International Economic Development - Applications

1. Go to www.worldbank.org/data/maps and click "Macro Indicators: GDP per Capita and Labor Force." Look at the map of GDP per capita. In what region of the world do you find the most countries with the lowest GDP per capita? In what region of the world do you find do you find the most countries with highest GDP per capita? Click "Population Growth" and then "Refresh Map." Generally, are the fastest growing populations located in countries with high or low GDP per capita?

2. Go to www.census.gov/statab/www, click "Adobe Acrobat PDF Files" and then select the pages across from "Section 30, Comparative International Statistics." Using the various tables, for Mexico, determine the (a) infant mortality rate, (b) number of personal computers, (c) number of telephone main lines per 1,000 persons, (d) the relative compensation per hour. If you were the CEO of a US manufacturing corporation, what information would you need before decide whether or not to move your operations to Mexico?

3. Log on to travel.state.gov/warnings_list.html. If a country is on the US Current Travel Warnings list, do you think this adversely affects its rate of economic development? Select "Consular Information sheets" and then a country that was listed on the Warnings list. Are there any social or economic conditions that might hinder foreign investment in this country?