I’m in Guatemala City for the Association of Private Enterprise Education’s (APEE) annual conference. Special thanks to Joe Keckeissen’s decade-long persistence in asking that APEE hold its conference in Guatemala in cooperation with the Universidad Francisco Marroquin. Persistence pays off. See Professor Keckeissen’s guest post on the financial crisis here.
Guatemala ended its 36-year long civil war in 1996 and has benefitted economically since. According to the Fraser Institute’s Index of Economic Freedom of the World, Guatemala has moved from ranking 54th in the world in 1990 to 40th in 2006 (most recent rankings). Of the five areas the Economic Freedom Index measures, Guatemala has made considerable progress in the measures tracked in Area 2, “Legal Structure and Security of Private Property”, moving from 110th in 1990 to 75th in 2006 (chain-linked data). Peace and prosperity.
Since CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) took effect in July 2006, investment in the export sector has increased. But according to the CIA World Factbook, there is still concern over security, lack of skilled workers, and infrastructure problems that hamper greater foreign participation.
Purchasing power parity GDP is about $68 billions, or $5,200 per person for its 13 million plus citizens in 2008. Over half the population is below the official poverty line. GDP is expected to slow in 2009, in part because of the slowdown in the United States. As the United States is Guatemala’s main trading partner, I hope our recession ends soon for yet another reason.
I’m looking forward to going to Church tomorrow for Palm Sunday Mass in a country that ranks above the world average in the Fraser’s Economic Freedom Index, and above average too in a measure of Religious Freedom I’m using in a paper I’m giving Monday called “Religious Freedom and Economic Prosperity.”
According to the US State Department’s 2005 International Religious Freedom Report, Guatemala’s government does not subsidize religious groups. Without this form of government favoritism, religious groups are free to express themselves on religious matters and the Guatemalan people are free to pursue the truth in religious matters without much government interference. The Church insists on religious freedom in Dignitatis Humanae (Declaration on Religious Freedom). Though predominantly a Catholic country, Protestantism has been growing. The State Department 2005 report estimates Guatemala is now 60% Catholic and 40% Protestant, mostly evangelical.
People need to be free to pursue religious truth. Government coercion and favoritism have no place in religious affairs.
