So the “Doing Business in 2010” World Bank report (which IKN mentioned in passing two days ago) is doing the rounds of the chattering classes and of course LatAm’s worst journalist* gets on the bandwagon. He actually starts off by making the fair, though blindingly obvious, point that LatAm has suffered, suffers and will continue to suffer from a massive overdose of bureaucracy. He compares the region to Asia and LatAm is found wanting. OK, fair enough, it’s 6th grader stuff but it’s true. However he can’t help getting on his fave hobbyhorse and saying….
In Venezuela and Bolivia, it’s forbidden for a business owner to fire an employee — no matter if the latter spends the day sleeping on the job. Venezuela and Bolivia are the world champions of employment rigidity, according to the study.
…which proves three things:
1) He’s a liar (but we knew that already). Really, it’s total tosh. This is what comes of writing about places you never visit. Forbidden to fire an employee? I mean where do you start or finish with this? In the end you can only say “No, that’s 100% wrong” and be done.
2) He hasn’t read the report (too important to do any DD, probly). In no place does it say anything close to that. It mentions there are regulations on dismissals, but they’re something every country has to some degree. If he wants to take issue with the tightness or laxity of said controls well fine, but why talk balderdash? What’s the point, really? Are we supposed to take him seriously on anything here?
3) He can’t count (Venezuela comes in 19th place on his “world champ’s” table and Bolivia 17th, not even making the top ten, let alone the medal positions).
I try to limit my cusswords on IKN, but sometimes they are necessary. The guy’s an asshole.
*and oh my stars there’s competition for that one