Colombia Political and Economical System - Research Paper Example

Analysis of Colombia Political, Governmental, and Economical System affiliation Introduction The population of Colombia is approximately forty-two million; this makes it the third largest population in the Latin American after Mexico and Brazil. The country occupies one point three (1.3) million square kilometers of area. Approximately a quarter of the Colombia’s population lives in the rural area. There are plenty of natural resources including land for agriculture, irrigation water, energy resources such as oil, and coal, and minerals such as gold, emeralds, and nickel1. Despite the country having strong social inequalities and the problems of the guerilla-armed struggle, Colombia has been able to manage keeping a relative, economic, political, and social stability compared with other countries in the region. From the year 1980 onwards, generalized and uncontrolled violence erupted throughout Colombia creating insecurity. This period was also marked the upsurge of a powerful drug cartels. Historical fundamentals of this period including political and common violence coupled with corruption, impunity, poverty and inequality added problems to the country. The cancer of problems spread progressively throughout the country to a point of reducing the role of the state together with its institutions. This further led to injustices in the society, impunity, and corruption that latent every level of the civil society and the state. As a result of the countrys economic crisis, the gains made by the reduction of poverty have been eroded with time. Currently, in Colombia, nearly eight million of the country’s population has an income below a nutritionally defined subsistence level. Consequently, the unemployment rate has increased to twenty percent of the total workforce. Violence in the country may generate thirty thousand deaths in a year. During the last decade, a population of two million Colombians has been displaced and approximately a million of Colombians are studying or living in foreign countries2. Colombia’s political situation The country’s current constitution was established in the year 1991 and helped in strengthening justice administration by providing introduction of a system of advisory that entirely replace the Napoleonic code. The president’s term goes for four years under the new system and can be re-elected back to power for another consecutive term. Its new system provides the country with a democratic type of politics where the citizens have the right of choosing whoever they were to represent them in power. In the Latin America region, Colombia is the oldest democratic country. All of its presidents have been elected democratically since the end of the military dictatorship of 1957. The country has a long history of party politics. This usually is fair and regular elections done. In addition, its long history also entails respect for civil and political rights. Two traditional parties have been competing for power since the country’s independence. There was an agreement between the two leading political parties, liberal, and conservative, to alternate the presidency between the years 1958 to 1974. The two parties had a dispute on the presidency since dissolving the agreement. Despite having representatives in the parliament, the independent parties do not have, any possibility of reaching the presidency since it is less powerful and less represented. Colombia has been experiencing internal violence because of political infighting between the political parties and the farmers, who are deprived opposing the governments agricultural policies, since the year 1948. The conflicts experienced in the country have also been caused by other factors such as social injustices, inequalities, poverty, impunity, and corruption. This deplorable situation led to the formation of the FARC and ELN in the year 1964. These are the main groups of guerrilla movements in Colombia today3. In the light of several attempts to make peace between the government and the guerilla, violence continued increasing throughout the period of 1990s. To date, there are several victims of common violence, armed confrontation, and war against drugs among the armed forces, the paramilitaries, and guerrillas. From the year 1998, the conflicts strategies have been evolving to massive attacks and the civilian assassination, taking of hostages for political reasons among other motives. In Colombia, the internal armed conflict is continuously creating serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. During the year, because of the military control strategy in the conflict, the forced displacement of civilians has continually been used. Another important concern of the human rights is the aspect of impunity. The latest report from the inter-American commission on human rights indicates the major problems facing justice administration. These include insufficient resources in the attorney general’s office, the weakening of justice institution and the lack of access to courts services. Colombia’s prison system has problems of violence and overcrowding. These problems are experienced in the country because of insufficient prison guard to offer protection and small facilities. Several efforts made by the country’s authorities are put forth to address how to improve the conditions of the high centers for security while putting the highest proportion of prisoners in regular prisons4. Back in the year 1998, the political mandate of President Pastrana was based on strategies of peace that was to involve the guerilla movements. Peace negotiations were opened with the FARC by the president at the start of his mandate. Despite the negotiation process initiation, no agreement has ever been reached until to date. The announcement of “Plan Colombia” in the year 2000 had a great impact on increasing guerillas efforts thus doubling their numbers through recruiting children below fifteen years. During the present administration, Colombia has continued to be weakened by these guerilla movements. Despite this, it can maintain its per capita GDP of approximately two thousand dollars. Colombia political situation is termed as vulnerable in the region. Its electoral process has been weakened by the bad politics in the country. The situation is volatile, and fears are that the country might plunge itself into civil war if the situation is not controlled5. Colombia’s Economic situation Major factors that have explained Colombia’s great record of social improvements and economic development over the last three despite the level of violence in the country include a literate and dependable workforce, competent macroeconomic management, relative political stability, and a wealth of physical resources. Nevertheless, other factors such as the presence of active insurgent movements, the pressure of external shocks and the rapid growth of the illegal drug cartels have had a negative effect on the economic performance overall, which has led to the development of the present situation6. The country’s freedom of economic score is approximately seven point seven, this makes Colombia’s economy the twentieth freest in the current index released in 2015. Its score overall is one point higher compared to last year’s score. The boom on petrochemical has uplifted the country’s open economy and a decline in the threats of risks as the government is trying to engage in talks with the rebel groups. This has created a greater fiscal flexibility as the government tries to put reform programs into implementation so that the country can be opened further to financial flows, investments, and trade. The structure of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) offers a deep reflection of its degree of development as well as its cities population concentration. The economy of the country has suffered great deterioration over the past four years, with a certain sharp recession taking place in the year 1999. In the same year, the gross domestic product had dropped by four point five percent compared to the other years previously. The decline in the economy has always been followed by a rapid increment in the rate of unemployment, which was estimated to be at eighteen percent back in the year 2001. Today, the rate of underemployment in the country remains above thirty percent. In addition to the country’s worsening of its fiscal accounts that takes place gradually having begun in the mid-1990s, other events that are external also had a role in the deterioration of the economy of the country. Due to the fall of global oil and coffee prices, the country suffered a great negative shock that was estimated at one point five percent of its gross domestic product. At the same time, the cost of borrowing was increased, and the availability of the external finance decreased. This happened because of the events that were taking place in the international credit for private and the public sectors. The authorities in Colombia had to turn to what the domestic market had to offer for the financing of the growing fiscal gap7. As far as the structure of trade in Colombia is concerned, the main product in the country remains oil. The United States market receives most of the products coming from Colombia. Approximately fifty percent of the Colombian products are exported to the United States. The other markets are the Andean community that accounts for sixteen percent and European Union, which accounts for twelve percent. Back in the year 2000, after several years of plunging in negative variations, the investments from foreign markets in the country began growing again reaching the average level that was maintained during the previous years. The rate of growth from direct investment shot up to an annual rate of ninety-seven percent. In Colombia, illegal production of crops has emerged to be a worrying trend. The country is the largest supply of coca, and the cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis are increasing to a dangerous level creating worries for the government and the country at large8. Colombia’s Governmental system Colombia uses a republic government type where the branches of executive seem to be dominating the structure of the government. Its system of government takes place in a presidential representative framework in a democratic country. In this case, the country’s president is both the head of government and the head of state, and of a system of multi-party. The government of the country exercises the executive power. Colombia’s legislative power is in both the government and the two chambers of congress, the House of Representatives, and the senate of Colombia. Its judiciary is independent of all the other arms such as the legislature and the executive. The present Colombian government was elected with clear mandates of negotiating with the guerrillas. A twelve-point agenda was agreed with the FARC for peace negotiation. This agenda of the government resembles Colombia’s development program, but no progress has been made on any of the points. At the same time similar national development plan entitled “change to construct peace” by the president. The main aim of the national development plan is ensuring sustainable growth through cohesion of the society. The idea is based on a strong belief that forming short, medium, and long-term strategies bring even distribution of wealth, reducing unemployment rate, eliminating poverty in the country would lead to greater social justice9. The national development plan is broken down into four key strategies. The first strategy addresses the country’s need to alter the political environment sufficiently in order to establish a “participative state”. The reforms in politics aim at making the governments institutions more transparent and encourage good governance that strengthens democracy. Modernizing and redefining public services must is to be carried out. The aspect of decentralization will increase efficiency and reduce corruption, expenditure of the government and the country’s fiscal deficit. The second strategy is repairing and strengthening the social structures by tackling the disruptive imbalances in the society including poverty, unemployment, and violations of human rights. The third strategy is highlighting the direct effects of peace on development. The initiation of sustainable development will remain unattainable in Colombia unless the rebel movements are wholly reintegrated into the society. The fourth strategy is increasing the country’s exports. This aims at targeting immediate results in employment through redirection resources from production by fostering policies of a macro economy that guarantees stable rates of exchange10. About the process of peace, the government structured its action to seek dialogue and negotiate solutions of politics to the armed conflict. In addition, it also aims at improving infrastructures and social investments. To this date, the government has planned sources of financing the Colombian government. The strategy of the governments concerning peace was developed to “Plan Colombia”. The government, with intentions of creating conditions that are ideal for building peace, drew this plan. The governments objectives are based on the process of negotiation of armed conflict, strengthening of institutions and development of society, trafficking of drugs and social & economic recovery11. Other countries such as the United States are supporting the government’s multi-sectorial initiative with a strong military component. This plan supported by outside countries is not related to the process of peace in the country. Instead, it has been termed as a means of eradicating illegal growth of crops and reinforcing the logistic and capacity of operation of the Colombian army in the fight for stability in the country. Conclusion The Colombian situation is unstable, and its future prospects will continue being so. For this reason, it calls for urgent needs and rapid response. In addition, humanitarian rescues, and assistance needs to be provided in the country. The government’s policies need to be in place to guide the country into a decent future and seek in making peace with the rebels through integrating them into the society12. References Aboytes, Florencio. 2000. “Dynamic Stability Analysis of the Interconnected Colombia-Venezuela Power System.” IEEE Transactions on Power Systems 15: 376–381. Brambilla, I. 2007. “Institutional Reforms: The Case of Colombia.” Journal of Economic Literature 45: 447–451. Dargent, Eduardo, and Paula Muñoz. 2011. “Democracy against Parties? Party System Deinstitutionalization in Colombia.” Journal of Politics in Latin America 3: 43–71. Dube, Oeindrila, and Juan F. Vargas. 2013. “Commodity Price Shocks and Civil Conflict: Evidence from Colombia.” Review of Economic Studies 80: 1384–1421. Larsen, Erik R., Isaac Dyner, Leonardo Bedoya, and Carlos Jaime Franco. 2004. “Lessons from Deregulation in Colombia: Successes, Failures and the Way Ahead.” Energy Policy 32: 1767–1780. Mafia, José Francisco, and Andrés Vàsquez Obando. 2011. “Colombia: The Colombia-US Free Trade Agreement.” International Financial Law Review 30: 73–74. Meléndez, Marcela, Arturo Harker, and Inter-american Development Bank. 2008. “Revisiting Economic Growth in Colombia – – A Microeconomic Perspective by.” Growth (Lakeland). Richani, Nazih. 1997. “The Political Economy of Violence: The War-System in Colombia.” Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs Vol. 39, N: pp. 37–81. Vasco Correa, Carlos Andrés. 2012. “Economic Evaluation of Current Conditions of Competition and Efficiency of Automotive and Rail Systems in Colombia.” Energy Policy 46: 78–87. Wade, Peter. 1995. “The Cultural Politics of Blackness in Colombia.” American Ethnologist 22: 341–357.  Read More