As a student of the University of Washington I was instructed to present an economic comparison of two nations from GDP research for a managerial economics course.

1. COSTA RICA
VS.
UNITED STATES
Kymberly Baldwin & Megan McDaniel
1993-2013

2. PRESIDENTS
Bill Clinton Rafael Angel Calderon Fournier
George W. Bush
Miguel Angel Rodriguez
Abel Pacheco
Oscar Arias
Jose Maria Figueres Olsen
Barack Obama
Laura Chinchilla Miranda
United States Costa Rica

3. BREAK-DOWN OF GDP
GDP = C + I + G + NX
C – 75%
I – 21%
G – 8%
NX – (4%)
C – 71%
I – 11%
G – 21%
NX – (3%)

4. GDP PER CAPITA
3518.3
4876.3
8051.6
30849.3
42659
48745.4
17183.8
23767.7
28398.5
0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
1993-2000 2001-2008 2009-2013
Costa Rica United States Average

5. Costa Rica (Import) United States (Import)

6. Costa Rica (Export) United States (Export)

7. UNEMPLOYMENT
Costa Rica Vs. United States
Free Trade Agreement
Gaming and Sports book industry
Outsourcing
• Crime
• Nicaraguan workers
• Majority are low-paid
• Unemployment Insurance (Seguro de Desempleo)
Discrimination among…Teens and Adults over 40,
Women, Disabilities, Rural Communities, Immigrants,
Lower Education, Liberal Arts Degree
Costa Rica Average Unemployment = 6.03%
United States Average Unemployment = 5.98%

8. INFLATION
Costa Rica United States
Average Inflation Rate per Year = 10.4% Average Inflation Rate per Year = 1.9%
The CPI is calculated by taking price changes for each item in the predetermined basket of goods and services and averaging them. The items weight
according to their importance. Depending on the country, the highest weights are usually given to the food, energy, housing, clothing, medical care,
transportation and household equipment.
19
18
11
9
8.6
7
4 1
Food & Beverage
Transportation
Rent
Furnature
Resturant & Hotel
Entertainment
Communication
Alcohol & Tabacco
31
20
14
10
6
5.5
Shelter
Commodities
Food
Energy
Transportation
Medical

9. World Data Base of Happieness; Scale 1-10
Average self-reported happiness
1st Costa Rica (8.5)
20th The United States (7.4)
Happy life years
Average self-reported happiness with life expectancy
1st Costa Rica
19th The United States
Happy Planet Index
Happiness and longevity but adjusts for environmental
impact
1st Costa Rica
114th The United States
Misery Index

10. C i t a t i o n s
"Costa Rica - GDP - Real Growth Rate - Historical Data Graphs
per Year." Costa Rica - GDP - Real Growth Rate - Historical
Data Graphs per Year. Index Mundi, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"The World Factbook." Central Intelligence Agency. Central
Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2014.
"WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION." World Trade Organization.
N.p., 01 May 1995. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"Costa Rica: Country Overview." Costa Rica: Country
Overview. The World Bank Group, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.
"Background Notes: Costa Rica, 11/96." Background Notes:
Costa Rica, 11/96. Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, n.d. Web.
06 Mar. 2014.
Veenhoven, R. (201?)
Happiness in The Netherlands
World Database of Happiness, Erasmus University Rotterdam
Assessed on (date)
at: http://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/hap_nat/nat_fp.php?
cntry=24&name=Netherlands&mode=3
The internet address of separate finding reports appears at the
bottom of prints
Kristof, Nicholas. "The Happiest People." The New York Times.
The New York Times, 06 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.
Amadeo, Kimberly. "Unemployment Rate." About.com US
Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014.