Largest Emerging Economies, E7+Pakistan, growth prospects and challenges

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Futron Releases 2012 Space Competitiveness Index

Futron has released its 2012 Space Competitiveness Index marking the 5th anniversary of the yearly publication. According to the report, the United States remains the overall leader in space competitiveness but is seeing a decline for the 5th year in a row.

The decline is attributed to enhanced capabilities in other countries while the U.S. is undergoing a transition with "significant" uncertainty.

New to the index this year are emerging space nations Argentina, Australia, Iran, South Africa and the Ukraine.

Four distinct tiers have emerged. The first tier has the U.S., Europe, and Russia. The second tier China, Japan, India, and Canada. The third tier South Korea, Israel, and Brazil. And the fourth tier Argentina, Australia, Iran, South Africa and the Ukraine.

Futron says the top two tiers remain dynamic but have shown some stabilization while the bottom two tiers are subject to intense competition, with very small gaps in the competitive rankings.

China gained the most competitiveness basis points in 2012, followed by Europe, India, and Israel. Japan lost the most basis points, followed by Canada, South Korea, and the United States. When compared against the larger group of 15 nations, Brazil falls to 11th place, just below Australia.

As has been noted before International collaboration is increasingly taking shape as a concerted space competitiveness strategy, especially among smaller actors.

Here's a list of some of the findings by country:

- Argentina is adapting its satellite manufacturing sector for the international marketplace, exploring both commercial and government-to-government deals. It stands to benefit from increased investment in spacecraft subcomponents.

- After more than a decade of dormancy, Australia is back. The government is refreshing its national space policy segment-by-segment, focusing on space not only a driver of innovation and expertise, but also for its benefits to Australian society.

- Brazil has begun to re-examine its national space priorities, increased funding, expanded its partnerships, and laid plans for a new launch vehicle. It remains to be seen whether these steps will keep Brazil ahead of regional counterparts that are also emerging onto the space scene.

- Canada retains a skilled space workforce, but delays in space policy refresh and implementation are significantly offsetting these competitive advantages.

- China performed a record number of launches in 2012, surpassing the United States for the first time, while increasing investment in technical education programs and civilian research institutes.

- Europe's integrated approach is complemented by the rise of new national space agencies across the continent--from the United Kingdom to the Czech Republic to Estonia--as well as more assertive space export financing.

- India is enhancing its space-related technical education, while gradually progressing toward a completely self-reliant set of next generation launch vehicles.

- Iran has made faster progress than any other newly emergent space nation. The tenor of Iran's space program--civilian or military--will hinge on geopolitics. Other international actors have substantial power to influence the future focus of the Iranian space program.

- Israel, despite funding increases, remains challenged by its lack of domestic industry scale, and has difficulty sustaining a commercial space presence in global markets.

- Japan, despite ongoing benefits from its policy reforms, is losing competitive ground relative to most other actors, and can benefit from a greater focus on commercializing its industrial base.

- Russia's remains the world's launch leader, and promises to retain that role in the near term thanks to its vital role in transporting astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station, as well as the introduction of Soyuz launches from the European spaceport at Kourou. These strengths, however, are offset by weaknesses in retention of human capital talent.

- South Africa is divided, from a budgetary standpoint, between space investments focused on societal usage of external assets already in space and investments focused on building the country's own space industrial base.

- South Korea's two failed launch attempts contributed to an organizational shakeup, but have not reduced its determination to become the newest country to achieve independent spaceflight.

- Ukraine has an enviable space industrial base, but limited domestic demand for its space hardware. It is aggressively seeking partners overseas, but has not yet engaged with key emerging markets.

Futron Releases 2012 Space Competitiveness Index - Commercial Space Watch

 

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Most-Favoured FDI Destination: UN report

http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-...ed-fdi-destination-un-report.html#post3146409

http://www.unctad-docs.org/files/UNCTAD-WIR2011-Full-en.pdf

Firms see India 3rd most-favoured destination: UN report

NEW DELHI: Major global companies consider India their third most favoured destination after China and the United States, a U.N. report said on Thursday, and investment inflows could increase by more than 20 percent both this year and next.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows into India leapt 30 percent to nearly $32 billion in 2011, though held back by slow pace of reforms, it still remains a long way down the league table of FDI recipients. China drew $124 billion last year, while Brazil attracted nearly $67 billion and Russia $53 billion..

"The FDI inflows into India can go up by 20-25 percent this year and by about 20 percent next year, if the present trend continues," said Nagesh Kumar, Chief Economist, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, while releasing the UNCTAD's World Investment Report 2012.

Some 179 global companies - from the manufacturing, services and primary sectors - were surveyed between February and May, on their favoured investment destinations for 2012 to 2014.

Kumar said FDI growth seems to be keeping its momentum in 2012, referring to furniture maker IKEA and Coca Cola's (KO.N) recent announcements to pump nearly $5 billion combined into India over the long term.

Though India's economic growth slowed to 5.3 percent in the March quarter, its slowest in nine years, its trends still compared favorably, Kumar said.

"Compared to many other places, India is doing better in terms of growth," he said, adding global investors were looking at the long term prospects and wide market in Asia's third largest economy.

The report said worldwide FDI flows exceeded the pre-financial crisis average in 2011, reaching around $1.5 trillion, despite turmoil in the global economy, and is projected around $1.6 trillion this year.

Global companies are sitting on hefty cash reserves and waiting for the euro zone situation to stabilise before investing, he said.
Earlier this year India allowed full foreign ownership of single brand retailers, although late last year it backtracked on a plan to allow in foreign supermarkets.

Many investors are hoping it revives that plan soon, after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently took over the finance portfolio and talked about the need to address problems in the insurance and mutual fund industries, as well as taxation.

Kumar said corporate investors look at long term prospects and recent controversies over retroactive tax proposals broadly aimed at taxing companies like Vodafone (VOD.L), or proposed general anti-tax avoidance rules ( GAAR) would not hurt India's prospects as an investment destination.

Firms see India 3rd most-favoured destination: UN report - The Times of India

 

[Hello_10]

Futron Releases 2012 Space Competitiveness Index

Futron has released its 2012 Space Competitiveness Index marking the 5th anniversary of the yearly publication. According to the report, the United States remains the overall leader in space competitiveness but is seeing a decline for the 5th year in a row.

The decline is attributed to enhanced capabilities in other countries while the U.S. is undergoing a transition with "significant" uncertainty.

New to the index this year are emerging space nations Argentina, Australia, Iran, South Africa and the Ukraine.

Four distinct tiers have emerged. The first tier has the U.S., Europe, and Russia. The second tier China, Japan, India, and Canada. The third tier South Korea, Israel, and Brazil. And the fourth tier Argentina, Australia, Iran, South Africa and the Ukraine.

Futron says the top two tiers remain dynamic but have shown some stabilization while the bottom two tiers are subject to intense competition, with very small gaps in the competitive rankings.

China gained the most competitiveness basis points in 2012, followed by Europe, India, and Israel. Japan lost the most basis points, followed by Canada, South Korea, and the United States. When compared against the larger group of 15 nations, Brazil falls to 11th place, just below Australia.

As has been noted before International collaboration is increasingly taking shape as a concerted space competitiveness strategy, especially among smaller actors.

Here's a list of some of the findings by country:

- Argentina is adapting its satellite manufacturing sector for the international marketplace, exploring both commercial and government-to-government deals. It stands to benefit from increased investment in spacecraft subcomponents.

- After more than a decade of dormancy, Australia is back. The government is refreshing its national space policy segment-by-segment, focusing on space not only a driver of innovation and expertise, but also for its benefits to Australian society.

- Brazil has begun to re-examine its national space priorities, increased funding, expanded its partnerships, and laid plans for a new launch vehicle. It remains to be seen whether these steps will keep Brazil ahead of regional counterparts that are also emerging onto the space scene.

- Canada retains a skilled space workforce, but delays in space policy refresh and implementation are significantly offsetting these competitive advantages.

- China performed a record number of launches in 2012, surpassing the United States for the first time, while increasing investment in technical education programs and civilian research institutes.

- Europe's integrated approach is complemented by the rise of new national space agencies across the continent--from the United Kingdom to the Czech Republic to Estonia--as well as more assertive space export financing.

- India is enhancing its space-related technical education, while gradually progressing toward a completely self-reliant set of next generation launch vehicles.

- Iran has made faster progress than any other newly emergent space nation. The tenor of Iran's space program--civilian or military--will hinge on geopolitics. Other international actors have substantial power to influence the future focus of the Iranian space program.

- Israel, despite funding increases, remains challenged by its lack of domestic industry scale, and has difficulty sustaining a commercial space presence in global markets.

- Japan, despite ongoing benefits from its policy reforms, is losing competitive ground relative to most other actors, and can benefit from a greater focus on commercializing its industrial base.

- Russia's remains the world's launch leader, and promises to retain that role in the near term thanks to its vital role in transporting astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station, as well as the introduction of Soyuz launches from the European spaceport at Kourou. These strengths, however, are offset by weaknesses in retention of human capital talent.

- South Africa is divided, from a budgetary standpoint, between space investments focused on societal usage of external assets already in space and investments focused on building the country's own space industrial base.

- South Korea's two failed launch attempts contributed to an organizational shakeup, but have not reduced its determination to become the newest country to achieve independent spaceflight.

- Ukraine has an enviable space industrial base, but limited domestic demand for its space hardware. It is aggressively seeking partners overseas, but has not yet engaged with key emerging markets.

Futron Releases 2012 Space Competitiveness Index - Commercial Space Watch

India has improved space competitiveness by 10 percent

Chennai, Aug 2 (IANS) India has improved its space competitiveness by 10 percent since 2008, says a study by the US-based Futron Corp.

Futron Thursday announced the publication of its "Futron's 2012 Space Competitiveness Index: A Comparative Analysis of How Countries Invest in and Benefit from Space Industry".

According to an executive summary of the report, of the 10 traditional space faring nations, only the US has shown five straight years of competitivenes decline.

In contrast, China, Japan, Russia and India have improved their space competitiveness by 41 percent, 37, 11 and 10 percent respectively over their relative starting points from when Futron's benchmarking process began in 2008.

In the 2012 study, Futron has added Argentina, Australia, Iran, South Africa and Ukraine to the 10-nation club, thereby taking the total to 15.

The Futron report concludes that India gained 1.26 basis points over Brazil while the US lost 1.63 basis points against Europe (counted as one integrated actor).

India was enhancing its space-related technical education while gradually progressing toward a completely self-reliant set of next generation launch vehicles, the report adds.

The US remains the overall leader in space competitiveness. But its relative position has fallen for the fifth straight year as other countries enhance their capabilities.

The US has undergone major transitions amid significant uncertainty, said Futron.

According to the report, of 640 successful orbital launches in 2002-11, Russia tops with 255 followed by the US 191, China 87, Europe 81, Japan 24, India 17, Israel 3 and Iran 2.

In respect of satellite manufacturing in 2002-11, the US with 388 satellites leads the club.

Russia is second with 216, Europe 187, China 99, Japan 60, India 32, Canada 12, Israel 10, South Korea 6, Ukraine 5, four each by Argentina, Australia and Iran, Brazil 2, South Africa 1 and rest of the world 56.

According to the report, international collaboration was increasingly taking shape as a concerted space competitiveness strategy, especially among smaller actors.

Ukraine has an enviable space industrial base, but limited domestic demand for its space hardware.

It is aggressively seeking partners overseas but has not yet engaged with key emerging markets.

Russia remains the launch leader, and promises to retain that role in the near term thanks to its vital role in transporting astronauts and cargo to the International Space Station as well as the introduction of Soyuz launches from the European spaceport at Kourou.

These strengths, however, are offset by weaknesses in retention of human capital talent.

The Futron report say Iran has made faster progress in psace plans.

The tenor of Iran's space programme - civilian or military - will hinge on geopolitics. Other global actors have substantial power to influence the future focus of the Iranian space programme.

According to Futron, the space competitive index considers comparative space related strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the 15 leading space-participant nations: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Europe, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Ukraine and the US.

India has improved space competitiveness by 10 percent | 427118

 

[Jade]

For India, in space there is a long way to go.

 

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World Competitiveness Yearbook 2012:

The most competitive nations in Europe are Switzerland (3), Sweden (5) and Germany (9), which have export-oriented manufacturing and fiscal discipline. Meanwhile, Ireland (20), Iceland (26) and Italy (40) look better equipped to bounce back than Spain (39), Portugal (41) and Greece (58), which continue to scare investors.

Emerging economies are not yet immune to turmoil elsewhere. China (23), India (35) and Brazil (46) have all slipped in the rankings, Russia (18) climbed only one place. All Asian economies have declined apart from Hong Kong (1), Malaysia (14) and Korea (22). Latin America also had a tough year, with every nation falling except Mexico (37).

World Competitiveness Yearbook 2012: Hong Kong, US and Switzerland most competitive of 59 nations; Ireland rises to 20th ranking

US Competitiveness Ranking Continues to Fall; Emerging Markets Are Closing the Gap

. Switzerland, Singapore and Sweden top the Global Competitiveness Report ranking

. The United States continues the decline it began three years ago, falling one more place to fifth position

. Emerging economies continue to close the competitiveness gap with OECD economies

Geneva, Switzerland, 7 September 2011 – Switzerland tops the overall rankings in The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012, released today by the World Economic Forum. Singapore overtakes Sweden for second position. Northern and Western European countries dominate the top 10 with Sweden (3rd), Finland (4th), Germany (6th), the Netherlands (7th), Denmark (8th) and the United Kingdom (10th). Japan remains the second-ranked Asian economy at 9th place, despite falling three places since last year.

The United States continues its decline for the third year in a row, falling one more place to fifth position. In addition to the macroeconomic vulnerabilities that continue to build, some aspects of the United States’ institutional environment continue to raise concern among business leaders, particularly related to low public trust in politicians and concerns about government inefficiency. On a more positive note, banks and financial institutions are rebounding for the first time since the financial crisis and are assessed as somewhat sounder and more efficient.

Germany maintains a strong position within the Eurozone, although it goes down one position to sixth place, while the Netherlands (7th) improves by one position in the rankings, France drops three places to 18th, and Greece continues its downward trend to 90th. Competitiveness-enhancing reforms will play a key role in revitalizing growth in the region and tackling its key challenges, fiscal consolidation and persistent unemployment.

The results show that while competitiveness in advanced economies has stagnated over the past seven years, in many emerging markets it has improved, placing their growth on a more stable footing and mirroring the shift in economic activity from advanced to emerging economies.

The People’s Republic of China (26th) continues to lead the way among large developing economies, improving by one more place and solidifying its position among the top 30. Among the four other BRICS economies, South Africa (50th) and Brazil (53rd) move upwards while India (56th) and Russia (66th) experience small declines. Several Asian economies perform strongly, with Japan (9th) and Hong Kong SAR (11th) also in the top 20.

In the Middle East, Qatar (14th) solidifies its place in the top 20 while Saudi Arabia (17th) enters it for the first time, followed by Israel (22nd), the United Arab Emirates (27th), Kuwait (34th) and Bahrain (37th). Most Gulf States continue their upward trend of recent years. In sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa (50th) and Mauritius (54th) feature in the top half of the rankings, followed by second-tier best regional performers Rwanda (70th), Botswana (80th) and Namibia (83rd). In Latin America, Chile (31st) retains the lead and a number of countries see their competitiveness improve, such as Panama (49th), Brazil (53rd), Mexico (58th) and Peru (67th). Read more highlights of the report.

“After a number of difficult years, a recovery from the economic crisis is tentatively emerging, although it has been very unequally distributed: much of the developing world is still seeing relatively strong growth, despite some risk of overheating, while most advanced economies continue to experience sluggish recovery, persistent unemployment and financial vulnerability, with no clear horizon for improvement,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum. “The complexity of today’s global economic environment has made it more important than ever to recognize and encourage the qualitative as well as the quantitative aspects of growth, integrating such concepts as inclusiveness and environmental sustainability to provide a fuller picture of what is needed and what works.”

Xavier Sala-i-Martin, Professor of Economics, Columbia University, USA, and co-author of the report, added: “Amid re-emerging concerns about the global economic outlook, policy-makers must not lose sight of long-term competitiveness fundamentals. For the recovery to be put on a more stable footing, emerging and developing economies must ensure that growth is based on productivity enhancements. Advanced economies, many of which struggle with fiscal challenges and anaemic growth, need to focus on competitiveness-enhancing measures in order to create a virtuous cycle of growth and ensure solid economic recovery.”

The Global Competitiveness Report’s competitiveness ranking is based on the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI), developed for the World Economic Forum by Sala-i-Martin and introduced in 2004. The GCI comprises 12 categories – the pillars of competitiveness – which together provide a comprehensive picture of a country’s competitiveness landscape. The pillars are: institutions, infrastructure, macroeconomic environment, health and primary education, higher education and training, goods market efficiency, labour market efficiency, financial market development, technological readiness, market size, business sophistication and innovation.

The rankings are calculated from both publicly available data and the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum with its network of Partner Institutes. This year, over 14,000 business leaders were polled in a record 142 economies. The survey is designed to capture a broad range of factors affecting an economy’s business climate.

The report contains an extensive data section with a detailed profile for each of the 142 economies featured in the study, providing a comprehensive summary of the overall position in the rankings, as well as data tables with global rankings for over 110 indicators.

This year’s report also features discussions on selected regions and topics. These include an analysis of the effects of debt crises on competitiveness, a review of the innovation challenge for Latin America, and competitiveness trends and prospects for sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the report includes a chapter describing the World Economic Forum’s preliminary work aimed at integrating the concept of sustainability more fully into its competitiveness work.

US Competitiveness Ranking Continues to Fall; Emerging Markets Are Closing the Gap | World Economic Forum - US Competitiveness Ranking Continues to Fall; Emerging Markets Are Closing the Gap

 

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Asia: Square Metre Prices

Hong Kong $20,371
Singapore $16,350
Japan $15,122
India $11,306
Taiwan $7,112
China $6,932
Philippines $3,204
Thailand $2,996
Cambodia $2,913
Malaysia $2,182
Indonesia $2,099

Average per square metre (sq. m.) prices in US$/€ of 120-sq. m. apartments located in the centre of the most important city of each country, either the:

Administrative capital; and/or
Financial capital; and/or
The centre of the rental market

Residential square metre prices published by the Global Property Guide are based on in-house research, using a simple method we systematically scan web advertisements, looking at offers for sale, and offers for rent, of resale apartments and houses.

Properties are in excellent condition, with good facilities, and have been refurbished or redecorated within the last five years.

Newly-built and pre-sale property prices are not included. Buyers should expect the prices of new properties to be higher than house prices published by the Global Property Guide.

When was this data collected? Click on individual countries to see the data collection date.

Many countries produce residential house price time-series.

Source: Global Property Guide Research

Statistics in Asia. Asia has surprisingly good house price statistics, though the quality varies greatly. The ex-British colonies tend to have good house price statistics Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia all have excellent houses price time series, the best being Hong Kong, where the data is arguably richer than in the UK, since there are official rents statistics. However in the Indian sub-continent, only India has house price statistics, and this only in a new series, not yet available on the web.

Japan publishes no house price statistics. Its ex-colonies do better: Korea has a good house price time-series, and Taiwan also has one.

Indonesia has house price statistics, and so does China (both of questionable quality). In Thailand, the Bank of Thailand publishes a time-series. In the Philippines, Colliers produces residential property data.

No house-price time-series are produced in Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos.

Price per Square Meter Asia | Asian Cost per Square Meter

Europe: Square Metre Prices

Monaco €39,421
UK €15,187
France €13,380
Switzerland €11,397
Russia €10,302
Italy €7,213
Sweden €6,991
Finland €6,184
Luxembourg €5,647
Austria €5,109
Greece €4,936
Netherlands €4,271
Spain €4,022
Denmark €3,782
Ireland €3,693
Czech Rep. €3,605
Turkey €3,384
Andorra €3,330
Poland €3,326
Germany €3,094
Montenegro €3,094
Ukraine €2,807
Slovenia €2,786
Belgium €2,753
Latvia €2,657
Portugal €2,213
Lithuania €2,189
Estonia €2,153
Cyprus €2,140
Serbia €2,135
Croatia €2,081
Romania €2,040
Slovak Rep. €2,020
Malta €1,847
Hungary €1,645
Bulgaria €1,305
Macedonia €1,232
Moldova €96

Price per Square Meter Europe | European Cost per Square Meter

 

[Hello_10]

Asia: Square Metre Prices

Hong Kong $20,371
Singapore $16,350
Japan $15,122
India $11,306
Taiwan $7,112
China $6,932
Philippines $3,204
Thailand $2,996
Cambodia $2,913
Malaysia $2,182
Indonesia $2,099

Average per square metre (sq. m.) prices in US$/€ of 120-sq. m. apartments located in the centre of the most important city of each country, either the:

Administrative capital; and/or
Financial capital; and/or
The centre of the rental market

Residential square metre prices published by the Global Property Guide are based on in-house research, using a simple method we systematically scan web advertisements, looking at offers for sale, and offers for rent, of resale apartments and houses.

Properties are in excellent condition, with good facilities, and have been refurbished or redecorated within the last five years.

Newly-built and pre-sale property prices are not included. Buyers should expect the prices of new properties to be higher than house prices published by the Global Property Guide.

When was this data collected? Click on individual countries to see the data collection date.

Many countries produce residential house price time-series.

Source: Global Property Guide Research

Statistics in Asia. Asia has surprisingly good house price statistics, though the quality varies greatly. The ex-British colonies tend to have good house price statistics Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia all have excellent houses price time series, the best being Hong Kong, where the data is arguably richer than in the UK, since there are official rents statistics. However in the Indian sub-continent, only India has house price statistics, and this only in a new series, not yet available on the web.

Japan publishes no house price statistics. Its ex-colonies do better: Korea has a good house price time-series, and Taiwan also has one.

Indonesia has house price statistics, and so does China (both of questionable quality). In Thailand, the Bank of Thailand publishes a time-series. In the Philippines, Colliers produces residential property data.

No house-price time-series are produced in Vietnam, Cambodia, or Laos.

Price per Square Meter Asia | Asian Cost per Square Meter

here we have property price from a "Global Property Guide" who update property prices on quaterly basis, sometimes every month also. but the problem here is, we have price of only one city of one country. here,

5th Singapore
8th Moscow
10th Mumbai
13th Sydney
20th Shanghai
30th Istanbul
47th Dubai
68th Kuala Lumpur
73rd Jakarta

World's most expensive cities

Prices of smaller Mumbai apartments are around US$11,600 to US$14,000 per sq. m.; yields are poor, at 2.52% to 2.76%.

Delhi prices are cheaper at US$4,000 per sq. m., but yields are also low, at 1.71% to 2%.

House Prices in India | Indian Real Estate Prices

Office rentals in Mumbai and Delhi continue to be among the highest in the world, beating the likes of New York, Washington or Shanghai despite a depreciating rupee. Renting office space in Mumbai and Delhi costs over $65 and nearly $73 per square meter a month, while the same costs $63 in New York $48 in Washington and $41 in Shanghai, property consultancy firm DTZ said in a report.

Mumbai, Delhi office rentals top Shanghai, New York - Economic Times

 

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Costa Rica Ranked 19 in the Top 20 Emerging Economies

When you hear about Costa Rica, the first thoughts that come to mind are exotic vacations, incredible beaches, wild adventures, and tropical rainforests. Though these all are true, more and more people are looking to Costa Rica as a hotbed for foreign investment.

This has recently been supported in a study undertaken by accounting giant, Ernst & Young ranking countries in an emerging economies index.

The company brings another level of legitimacy to the already growing reputation that Costa Rica is a global competitor in the emerging market sector and becoming very attractive for direct foreign investment. In this study, Costa Rica has ranked 19 in the Top 20 emerging economies and is 5th in Latin America behind the behemoths such as Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina.
Often referred to as “The Switzerland of Central America”, Costa Rica from an investment and business standpoint is rapidly becoming newly known as the “Silicon Valley of Latin America”. Investing in Costa Rica is becoming increasingly appealing due in part to its foreign-investment friendly government policies, and social and economic climates.

With many global companies deeply impacted in 2009 by the financial crisis, Costa Rica became an attractive option for moving elements of business units and operations for cost-cutting, offshore purposes to this fertile ground of skilled workers and a highly educated population. Companies such as Microsoft, Hewlett Packard, Western Union, Intel, GE and more are continuing to make sizeable investments in this country.

The World Bank has tipped its hat to Costa Rica’s political stability and robust democracy as one of the best in Latin America. With a conservative central bank, a real estate market that came out of the U.S. housing crisis practically unscathed, and a healthy economic growth rate, there are several positive points when weighing up Costa Rica against other emerging markets.

Organizations such as CINDE offer gateways to foreign investors looking for assistance in participating in various sectors such as; services, manufacturing, life sciences, clean technologies, and more. Free zones offer security beyond the government incentives. Often these office parks are nestled in beautiful, safe, and accessible areas of the Central Valley.

As China leads the rankings in this index, followed by India, Russia, and Brazil, small markets like Costa Rica have become increasingly competitive on the global business playing field. With low-cost labor, highly skilled and educated workers, all supported by a universal health care system, Costa Rica is becoming less dependent on its natural resources and agriculture, and stepping up to go toe-to-toe with multinational giants in services and manufacturing.

These emerging markets are projected to constitute 50% of the world’s GDP by 2020, and foreign investors are driving that growth. The index is compiled using 13 variables within 3 categories: overall integrity, global image, and global integration. These 3 criteria are practically taken out of the Costa Rican government’s playbook on political strategies and economic incentives to attract further foreign investment.

With estimates from Ernst & Young predicating 70% of global growth to come from emerging markets such as Costa Rica, these nations are attracting just short of 50% of global inflows of FDI (foreign direct investment), representing 25% of FDI outflows. With numbers as impressive as these, and a “rising tide raises all boats” foreign investment strategy, small markets like Costa Rica are on for the ride and showing that this small country has big potential.

Costa Rica Ranked 19 in the Top 20 Emerging Economies

 

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India ranks 5th among emerging markets for retail investment
Jun 22, 2012, 02.17AM IST

NEW DELHI: India has been ranked the fifth most attractive destination for retail investment among 30 emerging markets because of rising disposable incomes and rapid urbanization. Even though its ranking slipped from the fourth spot in 2011, India has been placed ahead of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Russia.

"India (5th) remains a high-potential market with accelerated retail market growth of 15 to 20% expected over the next five years, supported by GDP growth of 6 to 7%, rising disposable income, and rapid urbanization," said US-based global management consulting firm A T Kearney.

Changes in FDI regulations were a major story in India last year. The changing FDI climate has provided an interesting dynamic to several international retailers' entry and expansion plans for India, it added. According to the entity's Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) 2012, Brazil is the most alluring market for investment in the retail sector, followed by Chile (second), China (third), Uruguay (fourth) and India (fifth).

Noting that Europe faced another year of economic turmoil in 2011, developing countries forged full speed ahead. "With consumer confidence improving and spending increasing, global retailers continued their expansion in to these markets. In the past five years, US-based Wal-Mart, France-based Carrefour, UK-based Tesco and Germany-based Metro Group saw revenues in developing countries grow 2.5 times faster than revenues in their home markets," the report said.

India ranks 5th among emerging markets for retail investment - The Times of India

 

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the man behind growth storey of India since 1991...

but in fact, Pakistan itself copied its economic policy from China, ASEAN region who adopted this open market strategy since 70s. and then after learning from their experience of over a decade, then only Mr Nawaz Sharif adopted economic liberalization in Pakistan in 1990. and here Mr Nawaz Sharif can only say that India copied and learned from China, ASEAN, Pakistan all and then they adopted the path of industrialization in 1991

but yes the only credit goes to Mr Nawaz Sharif that he is the man who first introduced economic liberalization in South Asia region

India copied Pak reforms in 1990s

Islamabad: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif has said India copied his government’s initiatives in the 1990s.

Sharif said Indian reforms that were initiated in 90s by the government of Narasimha Rao were influenced by industrial reforms initiated by his government in Pakistan, reports the Daily Times.
Sharif was the prime minister in October 1990 and initiated an ambitious economic programme. In June 1991, Rao became the Indian prime minister and appointed Manmohan Singh as the finance minister. Soon the rupee was devalued and Rao abolished industrial licensing and other socialist measures which India had not adopted until then.

"If not for corrupt governments that followed later, Pakistan would have been on the path of economic growth by now," said Nawaz. He criticised President Asif Ali Zardari and former military ruler Pervez Musharraf, and also blamed the two for the increase in conflict and militancy in Pakistan.
Calling upon Pakistani nationals living abroad to come forward and help change Pakistan, Sharif said returning him to power would be the only way for Pakistan to once again move forward towards economic progress and social stability.

India copied Pak reforms in 1990s: Nawaz Sharif

 

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the man behind growth storey of India since 1991...

but in fact, Pakistan itself copied its economic policy from China, ASEAN region who adopted this open market strategy since 70s. and then after learning from their experience of over a decade, then only Mr Nawaz Sharif adopted economic liberalization in Pakistan in 1990. and here Mr Nawaz Sharif can only say that India copied and learned from China, ASEAN, Pakistan all and then they adopted the path of industrialization in 1991

but yes the only credit goes to Mr Nawaz Sharif that he is the man who first introduced economic liberalization in South Asia region

and in fact, who were in China, ASEAN etc when they opened their market even in 70s and who was responsible to delay industrialization of India till 1991? in fact, whoever adopted path of industrialization, got progress and Indian growth story was written by Indian professionals/businessmen. Indian economy was made of around 70% agriculture in 1947 and this is the sector which can't grow by more than 2% on long term. and if growth of India was lower till 1991 then mainly it was because agriculture had a larger share in it till then. and if share of agriculture is around 15% only in Indian economy right now then its because the other sectors grew up with a much faster pace than agriculture, isn't it? and during 60s/70s, agriculture had share of 50% in Indian economy making it have overall slower growth, even if service/industry might have grown by 7% during that time also. and right now share of agriculture is just 16% so if service/industry grow by 9%, it results in a combined growth of over 8%........

all the Industries had gone to UK till 1947 and now only you have an industrial/service base, after 65 years of struggle which includes economic struggle before 1991 also . and also, per capita income of India was higher than China till 1991, what this means? as below:

India GDP per capita PPP

China GDP per capita PPP

key decisions are taken by think tank, whether it was for ASEAN, CHina, East Asia etc, all got higher growth, much higher than India when they adopted path of industrialization.......

British did destroy Indian industry and when Mr Gandhi and his men made them run from India, since then only India could think to have Industries, whether cottage or higher. India was left with 70% share of only agriculture in its economy at the time of freedom in 1947. read it as below on the government website of India:

Influenced by the Bhagvad Gita and Hindu beliefs, the Jain religion and the Christian teachings of Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi moved on the path of Satya and Ahimsa. ‘Satya’ meaning ‘truth’ and ‘ahimsa’ meaning ‘non-violence’ were the two weapons that Gandhi used to fight the enemy.
Gandhi inspired people to boycott British goods and refuse earthy possessions. This movement was known as Swaraj and was economically significant because Indian home industries were virtually destructed by British industrialists. He advocated renewal of native Indian industries and began to use a spinning wheel as a token of return to simple village life. Thereafter, he constantly began promoting satyagraha, non-violence, non-cooperation and swaraj to achieve independence. Finally, in August 1947, the British were forced to leave India.

mohandas karamchand gandhi

the above is the government website of India .....

 

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India Tops Forbes List Of Best Countries For New Jobs 2011

India has pulled ahead of China to take first place in the Forbes list of best countries for new jobs next year, with a whopping 42% net hiring outlook for the first quarter of 2011. China follows close behind at 40%, a 2% decrease from last quarter. Taiwan comes in third, with a net employment outlook of 37%, the US business magazine reported based on latest global employment outlook survey by the staffing firm Manpower.

The net hiring outlook is the number of employers surveyed who expect to increase their employment rolls minus the percentage who expect to decrease them.

“The results are striking, if not surprising,” Forbes said referring to “that unbelievable job growth” reflected in the survey of 64,000 human resource directors and senior hiring managers from public and private companies worldwide. Brazil rates fourth on the tally of the nations with the greatest optimism with a net hiring outlook 36%, driven by a 7% gross domestic product growth rate, three times higher than in the US. Next in line after Brazil is Turkey, with a net hiring outlook of 27% followed by Singapore at 26%. The countries rounding out the list include Peru, Costa Rica and Argentina as well as Australia and Hong Kong. “How does the US rate? Better than you might expect,” Forbes said noting it has a 9% net hiring outlook.

The survey shows that almost half, 47% of them, of expectations for hiring in the first quarter of 2011 came from 10 countries in the Americas, 24% from eight countries in Asia and the Pacific, and 29% from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. “This is very much a macro-economic look at new job creation,” the staffing firm’s chairman and chief executive, Jeffrey Joerres, was cited as saying.

India Tops Forbes List Of Best Countries For New Jobs 2011 | Weekly Voice - The Newspaper for South Asians in GTA

 

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BRICS to explore setting up development bank

NEW DELHI: The BRICS summit of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa March 29 will explore a slew of new ideas, including a development bank and an investment fund that can spur the development of the emerging and developing countries.

These are among some of the recommendations made by the BRICS academic forum that brainstormed ideas and proposals for the BRICS leaders' meeting that ended in New Delhi Tuesday.

The contours of the development bank are being finalised, and may include proportionate contributions from each of the BRICS member countries to invest in development projects in these countries, said informed sources.

The 4th BRICS Academic Forum said establishing such financial institutions will help take forward the 2011 BRICS Sanya Summit's decision to "strengthen financial cooperation" among their individual development banks.

Around 60 scholars from the five BRICS countries took part in the 4th BRICS Academic Forum meeting, which was organised by the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based public policy think tank. The theme for the New Delhi summit is "BRICS Partnership for Stability, Security and Growth".

They made 18 recommendations which will be considered by the leaders of the five emerging economies in diverse areas, including global governance, food security, energy security, intra-BRICS trade and enhanced academic exchanges.

The Forum recommended that given the state of the Eurozone and the continued ripples created by the global financial crisis, greater emphasis must be given to creating frameworks for enabling viable and timely responses to both endogenous and exogenous financial shocks within and outside BRICS.

For this, a systematic approach must be articulated to respond to any further economic downturns in the global economy.
The Forum said BRICS nations also must seek to create institutions that enable viable alternatives for enhancing an inclusive socio-economic development agenda within and outside BRICS. Such institutions should set global benchmarks for best practices and standards.

Participants at the conference stressed that BRICS must evolve as a platform for creating contextualised multilateral policies, and by mutual consultation develop viable and credible mechanisms to respond to local, regional and international political and social turbulence such as the churning going on in West Asia and North Africa.

"As home to nearly half of the world's population, BRICS have a responsibility to create pathways for sustainable development. BRICS could learn from policy successes as well as failures of the past from within and outside BRICS, and seek to implement policy solutions for sustainable development," the BRICS Academic Forum said.

BRICS research institutions have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to step up interactions between think tanks. The next Forum meeting will be held in South Africa in 2013.

Addressing the scholars at the valedictory session, Dinesh Bhatia, joint secretary, the external affairs ministry, said intra-BRICS policymaking efforts and inputs from the academic community are invaluable in creating an inclusive and credible approach to managing common concerns and shared responsibilities.

BRICS to explore setting up development bank - Economic Times

 

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BRICS can transform global governance

NEW DELHI: Ahead of the BRICS summit here, India Monday said the grouping of five major emerging economies was not ranged against anyone but is "a responsible transnational grouping" that can play a critical role in reforming global governance.

"We are not a bloc, not an ideological group ranged against anyone," Sudhir Vyas, secretary (economic affairs) in the external affairs ministry, said at the launch of the two-day conference by academics and experts from BRICS countries comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

It's in the area of global governance that BRICS can make its presence felt, he said.

Vyas's comments came amid the oft-voiced worries in some influential sections in the West that the BRICS could turn into an adversarial grouping that could challenge the hegemony of the West in leading multilateral institutions.

Underlining the unique nature of BRICS, Vyas stressed that it was not a geographical grouping like the ASEAN, or commodity-based like the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC) or security-based like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO), but "a new growth pole in a multi-polar world".

"It's a trans-continental grouping with increasing geo-political significance," he said. BRICS can engage with the international community in a serious manner as a responsible partner in the resolution of international crises, he stressed.

More than 50 scholars from the five BRICS countries are taking part in the 4th BRICS Academic Forum meeting being hosted by Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based public policy think tank.

The forum is expected to generate ideas and proposals that will be considered by the leaders of the five countries at the fourth BRICS summit here March 29.

India will host the BRICS summit for the first time since the leaders' meeting was first held in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg in 2009 at the height of the global financial recession. The theme for the New Delhi summit is "BRICS Partnership for Stability, Security and Growth".

The fourth BRICS summit will focus on ways to deal with the festering global economic downturn and make a renewed pitch for reforming the global governance architecture which has been dominated by Western countries since the end of the World War II.

BRICS has evolved into a powerful grouping of the world's leading emerging economies that, according to an estimate, accounts for nearly half the world's population, 30 percent of global landmass, 18 percent of global GDP and 35 percent of global foreign exchange reserves.

The forum is also expected to focus on ways to ramp up greater intra-regional trade and look at ways to improve coordination on international issues in multilateral fora and developmental issues that include food security, energy security, public health, science and technology and urbanisation.

BRICS can transform global governance: India - The Economic Times

 

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Rs 51.46 lakh crore infrastructure outlay projected during 12th Plan

NEW DELHI: The Planning Commission is aiming at a total outlay of Rs 51.46 lakh crore in the infrastructure sector during the 12th Plan (2012-17), short of the earlier projection of USD 1 trillion (about Rs 55 lakh crore).

"The total investment during the 12th Plan is projected at Rs 51.46 lakh crore compared to Rs 27.74 lakh crore realised during the 11th Plan", a source privy to the development said.

While the public investment in the infrastructure sector is expected to decrease to 53.32 per cent in the 12th Plan from about 62.47 per cent in the previous Plan, the share of private sector is projected to increase to 46.68 per cent from 37.53 per cent.

Sources further said that infrastructure sector investment as percentage of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to rise steadily to 10.40 per cent in the terminal year (2016-17) of the 12th Plan.

The average investment in infrastructure sector for the 12th Plan as a whole is likely to be about 9.14 per cent of the GDP as compared to 7.22 per cent during the previous Plan.

As per the details, the highest investment is envisaged in power sector at about Rs 15 lakh crore, roads follow at Rs 9.2 lakh crore, telecommunication at Rs 8.84 lakh crore and railways at Rs 4.56 lakh crore.

These proposals will be placed before the meeting of the Full Planning Commission to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday.

Although the Prime Minister in March 2010 had pegged the investment target for infrastructure sector during the 12th Plan at USD 1 trillion, the figures in dollar terms have to be revised in view of falling value of rupee.

Rs 51.46 lakh crore infrastructure outlay projected during 12th Plan - Economic Times