humans spend our lives trying to find these role models. In bookstores, there are shelves full of texts that promise to reveal the "secret of success" a person or company. At the academy we work to convince many of the virtues of the model of a country. "In this essay I argue that Botswana's success can be explained by the historical development of its institutions is related to the history of the Tswana states in the last 200 years," writes James A. Robinson in a study entitled Botswana as a model of successful country. The author, as usual, ends up inviting other African countries to follow the pattern Botswana.
In Latin America we have heard ad nauseam from the wildly successful English model. The first time I visited that country in 1983 I seemed a less developed country than Mexico. Since then, every time I returned, I'm more jealous. Spain is already a European power. What made him to develop so quickly? In a recent forum in Mexico City resurfaced this issue frankly American haunts us. Carlos Solchiaga replied there was magic solutions "out there in the world, are models of what a country wants to be." Former Minister of Economy and Finance under the government of Felipe Gonzalez revealed that when the English Socialists came to power were clear that they should deliver good results to the public or, otherwise, would throw the power. Reflected. They did not want to establish a Cuban-style socialism or nations of Eastern Europe. Solchiaga said: "We wanted to look like France and Germany, so simple." They wanted to look like a country with a market economy and a social justice agenda on issues like unemployment, health, education and minority rights.
In Latin America there are other countries that were of interest for their success: Chile and more recently Brazil. Recently, China also is heard as a possible model. There are those who, from the left, the model proposed by Chavez of Venezuela and the well-worn continue to defend Castro's Cuba.
Nobody, to my knowledge, speaks of Mexico as a model today. However, in this country that has caused more controversy over the story is the model of its northern neighbor. Speaking of the U.S. as an example to emulate awake many passions.
What country would seem to us and why? This is what ties asked in a survey by Consulta Mitofsky. The results are very interesting and are reported in this issue. I would like to emphasize four points:
1. Only 56% of Mexicans respond spontaneously to any country that would like to resemble Mexico. The remaining 44% did not know or no answer. The survey does not allow to know why the group refuses to respond. It is possible that these people are satisfied with Mexico as it is. But you may not have sufficient information to give an answer which country you would like it to resemble Mexico by his government, law, economics and lifestyle, as phrasing the question.
2. The U.S. is the favorite country of all those who responded spontaneously. 55% of this population that Mexico would like to look like its northern neighbor. The main reason is because the U.S. economy. It is what attracts of this model for the country. There is, in this sense, an aspiration of being as wealthy neighbors to the north, which is not surprising: it is a very human desire as legitimate. In this sense, it is time to banish that old idea that Mexicans are welcome to poverty. That philosophy cheesy Pepe el Toro, Ismael Rodríguez movies where the poor were good, humble and happy while the rich just the opposite.
3. The U.S. also is the most rejected by the Mexicans. 56% who answered spontaneously, 31% said they would not want to be like its northern neighbor. This is the old story of Mexico with respect to U.S.: love and hate. Pro and anti-Americanism yanquismo living in the same society. And why the U.S. is rejected? For their racism and mistreatment of migrants. It is logical because, although they are successful from the point of view, the Americans are still racist, despite electing a black president, and mistreating migrants, especially Mexicans, even ranting against them on a daily basis on the television screens.
4. Interestingly, the answer spontaneously, the second country to Mexicans answer is they want to look like China, a country that has had tremendous success economic to implement one of the most open economies in the world market, but where in the political sphere, dominated by a communist regime that violates human rights. Recently, in fact, the telephone union leader, now a federal deputy, asked Labor Secretary why Mexico did not imitate the Chinese model. Artfully Minister replied that this was impossible because, among other things, China had no unions. Undoubtedly attractive to mimic an economic success but not at the cost of living under the yoke of Communist rule. It is certainly interesting question of why both China like a group of Mexicans, "because they have technology." Chinese Technology "? On the contrary, is the most copycat of the world, which produces the largest amount of pirated products.
links
The survey provides many more interesting results. I'm reading it, however, with a positive impression. That, at the end of the day, what the Mexicans seem to want is a successful country economically. They want, like the Americans, Chinese, Canadian, English, Batswana and even the Cubans to be rich. And that is the main message to the Mexican political class, that nobody is at odds with economic progress.
Leo Zuckermann. Political scientist. Affiliate professor at CIDE. Excelsior newspaper columnist.
Article published in the magazine Nexos: http://www.nexos.com.mx/?P=leerarticulo&Article=72937
0 comments:
Post a Comment