WASHINGTON, March 6 (Hina) - Croatia ranks 23rd on U.S. magazine Foreign Policy's Globalisation Index for 2004.
WASHINGTON, March 6 (Hina) - Croatia ranks 23rd on U.S. magazine
Foreign Policy's Globalisation Index for 2004.#L#
Ireland tops the ranking made by the Washington-based magazine and the
A.T. Kearney management consulting firm for the third consecutive
year, followed by Singapore, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
This year's report, which is the fourth annual survey and is based on
data from 2002, measures the economic integration, personal contact,
technological connectivity and political engagement of 62 world
countries which account for 96 percent of the global GDP and 84
percent of the world's population.
This year Croatia ranks a high 23rd place, above more developed
countries like Italy and Japan and transition countries like Hungary
and Poland, Foreign Policy says in its March/April issue.
Countries in central and east Europe have reinforced their economic
ties with the rest of the world and direct investments, despite the
global declining trend, have gone up 19 percent as said countries
prepare to join the European Union.
Compared to last year's Globalisation Index Croatia lost one place,
not due to its weakness but to the dramatic jump of Slovenia and
Slovakia, which was in part the result of the privatisation of
state-owned companies.
Slovenia achieved the best ranking in the region, going up six places,
to Number 19, thus making the Top 20 for the first time. Slovakia is
ranked 21st.
According to the Globalisation Index, people in more global countries
tend to live longer and healthier, while women have more social
freedoms, economic and educational opportunities.
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