Today I am speaking in Spanish at an FIU conference for 500 Mayors from across Latin America. A summary of my comments follows:
- Typically the most effective government in Latin America is at the state and city level. At this level there is greater effectiveness in decisions and greater accountability. This is particularly true in Mexico and Argentina. Uruguay would be a notable exception in terms of the quality of the federal government.
- State and city governments need to focus on the three basics--health, housing and education--in order to have any real impact
- OLPC is the solution to the education issue and there are many different ways to fund a project
- Education is a key issue across Latin America with voters, especially the poorer voters
- To advance politically Mayors should focus on education
