Paraguay

Paraguay, a landlocked country with a population of just under 7 million people, is situated in the heart of South America. One of the last of the continent’s countries to overcome dictatorship, Paraguay began a slow move towards democracy in 1989. Notwithstanding Paraguay’s difficult past, the country has become one of the most dynamic economies in the region, with annual growth rates well above the OECD and Latin American averages. Thanks to a strong macroeconomic performance and to important structural reforms, many Paraguayans have overcome poverty and middle classes have started to emerge.

Strong institutions are essential to creating wealth and maintaining peace, order and security. In turn, good governance is fundamental to the legitimacy of institutions and to delivering high-quality goods and services to people. This chapter investigates aspects associated with good governance. It starts by analysing features of the Paraguayan democracy and the rule of law. It then looks at the public-sector integrity framework and existing strategies to fight corruption, followed by an assessment of the strategies to promote openness, which include transparency, citizen participation and accountability. Later, it describes the co-ordination mechanisms between different government institutions and levels. Subsequently it looks at the satisfaction with public services by socio-economic groups and if these differences could signal the lack of a differentiated response towards vulnerable groups. It ends by arguing that a solid basis of high-quality official statistics is required to support policy making and enhance transparency in Paraguay.

Paraguay has become one of the most dynamic economies on the continent, with annual economic growth rates well above the OECD and Latin American averages. Thanks to a strong macroeconomic performance and to important structural reforms, many Paraguayans have overcome poverty and the size of the middle class has grown significantly.

Paraguay ha obtenido unos buenos resultados en varias dimensiones de desarrollo desde 2003. El país ha formulado una ambiciosa visión de desarrollo, con el horizonte puesto en 2030, y un Plan Nacional de Desarrollo (PND) con miras a colmar esa ambición. Persisten desafíos que dificultan sostener el desempeño económico, hacer más inclusivo el patrón de desarrollo y reforzar el proceso de desarrollo institucional del país. El Estudio Multidimensional de País (EMDP) tiene por objetivo apoyar al país en la consecución de sus objetivos de desarrollo. El primer volumen identifica los principales obstáculos para el desarrollo del país. Este capítulo presenta su desempeño en materia de desarrollo desde una perspectiva comparativa e histórica, lo evalúa a través de varios resultados de bienestar y, basándose en los principales resultados del volumen, identifica los principales obstáculos para el desarrollo de Paraguay.

Paraguay has performed well in a range of development outcomes since 2003. The country has set out an ambitious development vision with the horizon of 2030 and a National Development Plan to meet that ambition. Challenges remain to sustain economic performance, increase the inclusivity of the country’s development pattern and buttress the process of institutional development. The objective of the Multi-dimensional Country Review (MDCR) is to support Paraguay in achieving its development objectives. The first volume identifies the key constraints to development in the country. This chapter presents the country’s development performance from a comparative and historical perspective, assesses performance across a range of well-being outcomes and, on the basis of the main results of the volume, identifies the key constraints to development in the country.

El progreso económico y social de Paraguay se ha acelerado desde 2003. Después de un prolongado período de inestabilidad económica y política, el país experimentó un crecimiento más fuerte al de la mayoría de los países de la región (con su PIB creciendo al 4% en 2016) y mostró resiliencia frente a las dificultades de sus vecinos y socios comerciales clave. Sobre la base de un desempeño económico sólido, el país ha reducido a más de la mitad su tasa de pobreza y ha ampliado el acceso a la salud y a la educación.