Brazil advances 8 positions in competitiveness ranking
O Estado de S. Paulo
The Brazilian reaction to the global financial crisis and the macroeconomic stability shown during the turbulence period caused the Country to climb eight positions up in the competitiveness ranking of this year's World Economic Forum. The capacity of innovation of the private sector has also positively influenced the progress the Country has presented in the last years. "The improvement in the Brazilian competitiveness is the result of the innovative and sophisticated entrepreneurial sector, of the size of its market and the improvement in the area of the macroeconomic stability, compared to the previous year", said the Forum in an official note.
But Brazil still has the worst tax system among the 133 countries assessed and it is in last but one place in the Governmental regulation criterion. The ranking also shows that people do not trust their politicians and that Brazil is considered one of the places where corruption and waste of public money have relevant weight for the Country's competitiveness. According to the survey, Brazil also has one of the worst customs services in the world and an educational system that does not offer quality.
In spite of that, in the general ranking, Brazil went from the 64th place to the 56th position. In 2007, Brazil was at 79th place For the first time, the Country is considered more competitive than Mexico. Brazil also leaves the last place of the Brics (group formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China). This year, the Country appears ahead of Russia, which fell down. But it continues behind China and India. The Country is also far from some neighborhoods, like Chile, 28th more competitive economy of the world. Puerto Rico, Barbados and Costa Rica are also better than Brazil in the Latin American region. Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Taiwan, and South Africa are other examples of better classified countries.