According to a recent report by the Comptroller General of Colombia, the nation can not meet the necessary conditions to belong to the club of countries that receive the benefits of globalization.
The book, ‘Realities of the Colombian state in a globalized scenario’, Colombia is a modest economy, which does not generate goods and services with added value. Most development figures placed the country in the lower half of many of the world rankings, reports financial news site Portafolio.
For example, education at the masters and doctorate levels is only 7.1 people per one million inhabitants, and annually there are less than 150 patents registered, and there is a low level of registration of copyright in technology. A culture of scientific investigation does not exist, and incentives to encourage this are not sufficient.
“All this means that Colombia does not qualify for membership to the club receiving the benefits of globalization,” states the report. “[Colombia’s] realities are becoming weak and it is losing out on global trade.”
Analyzing the impact of globalization on Colombia, the report notes that the State is halfway along the path compared to other countries at a similar development level, occupying an intermediate position in leading indicators, and notes that there are great social challenges yet to be fulfilled.
The research project, coordinated by expert Jordan Fernando Flórez, indicates that the complexity of the national situation centers on the fact that its bases are still too weak to be inserted into the global system, while each day the difference becomes more profound between Colombia and the world’s 20 most developed countries.
Other factors that reflect the possibilities of integration into globalization. Of 192 countries, Colombians have to have a visa for 150 nations. By contrast, Colombia requires visas for citizens of only 64 nations. However, the entry of foreigners into Colombia is still very low compared with other countries in the region, although that figure has increased.
In the overall country index Colombia is 73rd; 60th in the globalization of its economy; 67th in social globalization; and 86th in political globalization.
Today, the country has only 49 diplomatic missions in 192 countries and presence in the Pacific area is very weak. Governments such as Mexico have embassies in 135 states.
Colombia must devote greater efforts to strengthen telecommunications in human resources, clarity in the regulatory process and coverage of infrastructure.
A key issue is the digital divide, including state security policy. The report acknowledges the existence of a generation of Colombians with a functional ability to multi-process, have an interoperability, and the capacity to think in a way that allows them to easily navigate in a globalized world.