business & economy

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US-RP free trade rushes to ratification here, still uncertain in USA
First big canal expansion contract goes to canal administrator's relatives
Trying to attract tourists back to the USA

Persistent poverty
The Panama News readership figures
Business & Economy Briefs

Persistent poverty

By all credible figures, Panama's national economy has been growing since the free fall of mid-1998 through mid-2002. However, only the government pretends that this growth has reduced poverty in this country.

The United Nations Development Program found that poverty is actually increasing as the economy grows, but the Torrijos administration pressured them not to release the results of their studies. (Unfortunately for Martín, La Estrella got ahold of the UN's numbers and published them.)

To the average person, one indication of poverty's persistence is the number of people one encounters sleeping on the streets. There are more of these than there were a few years ago.

Photo by Eric Jackson

US-RP free trade rushes to ratification here, still uncertain in USA
First big canal expansion contract goes to canal administrator's relatives
Trying to attract tourists back to the USA

Persistent poverty
The Panama News readership figures
Business & Economy Briefs