My Dad’s Country
Marla Dickinson of the LA Times reports on Costa Rica’s quiet success at partnering with American high-tech firms:
With little fanfare, Costa Rica has attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in investment from some of the best-known names in technology, including Intel Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Microsoft Corp.
Medical device makers and pharmaceutical companies are sprouting in the tropical heat. And the nation is becoming a hub for call centers and back-office outsourcing.
…
Costa Rica’s conversion from a largely farm-based economy to a tech-led one has its roots dating back more than a century. The nation made primary education free and compulsory in 1870, according to the Costa Rican Investment Board, a private entity.
But what really launched the nation on its upward trajectory was its decision to scrap its army in 1949. The resources that had gone to the military were reallocated to higher education, universal healthcare and other human development programs that have paid huge dividends over the decades.
Given the obsession lately by the U.S. press with anti-market economy conspiracies in Latin America, it’s nice to see a story like this about the country where my father was born. Though as I type he is hanging out with my mom’s family in the country where she was born: Nicaragua. Dad, if you’re reading this, say hello to all the Gómez for me!
