Comparativo índice competitividad mexico y brasil

A translation of competitiveness and its global implications:
Comparison of Brazil and Mexico under the lens of the Global Competitiveness Report.

May, 2010

Subject:

Author: Alejandro Rodríguez Martínez Master Thesis in Business Administration 15 ECTS Program: Master in International Management Institution: Gotland University Period: Spring semester 2010 Thesis Supervisor: Matilda DahlABSTRACT: The importance of the tasks performed by international organizations is increasing at the global level and the discourse used is the one of progress and development. The aim of this thesis is to introduce a new approach regarding the discussions of development in terms of competitiveness and transnational governance by discussing these subjects within the same framework. Theempirical findings are focused on the main organizations contributing with different translations of competitiveness and the tools used to measure it, such as nation rankings. In addition, findings stress how within development theory, the concept of competitiveness has become quite popular in media and among policy makers, presidents, prime ministers, scholars and the like. Some of these actors use theterm quite loosely and without a further and deeper understanding of the concept, while others endeavor on contributing with different definitions. The World Economic Forum and its Global Competitiveness Index has become if not the most, one out of the two more mentioned and used indexes measuring competitiveness of nations. The GCI is used in this paper to compare two economies in theLatin-American region: Brazil and Mexico, since for a long time Mexico was depicted as a more competitive economy, but in the latest years Brazil has managed, within the GCI perspective, to be depicted as more competitive. The final result of the comparison and what nations should do to be more competitive within the Latin American region is in line with what academics have already discussed. But the maincontribution of this thesis is the analysis of the popularity of rankings developed by international organizations, and at the same time, what traits of transnational governance can one identify in such trend, being these rankings an attractive tool to spread free-market ideologies in order to develop a global order.

Keywords: Competitiveness, development, transnational governance, Mexico, Brazil,ranking, world economic forum, global competitiveness report.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: This study is not the work of one person, thus it is my pleasure to thank all and each one of those involved in this journey. Special thanks to my supervisor Matilda Dahl whose guidance, advice and encouragement have been a light in the end of the tunnel. I also show my gratitude to Per Lind for theinvaluable recommendations to accomplish a first class work. Also thanks to my seminar classmates for the feedback which helped me out to be open to constructive critique in order to improve this research. I am also grateful to all my teachers throughout this incredible year in Gotland University in the MIM programme, since all their lectures were the base and contributed directly to the analysis made inthis research. I am also extremely grateful to my parents Salvador and Maricela, my brothers Salvador and Gerardo, my sister Maricela and all my friends in Mexico, who have supported me since the beginning of this incredible journey away from my country. And to you Vanda, you have been by my side all the way and have brought a whole new meaning to my life, thank you for making each second the bestI ever had.

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ACRONYMS

BRIC CEPAL CIA GCI GCR GDP GNI GO HDI HDR HPI IMD MBA NGO OECD PPP UN UNDP UNIDO WCY WEF

Brazil, Russia, India and China. ECLAC – Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Central Intelligence Agency (U.S.A.) Global Competitiveness Index Global Competitiveness Report Gross Domestic Product Gross National Income Governmental Organizations Human...