Imagen de España: ¿Cómo nos ven desde el Economist?

IEI - En abril publicaba el Economist un artículo sobre la campaña 'Made in/Made by Spain' con motivo de su lanzamiento en EEUU, artículo recogido en la web del FMR (Foro de MArcas Renombradas) http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13447445.
Pero ahora, ya sin escribir al dictado, otro de sus artículos nos recuerda que la Imagen de España es un todo, en el que cada pieza cuenta, en el que cada comentario, opinión hay que ganársela, también dentro del país.

¿Ayuda esta imagen transmitida por el Economist a las empresas españolas en su internacionalización?
¿Es esto lo que realmente necesitan? Esta imagen de España (Alice in Zapateroland, en otro artículo, ver nota 2) es muy negativa y perjudicial. Y frena los esfuerzos en marcha para mejorarla, los empresariales y los privados.
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Fuente: el Economist, 30 julio 2009
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14130653
Spain's happy-go-lucky government - When good politics is bad economics
Jul 30th 2009 - From The Economist print edition
The prime minister’s aversion to tough decisions risks prolonging the slump

AS SPAIN’S prime minister heads off for his summer holiday, he has some cause for satisfaction. Although his country is mired in recession, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero stands out among the small band of centre-left heads of government in Europe because he has managed to keep his head more or less above the political waters (see article). Next door in Portugal, the socialist government looks headed for defeat in an election in September; so does Britain’s Labour government next year. But Mr Zapatero’s Socialist party has slipped only slightly behind the opposition People’s Party, according to an opinion poll this week. Even if Mr Zapatero himself is less popular than he was, he still bests Mariano Rajoy, the plodding opposition leader. That is despite an unemployment rate that has shot up to 19%, double the average in the euro area.

In clearing his desk, Mr Zapatero pulled off a couple of deals that will shore up his position. First, he clinched an agreement over changes to the financing of Spain’s autonomous regional governments (see article). This will give more money to Catalonia, and should earn him the backing of Catalan nationalist parties for the budget vote in parliament in the autumn. Without their support, the budget might bring down his government, since his party lacks a parliamentary majority. Second, he sided with the trade unions to block demands from business leaders to reform Spain’s two-tier labour market. That has seen off the risk of a general strike.

For all their tactical political deftness, these agreements carry an economic cost for Spain. They are, alas, typical of Mr Zapatero’s way of governing. By his refusal to countenance unpopular measures and his habit of showering public money on any problem, he risks prolonging the recession.

Spain’s decade of growth has come to a painful end. In contrast to much of Europe, which is home to a few green shoots (see article), Spain’s economy still looks as arid as the meseta. True, other European economies may contract more than the 4% decline the IMF forecasts for Spain this year (for that Mr Zapatero and his government’s big fiscal stimulus deserve some credit). The problem is that the recession looks set to drag on much longer in Spain than elsewhere; many forecasters see no recovery before the end of 2010.

That is because Spain’s problems stem not just from the global crisis, but from weaknesses at home. Its growth was based on low-skilled, labour-intensive industries such as house-building and tourism. Although 1m homes remain unsold, construction still accounted for 10% of GDP in the first quarter of this year—twice its share in Britain. Spain needs to use the time bought by deficit spending to reshape its economy.

An expensive, poorly educated labour force
That means reforming not just the dysfunctional education system but also the disastrous labour market. Mr Zapatero refuses “to cheapen the firing” of the two-thirds of the workforce on permanent contracts, who must be paid 45 days for each year of service if they are laid off. His refusal blunts the incentive to hire. Collective-bargaining rules mean that wages for the country’s labour aristocracy are rising even as prices are falling. Since Spain, a euro member, can no longer devalue, its businesses are becoming even less competitive.

An initially strong fiscal position is rapidly eroding, with the budget deficit heading for 12% of GDP this year. If growth remains elusive, investors will soon demand a higher return on the government’s bonds. But Mr Zapatero is spending regardless. Catalonia had something of a case for a bigger slice of the cake. But it looks as if the regional financing deal will add another percentage point of GDP to the deficit.

Mr Zapatero seems to be counting on inertia to pull his country out of its slump, allowing him to win a third term in 2012. He will be lucky to get away with it. Even if he does, it is a formula for the Italianisation of Spain. Put off the pain of reform now—and recovery will take longer. As Spaniards head for la playa, it is time their government told them so. "

(see article: enlaces a anteriores artículos)
nota 1.
nota 2. http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14140429
nota 3.
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Lo que hacemos para mejorar esa imagen: 'Made in/by Spain'
Fuente 1: http://www.elblogsalmon.com/sectores/made-inby-spain
Fuente 2: expansion y foro de marcas renombradas
http://www.marcasrenombradas.com/noticia/573/
http://www.marcasrenombradas.com/noticia/570/
Fuente 3: http://www.wharton.universia.net/index.cfm?fa=viewArticle&ID=1686
Fuente 4: http://www.icex.es/icex/cda/controller/pageICEX/0,6558,5518394_6422915_5589197_0_0_-1,00.html

IEI - hay más, y todo este trabajo da para otro post. Prometido.
Expansion, 15 de agosto 2009, gabriel masfurroll, USP, miembro del FMR

http://www.iob.es/wps/portal/usp/sobre-usp?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/es/WebUSP/SobreUsp/Presidencia/Articulos/2009/ (sin actualizartodavía con el artículo)
> enviar pdf a FMR cuando lo actualicen.