Posted on 03/11/2013 7:56:30 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The United States was ranked the seventh-most economically competitive country in the world, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2012-2013.
The WEF defines competitiveness as "the set of institutions, policies, and factors that determine the level of productivity of a country."
While the U.S. benefits greatly from the sheer size of its economy, excellent universities, flexible labor markets, and innovative businesses, it's falling behind on the overall quality of infrastructure.
The U.S. ranked 25 in this category, falling behind countries like Saudi Arabia, Spain, and South Korea. We took a closer look at those 24 countries with better infrastructures than the U.S.
24. United Kingdom
The United Kingdom ranks 3rd for airline seats per capita, and 22 for air overall transportation infrastructure.
The country's economy was driven by an efficient labor market. According to the WEF, it has "sophisticated and innovative businesses that are highly adept at harnessing the latest technologies."
Global Competitiveness Index: 8 out of 144
Source: World Economic Forum
23. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia ranks 3rd for mobile telephone subscriptions per capita and 12th for quality of roads. Saudi Arabia ranks in the top 30 for all categories.
Its global competitiveness has improved thanks to more stable economic policy and its productivity has improved thanks to its use of IT.
Global Competitiveness Index: 18 out of 144
Source: World Economic Forum
22. South Korea
South Korea ranks 10th for quality of railroads and 17th for quality of roads. It ranks in the top 30 for all categories.
The country operates in a "sound macroeconomic environment." It also ranks highly in terms of education and it's known for its ability to innovate.
Global Competitiveness Index: 19 out of 144
Source: World Economic Forum
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
I don’t doubt that some countries are have better “infrastructure” than we do, but auality of railroads? Airline seats per capita? Geez, who makes these things up?
Read the whole article. Every one of those countries has some natural advantage over the United States. Some are very small geographically, compared to their population and tax base. Some have enormous wealth per capita, either from oil or international banking. Some have no mountain ranges and/or a mild climate, so it’s relatively cheap and easy to build and maintain an awesome network of top quality roads and rails. (The changing seasons in the United States destroy roads and bridges.)
RE: The changing seasons in the United States destroy roads and bridges.
I would expect some cities in California to have the best infrastructure then...
I noticed that too. I think almost every country on the list is a smaller country. With the larger exceptions being countries such as, Canada, Germany and France.
We've got to have the best infrastructure, dammit!
80% of the Canadian population lives within 100 miles of the US border, I bet those areas are in the same shape we are.
24 Countries With Better Infrastructure Than America.
Yes but by God they don’t have Obama phones.
/s
Every citizen of The Kingdom of Suad has a vast amount of government freebie's. It is the nature of an oil emirate. Without the free phones, incomes and labor free goodies, there would be a massive revolt against the king and his court. Their vast oil reserves and easy extraction has allowed the entire population to farm out it's every need to imported semi-slave labor from Pakistan and India.
This idiocy of taking federal taxes from all the states, and doling it back? Communism, pure and simple.
More propaganda to get us to “invest” tax dollars in building high-speed rail and free ubiquitous public broadband systems.
That is how I see it... Most of those countries have a better rail system then us.. Well there is a reason, those countries are small and can support a rail network unlike here in America.
Infrastructure is at the bottom of the spending list of politicians. An unfortunate necessary evil that steals money from pork and entitlement spending. With the amount we are taxed, all our roads should be paved with gold and our bridges made of titanium!
Prior to the cellphone, the U.S. was one of the only countries in the world with a well-functioning, affordable telephone network. We were slower to adopt wireless because we didn't need to.
But it's still being held up as an example of our falling behind.
yikes...thanks...
which now has me scratchin my head why they are only 3rd.
Didn’t the US help to rebuild a few of these countries after WWII with constitutionally indefensible foreign aid which was possibly never paid back? I wonder how many of these courtries have been peacetime recipients of constitutionally infedensible US foreign aid? With our corrupt Congress we’ll probably never know.
And decades ago, I wondered if some countries were able to find the revenue to establish socialised medicine because the USA seemed to be paying the bill for policing the world.
” I think almost every country on the list is a smaller country. “
Fyi, in terms of land mass, US is number 3 (lower 48) or number 2 if you include alaska. So on any list, almost every country will be smaller.
In terms of population, the US is number 4. So on any list, almost every country will be smaller.
World Economic Forum is a big pusher of failed Free Trade Communism...so their finding would be suspect right there
Although I believe there are some nations with better infrastructure...not 23 of them...and not some of those on this list
Just more of the Free Trade Communist Globalist nonsense
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