Juan Nagel, Author at Global Americans

In the Media

An Ominous Opening for Venezuela’s New Parliament

By Juan Nagel / juannagel / January 7, 2016

For the first time in the 17 years since the late Hugo Chávez swept into power, the opposition has firm control of one of the branches of government. This proved too much for the chavista legislators to handle, and their walkout foreshadows the tensions ahead.

Economics, Trade & Development

Chile’s robber barons

By Juan Nagel / juannagel / November 12, 2015

Capitalism does need to be saved from its own excesses in Chile, but few public leaders today have the moral authority to do so.

In the Media

Venezuela’s most famous dissident gets 13 years

By Juan Nagel / juannagel / September 11, 2015

The trial against Leopoldo López, the jailed leader of Venezuela’s opposition, was never expected to be fair. Yet when Judge Susana Barreiros handed down her ruling late last night, sentencing López to 13 years in military prison for inciting violence and other bogus charges, it was a hard blow for his supporters. Many had harbored hopes that he would be […]

Venezuela

The cost of Venezuela’s collapse

By Juan Nagel / juannagel / September 11, 2015

Was the death of South American rock idol Gustavo Cerati yet another example of Venezuela’s interminable collapse?

Policymaking

Corrupto-landia

By Juan Nagel / juannagel / July 30, 2015

Donald Trump was right on one thing: corruption in Mexico and Latin America is unbelievable. As the series of scandals from Chile to Brazil to Mexico have revealed, the region still has a corruption problem that not only reduces the effectiveness of government but also increases the economic insecurity of its citizens. And those citizens are fed up.

Venezuela

Looking into the Black Box of Venezuela’s Economy

By Juan Nagel / juannagel / July 17, 2015

Spotting evidence of the destruction that Venezuela’s politicians have inflicted on the economy isn’t terribly hard. In fact, you start to see it as soon as you get off the plane. The terminal of Caracas International Airport, a cavernous building built in the 1980s, is mostly empty. International carriers have largely abandoned the country. The […]

Economics, Trade & Development

Everybody loves infrastructure

By Juan Nagel / juannagel / June 15, 2015

Latin America invests about 2% of GDP on infrastructure. Between 1992 and 2011 China invested an average of 8.5% of GDP in infrastructure per year. Given the demonstrated effects of infrastructure on development and poverty reduction, it’s time for the region to make a concerted effort to attract foreign investors.

Economics, Trade & Development

How to engineer a Latin American miracle

By Juan Nagel / juannagel / May 13, 2015

The story of dashed hopes and sudden halts is a painful yet familiar one for all of us. As we lick our wounds and take stock of yet another lost opportunity, we ask ourselves yet again: can the continent ever escape the boom-bust cycles that have left our economies trapped in middle income status?