The South American Enigma

[robbyst]

E-commerce cannot be compared to other fields when talking about the Americas. Even though it is still called the third world when refering to South America, how are the developed countries going to keep a significant growing rate when they have almost reached their peak? On the the other hand South America has still all the potential to grow.

[osicsophie]

The Americas do have come to the top in ecommerce circle. So it is time for merchants in Europe and Asia! ;)

[Cornish Steve]

I'm not quite sure what you're asking, but I would like to make one point about South America because I've travelled extensively in the region.

You really can't refer to South America as a single region. Argentina, Chile, and much of Brazil are very developed by anyone's standards - and are beautiful countries. The cities of Peru and Uruguay and Venezuela and Colombia are as advanced as many European cities whereas the rural areas are very poor. Paraguay and Bolivia, being landlocked, are quite poor (although even here some of the cities are surprisingly developed). I found Guyana to be very much a third world country, with local UN staff providing very basic health training and personal safety being a bit of an issue (there was a murder in the hotel in which I was staying). Surinam, while similar is many ways, is quite different from its neighbour.

The point is that referring to South America is rather like referring to Europe. Can you group Moldova and Switzerland together, or Albania and Spain? It makes no sense.

Incidentally, French Guiana is officially part of France. Heavily pregnant women in Surinam row across the river that separates the countries in order to give birth there - because their babies become European citizens and later in life can settle in any EU country.

[murdoch]

"Incidentally, French Guiana is officially part of France. Heavily pregnant women in Surinam row across the river that separates the countries in order to give birth there - because their babies become European citizens and later in life can settle in any EU country."

really?
i would have imagined they got a "french national overseas" passport or something similar, not immediate EU citizenship?
how bizarre

[Cornish Steve]

"Incidentally, French Guiana is officially part of France. Heavily pregnant women in Surinam row across the river that separates the countries in order to give birth there - because their babies become European citizens and later in life can settle in any EU country."

really?
i would have imagined they got a "french national overseas" passport or something similar, not immediate EU citizenship?
how bizarre
This is what I was told by my business hosts in Paramaribo - although I wasn't aware there are two different forms of French citizenship.

[Tej]

Possibly something to do with DOM TOM ( Domaine Outre Mer.. and Territoire Outre Mer)

[Dawg]

Former French colonies are treated as Overseas Departments, (départements d'outre-mer ), are treated as being part of France, have deputies in the French Parliament and thus birth there counts just the same as been born in France 'proper'.
This is not universally true, and arrangements differ from place to place, but this is the core arrangement.

From the OP:
how are the developed countries going to keep a significant growing rate when they have almost reached their peak? On the the other hand South America has still all the potential to grow.

I love the assumptions that:

developed countries growth has reached it's peak
South America has all the potential for growth.


Of the major upcoming countries, (BRIC), the 'B', Brazil,is the only South American country thought to have major growth potential of world scale in the next decades.