Buenos Aires was once again picked by The Economist as the most liveable city in South America according to the outlet's usual scale measuring environmental, cultural, and infrastructural issues in addition to stability and medical care. The Argentine capital topped the list for the third year in a row, standing out for its highly regarded UBA (University of Buenos Aires) among other perks.
Uruguay has been recognized as the only full democracy in South America and the leading democracy in Latin America, according to the Democracy Index 2023 compiled by the Economist Group and published by The Economist magazine.
“The Economist” published an article on Thursday stating that Uruguay's reputation as a success story in the region is diminishing. Initially, the British media outlet referred to Uruguay as a “model country” and highlighted its achievements, such as obtaining 95% of its electricity from renewable sources, legalizing same-sex marriage, and allowing residents to buy cannabis from pharmacies. Uruguay was also recognized as the most peaceful and least corrupt country in South America.
The Economist published on Thursday its Democracy Index for 2021, in which Uruguay was ranked 13th, within the spectrum of “full democracies”, being above the 8 points awarded by the ranking.
On Sunday next week, Mexicans will be electing hundreds of legislators and other state and local officials with the election attracting the attention of the latest edition of The Economist, which describes president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his policies as dangerous populism. The leading piece of The Economist has been met with outrage and ridicule in Mexico since the magazine insists Mexicans should absolutely not vote for Morena, the party of the incumbent president.
Uruguay leads as one of four full democracies in the Americas, according to the Democracy Index 2020, published by The Economist. Uruguay scored 8,61 points out of a possible 10 and ranked fifteenth at world level, while the other full democracies in the region are Costa Rica, 8,16; Chile, 8,28 and Canada with 9,24 points.
In 2014, Michelle Bachelet a Socialist swept into Chile’s presidency for a second time on a program of radical reform of tax, education and pensions. She also aspired to enact a new constitution that would guarantee “more balance between the state, the private sector and society”, as she told your columnist over tea at the Moneda presidential palace. She argued that her “struggle against inequality” was the last chance to deal with discontents that, if neglected, could push Chile towards populism.
Ahead of Sunday's primaries' mandatory vote, The Economist published the following on Argentine president Macri's chances of reelection, in what seems a very tight competition with Kirchnerism.
“What good is it to throw a man ten feet of rope if he is drowning in 20 feet of water?” asked Kenneth Rogoff, former chief economist of the IMF, to The Economist 15 years ago. His question still bothers the institution he used to advise.
The Uruguayan capital is the most expensive and the best to live in the region. At least that's what the studies of The Economist, which positioned Montevideo behind Mexico City in terms of cost, and the consultancy Mercer, which places the capital at the top of Latin American quality of life ranking, revealed in publications made this month. El País (Madrid) explains that Montevideo has a “crazy decadent charm”. However, why does this phenomenon occur?