16-December-2016
English
12-October-2016
English
Costa Rican well-being indicators are comparable or even above the OECD average in several dimensions (OECD, 2016a). Nevertheless, gaps with OECD countries are large in two dimensions: labour market participation and education.
3-August-2016
English
Costa Rica's transport infrastructure sector has long suffered from insufficient and ineffective investment and maintenance spending, resulting in a congested and poor-quality transport network.
27-July-2016
English
Boosting national productivity to sustain the convergence process towards OECD countries living standards will hinge on creating the right conditions for domestic firms to thrive and become more innovative and productive, while maintaining the long-standing commitment to open international markets and investment.
19-July-2016
English
Costa Rica’s economic, social and environmental achievements are impressive. It has succeeded in combining rising living standards, virtually universal health care, pension and primary education systems with sustainable use of natural resources.
26-May-2016
English
In the past 30 years Costa Rica has grown steadily and social indicators have improved markedly. Well-being indicators are comparable or even above the OECD average in several dimensions, such as health, environment or life-satisfaction. This paper reviews the social progress that Costa Rica has achieved and identifies reducing inequality and poverty as the main challenges.
29-February-2016
English, PDF, 345kb
Boosting the productivity and competitiveness of the economy would help Costa Rica to progress further and take full advantage of its integration into GVCs. Improving the competitiveness of services sectors is particularly pertinent.
29-February-2016
English, PDF, 346kb
Fragmentation is putting pressure on the effectiveness of the country’s governance mechanisms and service delivery capacity, further aggravated by limited steering and coordination capacity.
29-February-2016
English, PDF, 349kb
Income inequality in Costa Rica is high by international standards and, in contrast with most other Latin American countries, it has increased in recent years.
29-February-2016
English, PDF, 340kb
Improving competition law and policy in Costa Rica should be a primary objective of the government. Such reforms could yield substantial economic and social benefits, through higher productivity, lower prices to consumers and better quality products and services.