“Paper OutlineIntroduction
Key problems facing the economy of PeruPerus economic policiesConclusion
References
Economic Statistics of Peru
Introduction
The geographical location of Peru is the South America continent. The country borders the South Pacific Ocean between the republic of Chile and Ecuador. Peru has a population of approximately 20 million. According to the World Bank about 12 million citizens are poor while about three million people live in absolute poverty (Aswathappa 20). Despite this economic status the country has been rated among the fastest growing countries globally. The economy of Peru has been influenced by some policies introduced by the government which includes; macroeconomic stability prudent fiscal spending high international reserve accumulation external debt reduction achievement of investment grade status and fiscal surpluses. The Peruvian economy has been growing by an average of 6.4% per year since 2002 (The WorldFactbook 1). Perus dependence on minerals and metal export which are the main source of foreign exchange. Therefore the economy is subject to fluctuations when global prices change. Like most of the developing countries which rely on agriculture Peru is affected by fluctuations in agricultural prices (Mark. 120).
Perus Annual Growth rate (Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2005-2008)Statistics
2005
2006
2007
2008Gross National Product
6.8
7.7
8.9
9.8Gross domestic product
5.6
6.5
7.6
8.6Investment and saving
17.9
20.0
22.9
26.6Balance of payment
1148
2854
1220
4180Source: The WorldFactbook
Key problems facing the economy of Peru
Peru like many other developing countries faces economic problems which range from eminent poverty levels among most of the citizens in the country political instability relying mostly on agriculture and political problems. The poverty level may be contributed by poor education; few skills and technology which make the country lag behind in terms of economic development. Even though the government has established education institutions not all citizens have the financial capacity to pay for the services. In addition the some citizens cannot access quality health services. This has caused the mortality to increase because the poor people cannot access health care services. Poor health among citizens can be solved by developing a better policy formulation. The government should invest in creating a better infrastructurein the rural areas to improve on social amenities that expose people to better living standards. Political stability affects the economic growth of the country. The government can provide cheap and affordable education for the citizens and they gain skills to carry out development changes in their locality (The WorldFactbook 1). The other problem facing Peru is the lack of proper and modern transportation facilities. The Government has failed to implement reliable infrastructure in rural areas and this has caused poor road network (The World Bank 1).
Perus economic policies.
Several policies have been adopted to protect the economy from failure. The government supports the financial institutions to ensure that the economy is good. In addition the government has sought the help of international bodies such as the WorldBank IMF and others. The international organizations have provided loans to the country. The government has established development projects to improve the economic performance (The World Bank 1). The government collects revenue from taxation and the issue of trade licenses. It spends money through the provision of services like education health and security. The government funds its expenditure from borrowing which may either be internal or external. Internal borrowing helps the country to check on the level of inflation by lowering the money volume in circulation. The government of Peru uses fiscal policy to control its spending (Morales 15).
The government also applies monetary and exchange rate policy. Monetary policy can be defined as the action of the central bank and other regulatory committee of a country to determine and control the supply of money. The policies target the interest rates for the purpose of economic growth and stability. Monetary policy is controlled through actions like increasing or decreasing the interest rate of the central bank to commercial banks. This has a direct effect on the supply and demand of money on the current markets (The World Bank 1). Money supply is maintained when the level of interest rate is lowered or increased to match the current economic trend in a country. Since 2007 the inflation of Peru has been caused by the rising international prices and low demand of the major commodities of Peru like minerals. Therefore the government had to devise ways to deal with the rising inflation for the economy of the country to stabilize. The impact of the financial crisis has been experienced in the financial markets. In 2008 the stock market indicators deteriorated sharply but the authority adopted measures to curb the crisis. The interest rates were lowered to favor the local market and the economy stabilized (The WorldFactbook 1).
Trade policy has also been implemented in Peru. Peru has continually been involved in international trade in market minerals and agricultural products. The products are exported to the neighboring countries like Chile Argentina and Brazil. By February 2009 Peru had entered into a free trade agreement with the United States and the European Union. This has been of great help to the countrys private sector which continues to grow steadily over the years. The trade agreements have caused economic growth and stability of the country. International trade has been vital to the countrys economy because Peru has repaid foreign debts. Peru has utilized most of its rich agricultural land to grow and expand its national capacity to feed the nation and export the surplus to the neighboring countries. Its main agricultural export is cocoa. Farmers have been educated on modern methods of farming to produce the highest output from the farms. Modern animal husbandry has practiced in the rural areas. Agriculture has been a viable economic activity which ensures the country has food throughout the year. Industries process the harvested food stuffs and create jobs. Multinational firms are established in Peru to take advantage of the increase in the market for the processed products (Mark 112).
Conclusion.
Like many other developing countries around the world Peru has its share of the economic problem and political instability. Perus economy has improved given the government role to implement good economic policies. The policies range from monetary policy to fiscal policy where the money supply and demand are controlled. Better spending by the government has ensuredthat the citizens have good healthcare structure and the education system. The level of literacy in Peru has risen because many schools have been built. The poverty level in the country is declining because affordable health care is available. In addition there is an increase in the number of hospitals in the country. This has led to better living standard and lowerthe mortality rate.
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