Colombian Marshall Plan (Essay)

It is well known that the only way to join the dots is watching backwards. But let's commence this short essay in the opposite direction, hence let's try to put together the dots looking into the horizon.

A prosper Colombia with a mature democracy , being positioning as an emerging economy with a solid growth, leading the region towards the development world while protecting the environment, using wisely their immense natural resources and orienting the region towards a positive immigration rate policy due to the excellent social conditions and high quality of life. Sounds good?

Now, As a matter of fact, we could consider the American continent as the most homogenous continent in the world in terms of culture, policy, religion, family values and common values, but still there is a great inequality in the economy between North America and the rest of the continent, specifically in terms of the GINI index and the GDP per capita.

For instance, let's take in consideration the Western European countries that somehow have been able to figure out how to follow the pace of the European economic powerhouse, Germany and therefore have risen their economic standards substantially. In the same way, let's take in consideration the Asian tigers which are being able to keep the pace of their giants neighborhoods Japan and China, especially the case of South Korea is quite remarkable since has pretty much the same population as Colombia (50 million) but their territory is ten times smaller or equivalent to the Colombian department of Vichada (100,000 Km2).

Now, let's compare their GDP per capita differences, the German GDP per capita is 42% higher than Poland GDP per capita, the Japanese GDP per capita is 3% higher than South Korean GDP per capita , for the USA case let's select the state of Texas which has half size the territory of Colombia and half the population, the Texan GDP per capita is 75% higher than the Colombia GDP per capita, even if you increase the population of Texas by a factor of two in order to equal the Colombian population, there is still an astonishing 50% difference.

Perhaps you are consider at this point we are comparing apples with oranges, but lest take in consideration Panama, which used to be a Colombian department in the XX century (up to 1903). Panamanian GDP per capita is 38% higher than Colombian GDP per capita, so even if we can somehow accelerate the Colombian GDP per capita in order to reach the Panamanian standard is going to be a pretty good deal, don't you think so?

How? well we are proposing in this essay a type of Marshall plan for Colombia in order to allow the country to keep a solid economic growth and preserve the oldest democracy of the continent in very good shape, considering the favorable geopolitical circumstances after signed a peace agreement and the compromise of the Colombian society to move forward as the most convenient act for the entire continent.

Sounds like a very good deal for the American continent!