MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
EIU where-to-be-born index has Chile first in Latam and Argentina behind Brazil and Mexico
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), a sister company of The Economist, has released today its 2013 where-to-be-born index, which measures which country will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead. Argentina is ranked in position 40, behind Chile, Brazil and Mexico, and far worse than when the first index published in 1988. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesThat's because no one, not even argentinians, want to live in Argentina.
Dec 14th, 2012 - 08:32 am - Link - Report abuse 0It is a shame this article focuses on how poorly Argentina is faring. Much more interesting (for me) is that countries like Chile are now creeping into “first world” territory, passing France and the UK. Chile is in the vanguard of a group of forward thinking Latam nations who will be following us up as this trend continues (just watch Colombia). 20 years ago few would have believed it. It might only be a light hearted look at economic/social indicators, but my own anecdotal evidence would broadly concur with the relative positioning of the handful of countries I know well.
Dec 14th, 2012 - 01:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Once again and for a thousand times after reading Mercopress I'm really dotubting about the objective opinion and the genuine interest to inform about the real facts and the truth, it's a pity that a press who could be a proud of transparency and trustful opinion focus so much on Argentina and remarking her weakness points over and over again, it is really boring or maybe funny to see how much really Argentina is important for the falklanders, as it seems that he main focus of criticism and the main target is Argentina of course, it is a bit pathetic to see that your talent is spoiled in this way so destructive, I hope and wish that 2013 really bring a bit if light in the minds of those writers who unsuccessfully try to make Argentina the bad guy of the picture, come on guys you have so much to worry about, be professional and respect your readers who really expects good notes from you, sincerely yours Malvin70
Dec 14th, 2012 - 01:54 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I'm married to a Chilena and I love Chile. My only problem with this index is the RM. In 10 years, the amount of land that will be transformed from agriculture to housing developments in the RM will increase dramatically. Along with this, the teen birth rate is very high in las poblas in Chile. Housing developments in the RM will pretty much run nonstop from La Dehesa, Vitacura and all of Santiago's eastern suburbs all the way to the west side of Melipilla, Curacavi, etc. In 20 years, it will go all the way to the coast with very little undeveloped space in between. I can tell a massive difference in the amount of smog in the Santiago area between now and 10 years ago. The difference when you fly in between now and, say, in 2004 is dramatic. It stretches all the way to Talagante now.
Dec 14th, 2012 - 03:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0The per capita GDP is growing in Chile. The Chilean government has been investing wisely. These are good things. The downside is that there will be so many people packed into the RM in the next 10-20 years, and the smog will be unbearable because of it, that there will come a tipping point past which the quality of life in the RM will pretty much suck.
Yes, because these sort of studies are so oh “objective” (Philistine factor, yawn index... sound very VERY scientific to me).
Dec 14th, 2012 - 04:31 pm - Link - Report abuse 0No one in their right mind would choose to be born in Brazil, Mexico, or Chile ahead of Argentina, its that simple. You can't even get hospital access in Chile, Brazil has abject poverty, and Mexico is in a civil war.
The Economist is Argentina's number #1 detractor so that compounds the effect of “totally unscientific report” + “biased publication with an agenda”.
If the Chileans want to hang their hats of pride to stuff like this, frankly I feel sorry for them.
Funnily enough I think yankeeboy would agree... any publication that has the USA at 16th should be treated highly suspiciously.
Razor
Dec 14th, 2012 - 04:34 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I agree with you except for the smog levels. I lived in ‘Santiasco’ for the first half of the 90s when the smog (IMHO) was far worse than now. If I remember rightly there were 11,000 micros in the city and much of the outlying parts of the city were unpaved. As a consequence the smog was visibly worse and more dangerous to health due to the high level of particulate. Another point to consider is that the amount of smog you see depends on the time of year and the weather conditions.
The rate of building is astonishing. It is hard to believe the amount of construction is merited by the population growth rate. Here in the norte chico, La Serena is expanding in all directions at a scary speed. The good news is that housing quality is much better than before. However there is a definite lack of local planning foresight that will be to the detriment of the city. My favourite neighbourhoods in both La Serena and Coquimbo were built by the CMP mining company 50 years ago when it was American owned. They built modest houses to a quality and urban planning level that we still haven’t attained: wide streets, large front gardens, green spaces, plazas and so on.
And again Denmark is in the top 5 on those kinds of list.... :)
Dec 14th, 2012 - 04:37 pm - Link - Report abuse 040th place - well this is quite good for Argentina. After all the country is ranked down in 102nd place in the World's Corruption Perception Index : cpi.transparency.org/
Dec 14th, 2012 - 04:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 0NT2
Dec 14th, 2012 - 04:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0To denounce the objectivity of the study in question and then say “No one in their right mind would choose to be born in Brazil, Mexico, or Chile ahead of Argentina” is somewhat hypocritical.
I don’t know what you refer to by “You can't even get hospital access in Chile”. I live in the provinces and I have two public hospitals and 1 private clinic within a 10km radius of my house, all are very accessible. On top of that I have an insurance plan of Ch$25.000 (US$50 approx) /month with Clinica Alemana in Santiago, that covers all serious accidents and air ambulance service for my whole family. Again very accessible. Clinica Alemana and the other large Santiago clinics are world class facilities. If you don’t believe me or the international studies, just ask someone who has been treated there (Falkland islanders for example).
So in summary: for free I have choice of hospital and for the price of half a tank of gas I have helicopter access to the best hospital in Latin America - even if you argue there is a better clinic in Rio it is not exactly “no access” is it.
Look, Chile is good. Is it light years ahead of Argentina (except in general governance)? No.
Dec 14th, 2012 - 05:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Let's believe this report for a second... then I am right. The USA has declined precipitously... yet everyone here says I'm wrong.
If Argentina going from 20th to 40th is true, then the USA going from 1st to 16th must also be true. Cannot have it both ways in the same report.
It then proves that what used to be the two two nations in the new world in teh 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.... got too fat, too lazy, and to dumb, and are now paying the cost. It happens to ALL societies that get really rich and complacent.
5
Dec 14th, 2012 - 05:49 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Sigh, no we are not in a civil war, the Mexican revolution was indeed a civil war and that was 100 years ago, damn sensationalist and superficial reporting.
On another note, I agree with you, Razor and Condorito in that this type of estadistict is more subjetive than objetive in nature even if it uses sound economic data you can´t really just use it and reflect reality in a convincing manner. it leaves a lot of factors out, not least off the quality ppl perceive isn´t the same of the stadistics, here we are talking ppl state of being likes or dislikes.
From my POV. I like to live in Mexico really much, and most children I know are very well taken care of and happy,but this doesn´t blind me to challanges every country and especially ours latam countries have, smog, coberture of basic services for ALL population, the balance between urban development and protection of green areas, etc.
There are lies, truths and estadistics as my Sociology teacher used to say, take this as a reference but not the absolute truth, because it really isn´t.
NT2,
Dec 14th, 2012 - 06:14 pm - Link - Report abuse 0I agree with you @ 10 and I think many N.Americans would too. The relative decline of the US is something which a lot of airtime and column print in the US is dedicated to agonising over. I think too that the Brits on here would mostly agree with the UKs relatively low ranking given its status as one of the 10 largest economies.
Elena, yes, these studies are supposed to be taken as interesting reports that attempt to condense the infinite array of metrics into something we can look at and use – and no one, not even the EIU owns the truth.
... it seems, at least, that we are all happy where we are which is a warming point to contemplate on a sunny Friday afternoon in the beautiful province of Elqui (with its new hospital :)
These things are amateurish because they break down Europe & UNASUT by tegion but not the States. Hawaii coupd probably win the #1 spot.
Dec 14th, 2012 - 06:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@6 Good point sir. I don't have any specific numbers, I'm going by “Kentucky windage” and just my judgement that the smog layer one can see on approach to Santiasco now seems to stretch farther west down the Autopista del Sol than it seemed to 8 or 9 years ago. And you are correct, the smog from Nov-Mar is far worse than say, May-Aug, when the frequent rain and lower temps keep the smog levels in check.
Dec 14th, 2012 - 07:58 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@13 Great point. The quality of life in Portland, OR, or Portland, ME is much better than Riverside, Compton, or South Central in Cali for example.
12
Dec 14th, 2012 - 08:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Condorito, yes is very warming indeed, congratulations on your new hospital Elqui :) greetings from Leon,Gto.
1 Switzerland..this one is fake, to many drug lords and foreigners
Dec 14th, 2012 - 08:43 pm - Link - Report abuse 02 Australia..to far away, boring
3 Norway ...boring
4 Sweden...beautiful women who can't dance, and boring
5 Denmark is like holland only boring
6 Singapore..authotarian, to many chinks and ugly british expats who can't get a life in the UK.
7 New Zealand boring, more sheeps vs people
8 Netherlands ..great, my parents live there, taxes are TOO HIGH
9 Canada..boring, wannabe USA and to many pakies and chinks
10 Hong Kong..part of Communist China.
The UK is missing in the top 10. yeah..I told you so many times, ugly people with bad teeth and the worst place to live in Europe.
Fido!!!! What's up sister?? Hey everybody, the racist pig that is Fido made another completely useless comment. See, Fido is what you call an “internet badass”. He likes to make disparaging and racist remarks from his keyboard. But, in person he easily soils himself. Way to go sister.....
Dec 14th, 2012 - 09:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
If you have a Facebook account, become a fan and comment on our Facebook Page!