Equally Competitive

In the wake of the publication of this year's competitiveness rankings from the World Economic Forum, Leo Zuckermann laments Mexico's tendency to stay put (at number 60 this year, the same as last), while competitor nations like Brazil (ranked 56), India (49), China (29), and Chile (30) make strides. One thing that is holding Mexico back is, not surprisingly, organized crime. Indeed, only four of the 133 nations polled rank below Mexico in the category of the presence of organized crime. So beware of people who say that Calderón's crime policies are good for business in the short term.