Is Costa Rica socialist or Quasi-socialist?

[BayCityProgressive]

A family member of mine just returned from Costa Rica and had a great time. Apparently the wild life and scenery is amazing. He mentioned that they have a universal healthcare and education system. He also said they have no standing military. I did some more research into the country and saw that things like medicine, alcohol, telecommunications, energy companies, mass transport ect are all nationalized and unions are present. there are also minimum wage laws and they have a social security safety net. So is Costa Rica one of the more socialized economies in the world?

[Thickasabrick]

1. I'm not sure but they couldn't be all bad because they admit they

were wrong to join Iraq coalition of the "willing". Maybe countries will think twice before they jump at what the US asks them to do.

Costa Rica wants its name erased from the list of countries supporting the invasion of Iraq. But the United States says that's not possible.

The Costa Rican government initially supported the invasion, but public sentiment was never strong and polls show now that most Costa Ricans oppose the war.

Opponents of the fighting took the name issue to the country's Supreme Court, which ruled the references to support should be removed.

While the U.S. government removed the Central American nation from the list of the so-called "coalition of the willing" in 2004, it still appears in archive documents and on related Internet Web sites that haven't been updated.

<http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060623/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/costa_rica_us_iraq;_ylt=AoSLEdcbdVPuDrjFugefCSRvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM->

[BayCityProgressive]

2. they also have no critical recrds

on Amnesty International that I can find. The death penalty is abolished.

[mitchtv]

3. More than half of the country is under some kind

of eco-protection
Prostitution is legal
food is good and cheap

[BayCityProgressive]

4. I read that as well.

So if nearly half of the land is under federal jurisdiction for environmental protection, many of the major industries are nationalized, universal healthcare and education, and an exemplary human rights record and multi-party democracy are all in place...wouldn't this be a pretty close model of democratic socialism?

[pitohui]

5. yes it is a much admired nation

and this is why you have people beating down the doors to get in and prices of property rising so high, altho probably not high by california or new york standards

many, many, many canadian and usa ex-pats living there

[mitchtv]

6. I have been there several times

It is where I will go if I have to leave

[robinlynne]

7. not socialized. It is quite capitalist. but it is a small country, and

wealthy as a nation.

[WindRavenX]

8. I would like to retire to CR

nt

[arcos]

9. CR is pretty contradictory, although we're considered a socialdemocracy...

At least that's what we consider ourselves, a socialdemocracy in the same mold as Scandinavia, although third world style because we are not rich.

Yes, there's universal healthcare and universal education. The government is the sole owner of the alcohol, telecommunications, electricity, gas refining, and insurance companies, and it has a monopoly over these markets and services. Some of these (telecommunications and insurance) will probably change within a year, when CAFTA is ratified and implemented, and all the others will change after Oscar Arias leaves the Presidency, if he gets what we wants (and he probably will).

However, our tax system is pretty regressive; we have a 13% sales tax while big companies get tax breaks and the rich find loopholes to avoid paying their dues. Also, while we have no standing army, there's no such thing as "church and state separation"... in fact, the Catholic Church is mentioned in the Constitution as the "official religion". And yes, while prostitution is legal, abortion is not, only when the life of the woman is in danger.