MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile and Uruguay lead in business' openness and access

Chile and Uruguay figure as the leading Latinamerican countries where it's much easier to interact and exchange among people, businesses and nations, according to a report from a private US corporation released this week.

The study, "The power of access", was commissioned by FedEx corporation defining access as the means of interaction and exchange among people, businesses and nations, which "is critical to economic growth and to improving human welfare around the world". The report was elaborated by SRI International's Center for Science, Technology and Economic Development.

The list includes 75 countries among which 15 from Latinamerica and the Caribbean, with Chile ranking 32 and Uruguay 42. This is followed by Argentina, 43; Mexico 45; Brazil 47; El Salvador 48; Trinidad and Tobago 55; Costa Rica 57; Colombia 61, Venezuela 62; Dominican Republic 63; Peru 64; Bolivia 66; Paraguay 68; Honduras 69; Guatemala 70; Ecuador 71 and Nicaragua 72.

These rankings suggest that access is particularly important for countries that have small internal markets, limited domestic resources, and/or rely heavily on international trade.

Top of the "access" list is Hong Kong followed by Singapore, Denmark, Switzerland, Holland, Finland, Germany, Sweden, Great Britain and France. However United States and Japan with large internal markets and resources rank 12 and 19.

"Three variables define access: time, space and information. For the first time in history we have a low-cost, standardized information exchange available to anyone with a computer, regardless of time or space" said Frederick Smith FedEx CEO.

"For the first time in history, all nations, including underdeveloped regions, have the prospect of being able to engage in global commerce," Smith said. "Access is changing what's possible."

SRI established the analytical framework for defining the drivers and benefits of access, and for quantifying access and measuring its impacts. SRI found that higher levels of access enable higher economic growth, strongly relate to higher levels of personal income and are critical for economic survival and growth.

"Access is a catalytic process that enables interactions, contacts, and exchanges among people, businesses, and nations," said John A. Mathieson, Director of SRI's Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development.

"Access indicates opportunity -- the opportunity to accomplish a broad range of actions, from attaining physical presence to communicating, and from acquiring to using. The power of Access lies in the opportunities it creates for individuals, businesses, and nations to participate, make choices, and improve their future prospects."