Bolivia's progressive economic model spurs growth

[Judi Lynn]

Bolivia's progressive economic model spurs growth
Posted on Tuesday, 09.14.10


BY JIM WYSS
[e-mail]

Bolivia saw some of the region's strongest economic growth last year thanks to its socially progressive economic model that bucks traditional capitalism and the neoliberal policies that have ruled the nation for decades, Bolivian Minister of Economy and Public Finance Luis Alberto Arce said Tuesday.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Americas Conference in Coral Gables, Arce said the nation's decision to nationalize oil production, electricity and other strategic sectors have helped insulate it from the global economic crisis.

The Andean nation saw GDP growth of 3.4 percent last year and had unemployment near 7.9 percent -- both strong results in South America.

``There's not one recipe for all countries and we decided to rethink our own economic model,'' Arce said. ``This is made by Bolivians for Bolivia.''

Since first taking office in 2006, Bolivian President Evo Morales has nationalized key industries and said he favors a system that shifts economic power away from the private sector to indigenous groups and social cooperatives.

Now, the country is running an economic surplus, is seeing the return of foreign direct investment and has helped reduce poverty, Arce said.

More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/14/1824209/bolivias-progressive-economic.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Child mortality in Bolivia: a partial success

Child mortality in Bolivia: a partial success
Twice as many newborn babies survive as did 20 years ago, but more still die here than in almost any country outside sub-Saharan Africa
Andres Schipani in La Paz The Guardian, Monday 6 September 2010

At the entrance of La Paz's maternity hospital, a banner reads: "A hospital that is a friend of the child and the mother." Inside the maternity ward, Jimena Chambi has just given birth to a healthy baby, who is breastfeeding. "I am so happy he is healthy. I was so worried," she says.

Jimena's case seems to be an increasing reality in one of South America's poorest countries, where recent policies have shown that it is possible to make the health of poorest and marginalised children a priority.

Since the mid-1990s the government has been moving towards a policy of universal healthcare provision for mothers and children, prioritising maternal health and child survival. The original, more basic, system was upgraded eight years ago to the Universal Mother and Child Insurance scheme (SUMI), which is a comprehensive health package that covers about 500 health problems in children from birth to five years of age.

"The system was created to fight child mortality, to fight that economic barrier that prevented the mother from having proper attention from the start. It is an icon for Bolivia and I might even say for Latin America," explains Dr Dante Ergueta, an official working on the SUMI programme at Bolivia's health ministry.

More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/06/bolivia-child-mortality-sumi-health

[Wilms]

2. k&r n/t

[Peace Patriot]

3. A surprising article from the Miami Hairball.

Makes me think of my macro-conspiracy theory that the CIA memo that they are all following goes something like this: "Lay off the 'little indian.' That's a loser. Too many 'Fortune 500' matrons think he's cute. And siding with the white separatists looks really bad. Best to butter him up, remembering that he controls the biggest lithium deposit on earth. Bolivia's landlocked anyway and has Big Brother, Brazil, looking on. 4th Fleet can't get there. Be nice--and think: "divide and conquer." Nothing you can do to Hugo is too excessive. Terrorist. Dictator. Adolph Hitler (Rumsfeld used that efficaciously). Incompetent. Communist. Corrupt. 'President for Life.' Blackouts, Inflation & Crime, Oh My! Ladle it on. Aim: to get Morales puffed up, thinking he can please everybody, so long as he stops getting his picture taken with Hugo."

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:rofl:

But I actually think there's something to it. One too many fawning articles about Morales. (I've been noticing it for some time.) I think he's far too smart to fall for it. But when did CIA psyops ever live in the real world?

[Judi Lynn]

4. A shock to me, too! It almost seemed like an accident.

It may be they realize anyone who attempts to slur someone like Evo Morales, and his efforts comes away looking like the filth they really are, and decided to do their damage covertly, instead!

They'll just stay underground, and behind our backs, as always, on Bolivia, and stop trying to paint their government with the same "commie" brush they've tried to apply to Hugo Chavez.

We all know who's eventually going to win the tug-of-war over the people's rights in Latin America, however, and it's not going to be the people who murdered, tortured, massacred their way to control in the past.