak up into the USA.
Tank_Guy#3 said:Isn't Mexico a part of OPEC? If so, then they already are major part of the international community.
I would say that this is untrue (though like all immigrants they do send tons of money back). Most of the Mexicans I have met are probably amongst the most motivated and entepeneurial of their nation. More likely they are those who would have higher jobs in their society but can make more money doing menial jobs in the US and many eventually work their way above that, I have worked for Mexicans. The inner city in south Minneapolis (Lake Street) was an empty shell slum 15 years ago before Mexicans arrived. The only businesses that existed were bars and storefront brothels, most buildings were abandoned. Now the brothels and crack dens are mostly gone and it is generally a vibrant, safe, and very alive commercial district, with a fair amount of new construction that was unheard of before! It was accomplished mostly by Mexican immigrant entepenurialism. Mexican immigrants turned south Minneapolis around and rebuilt the commercial tax base there. There may be some Aztlan seperatists but most would prefer to take the system they see here and export it back to Mexico. Perhaps it exists in different versions in different parts of the US or perhaps you are just seeing what you were raised to see.ShiplordAtvar said:There is a very large Mexican diaspora. It's called damn near every state in the Union.
They may not all be wealthy, but they send assloads of money back to Mexico.
And a lot of them are still royally pissed off at Whitey (the USA) for taking the American southwest from them through force/intimidation/favorable-to-the-USA treaties, etc. They're trying to take it back by flooding the area.
rmsharpe said:The Chinese are basically stuck in China, Mexicans can sneak up into the USA.