Comparison of Brazil and Mexico - Case Study Example

Comparison of two Latin American countries Latin America is in the stages of development considering its economical stand in the world as well its political ground in the global community. Brazil and Mexico are two developing countries located in Latin America that are progressing. This paper is an in depth research on the economic, political and social progression of the two countries and a comparative analysis. It will highlight the present standing of the two countries in the global community. Brazil occupies half of the Latin American land and one third of the Latin population. Brazil is divided into two parts which includes the advanced and well established industrial side and the other side is the poor underdeveloped part which is classified in the category of a third world nation. Brazil is the fifth largest nation of the world and is the largest catholic nation around the globe. It is also the fifth leading country when talking about population (Eakin,1). Brazil over the years has had a merge of variety of ethnicities and it has been hard in the Brazilian history to forge all the identities into a single nation and call it Brazil. It has been under colonial rule for years which has deeply plagued its economical progress and as of today the Southern part of the country is more European in its ethnicity (Eakin,2). Brazil is on the road of progress but recent news reveal that the country is going through scandals of tax agencies and political turmoil. Brazil Workers Party (PT) that has been in rule for almost two years seems to be losing its voters and statistics have pointed out that 74% of the Brazilians do not trust the party anymore or the president Dilma Rousseff (Kenneth,1). There has been large scaled tax corruption in the country and the people who pay taxes that make 36% of the GDP are cheated of $1.8 billion. It means that the football loving and Olympic oriented country of the world can pay three quarters of the bill for the last football world cup it held. The economic disparity is high and it seems that the political leaders are not involved but rather the big firms and the administration council of fiscal resource are playing their roles (The Economist). This means that a country that is emerging as a competition to all the other third world countries is fighting a political turmoil and economic crisis which has slowed down its growth. The rich and poor of the country face a lot of gap. It is seen that 30 percent of the country makes less than 300$ a month and has quiet the largest difference when it comes to division of payment. Brazil has a strong economy but the class system has large gaps and so the fifth largest populated country in the world has a large number of nationals who are classified as poor. Half of the population of Brazil is under twenty and it is seen that if the population is not controlled, then the major child birth rate influx can prove to be a more dangerous strain on the economy. It is a country that is going through phases of development and there are regions with modern communication methods and power structures but the interior of the country still relies on the traditional power structure (Eakin, 104-106). In conclusion, Brazil is a country that promises a future of emergence amongst the third world nations and has the potential of making a name for itself on the basis of its sound economic and political foundation disregarding the ethnic problem it has faced since, the colonial rule. If the country can emerge out of the economic disparity of the rich and poor, plus make changes in its political system then it is bound to progress at a rapid pace in the global community. Mexico, on the other hand is located in the North America with the Caribbean Sea and the gulf of Mexico at its borders. It is a Latin country with Enrique Pena Nieto as its president of the PRI party. Mexico and Brazil are believed to have many similarities but when looked from a closer perspective, the two differ majorly (Central Intelligence Agency). It is estimated that in January, the economy grew by 0.22% and it is believed that unlike Brazil it is continuously targeting its manufacturing and services department for economical progression. Brazil and Mexico both are oil contributors but it is seen that the constructional development in Mexico is still very limited and the economy is flourishing on the basis of food and beverages (Flannery). Mexico does have the power to sustain itself on a much stronger ground economically because the country is progressing economically at a rate of 2.6% on year terms, which is not bad for a country that has been so under developed (Flannery). Mexico is progressing at a faster rate as compared to the other Latin countries but at the same time a large population of Mexicans is poor and falls below the poverty line. It has an inadequate distribution of wealth making up a large margin between the poor and the rich of the country. The country is divided on wealth basis into three parts where the north side is in comparison rich as compared to the south which is the poorest. The country has one of the richest man on the world that is Carlos Slim but it is seen that one out of five Mexicans survive on just two dollars a day-that make up their daily income. In such a case it can be said that equal opportunity does not exist in the country and inequality prevails (Ruiz 2-3). Economic disparity as in Brazil is blamed on the colonial rule but in Mexico it is thought that the industrial revolution was the major trigger in the difference between the income of the rich and the poor of the country (Ruiz 5). There is a relationship between the European market and the third world Latin countries which Pierre Jaffee calls “pillage of the third world”, which can be owed to the capitalist European market making a use of cheap labor in Mexico and exploiting workers to manufacture goods on low income (Ruiz 6-7). This can explain the gap of income and wealth between the Mexican nation in general. It is seen that Mexico is doing better than Brazil but the country is known for being a major drug producing nation and transit nation and it is included in the world’s second largest opium poppy cultivation which led to major manufacturing of heroin and other related drugs. Brazil on the other hand does not have a major drug problem nor does it level up to Mexico when it comes to the Drug war. The United States being the neighbor of Mexico is the victim of illicit drugs with it contributing to the marijuana and methamphetamine market in the United States (Central Intelligence Agency). In conclusion, Latin American countries are going through rapid progression rates where they are trying to fight both political turmoil and corruption while facing internal drug wars all at the same time. It is early to say that which Latin American state will emerge as a major reform maker in the Global community because there is economic disparity and the gap between the rich and poor which needs attention and bridging. It is not only these two countries in talk but many other which are fighting internal conflicts. Brazil is facing internal corruption and governmental problems where it seems the government is robbing its own people while Mexico is fighting its own drug war and economic disparity that has made a large gap between the rich and the poor of the country. Works Cited Eakin, Marshall C. Brazil: The Once and Future Country. New York: St. Martins Griffin, 1998. Print. Ruiz, Ramón E. Mexico: Why a Few Are Rich and the People Poor. Berkeley [u.a.: Univ. of California Press, 2010. Print. Rapoza, Kenneth. "Brazil Is Going To Hell In A Handbasket." Forbes 2015. Web. 2 Apr. 2015. The Economist,. "Corruption in Brazil: Taxmen on the take." Finance and Economic: The Economist. 2015. Web. 2 Apr. 2015. Central Intelligence Agency."The World Factbook". CIA.gov. 2015. Web. 2 Apr. 2015. Flannery, Nathaniel. "Will Mexicos Economy Bounce Back In 2015?".Forbes. 2015. Web. 2 Apr. 2015. Read More