by Ted Bauman
The Sovereign Investor
Costa Rica is an unusual place.
For starters, its army was disbanded shortly after World War II in order to take military coups out of the political equation. It’s been peaceful ever since, unlike its Central American neighbors.
Like Uruguay farther south, Costa Rica has a strong track record of good governance, strong economic growth and good policies on individual rights, human development and care for the environment. Thanks to its military-free budget, it has a highly educated population, low inequality and correspondingly low crime.
The country’s focus on good living rather than political squabbling has allowed it to move from dependence on coffee and banana exports to a diversified economy embracing medical and ecotourism, pharmaceuticals and software. It has good infrastructure and communications services.