For some governments, improving their country's standing in the World Bank's Doing Business survey has become a national priority. Yet the results of such efforts sometimes are deceptive.
The single largest area of improvement for Costa Rica in the new report was in access to credit. Costa Rica rocketed to 7th in the world in the 2016 report compared to 90th in 2015.
Extreme poverty will this year fall to less than 10 percent of the global population for the first time, although there is still "great concern" for millions in Africa, a World Bank report said Sunday.
Some economists say Cuba should seek to rejoin international financial institutions in order to reduce poverty and further economic reforms. Cuba is one of only eight countries that do not belong to the International Monetary Fund.
WASHINGTON, D. C. – A strong U.S. economy and lower world oil prices will only mean good news for Central America next year, predicts the World Bank official directly responsible for the six-country region.
Other countries are outpacing Costa Rica when it comes to improving the ease of doing business, according to a press release from the World Bank. The World Bank's 2015 Doing Business report ranked Costa Rica 83rd out of 189 economies in the world for ease of doing business – down five spots from 2014 due in part to an adjustment of the annual study’s methodology.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Frustrated with the U.S. Congress' refusal to vote through crucial reforms at the International Monetary Fund, IMF chief Christine Lagarde promised Thursday a belly dance if they do.
Costa Rica’s GDP growth for 2015 is forecast at 4.3 percent, up from 3.7 percent in 2014. While Costa Rica outperformed many of its Central American neighbors, Nicaragua and Panama are set to pull ahead in 2015 with 4.4 and 6.2 percent growth, respectively.
The end of a decade-long boom driven by cheap money and strong commodity prices has deeply divided Latin America between fast-growth countries along the Pacific coast and stragglers on the Atlantic.
