How does one explain that, in a world of increasingly expensive food and commodities, two agro-exporting countries replete with natural resources like Brazil and Argentina have such different economic and business outcomes?
- Brazil is looking to accelerate its growth
por Marcelo Luchino - The Globalization of Brazil
por Marcelo Luchino
Theories that relate to democracy and economic development have remained obsolete, says the author. Today there are some democratic countries with terribly low rates of economic development and some less than democratic countries that have strongly developed, like China.
Is the glass half full or half empty? Despite criticisms, the recent meeting of the FAO in Rome reached various and important achievements, like the treatment of agriculture and food as principle themes in the international political agenda, next to energy and climate change, the author says. Secondly, more than 6,500 million dollars were raised in support of the cause.
With 4 million Puerto Ricans on the island, and another 4 million in the United States, Puerto Rico is experiencing an unusual situation that many wish to change. Supporters of statehood and those affiliated with the Commonwealth are beginning to see a new tendency, which, while not exactly pushing for independence, leans toward Washington.
Barack Obama faces a particularly troubled world and a different America. Iraq, Iran, the Middle East, Cuba. Climate change, poverty, and energy. The economic crisis, the boredom of the middle class, and health reform. Immigration, NAFTA, and the renegotiation of trade agreements. Diplomacy vs. force. International terrorism. The list of problems and challenges goes on and on. Obama must transform his message of hope (We can change) into an action plan, explaining how he will face these challenges in the new multipolar world of the 21st century.
If a stop is not put to the effects of climate change, and if drought continues to grow in wide stretches of the globe, factors such as hunger, population displacement, imbalance and armed conflict will be intensified. The poorest countries will suffer the harshest consequences, the author says. In this respect, wealthy countries should face their responsibilities.
In a country where the basic costs of food and transportation are growing rapidly while employment opportunities remain low, begging is on the rise and remittances sent from abroad often provide a quality of life otherwise unattainable. Is this fostering a culture of mendicancy? What are the human costs of such a phenomenon?
As companies are comprised of people, the focus of business should be on the human aspect, says the author. The company infrastructure, from the highest shareholder to the last employee, should develop, according to this conception, something more elevated and complete than a mere aim toward profit. To be truly ethical and balanced is the best business in our current global world. Find out why.
Despite the exceptional situation brought about in Argentina by the spectacular rise of food prices in the world market, the country finds itself more urgently submerged in the grave confrontation between the central government and the agricultural sector, without a visible exit in the near future. Argentina has buried itself in an unnecessary crisis, the author says, and meanwhile is losing a unique opportunity.





