Abstract
Ecuador is a developing nation that has gone through much political turmoil in its past, however it is now settling down and is desperate to get better in all aspects. One of the main problems Ecuador has is its health care, and through IT services this can be helped.
Geography
Ecuador is located on the Northwestern coast of South America. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean at the equator, and it is squeezed between Columbia and Peru. The Pacific Ocean is to the East, Colombia is to the North, and Peru is to the South. The area is 283,561 square kilometers. It is slightly smaller than the state of Nevada. [2]
People
The ethnic breakdown of Ecuador’s population is: 65% Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white), 25% is Amerindian, 7% Spanish and others, and 3% is black. Roman Catholic is the majority religion of Ecuador. The July 2012 estimate of the population is 15,233,680 and is growing at 1.419%. The birth rate is 19.6 births per 1000 population in 2012. The Ecuadorian life expectancy is 75.94 years. The literacy percentage is 91. [2]
Government
Throughout Ecuador’s history, the nation has been caught in endless cycles of political instability. They have struggled to develop a working constitution and have had weak institutions. [1]
The current government of Ecuador is a republic. The conventional long name is Republic of Ecuador. Quito is the capital of Ecuador. In Ecuador there has been 20 different constitutions, with the most recent being in October of 2008. Throughout Ecuador’s history they have been many changes of power.
The current government of Ecuador has been shaped by the latest constitution that was introduced in October of 2008. The legal system is based on Chilean civil code with modifications. There are 24 administrative divisions. There are 3 branches of government: an Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch.[2] This constitution provides for 4-year terms of office for the president, vice president, and members of the National Assembly. Presidents may be consecutively re-elected for an additional term. [4]
The Executive Branch consists of the president and cabinet. The president appoints the cabinet. Currently, Rafael Correa is the elected president of Ecuador.[2] There are currently 38 cabinet members.[4] The Legislative Branch consists of a unicameral National Assembly. The Judicial Branch consists of the National Court of Justice, Constitutional Court, Provincial Courts, ordinary civil and criminal judges, and the Prosecutor General's office. [1]
Development Environment
President Correa is the longest-serving president since the 1979 return to democracy. He is the first since 1979 to have sustained popularity throughout the country, and is popular amongst a broad array of class and demographic groups. His economic priorities include higher social spending, increased government control over strategic sectors, and ensuring a greater share of natural resource revenues for the state. Correa’s administration has increased efforts to strengthen and diversify its political and economic ties with countries in Latin America, Europe, and Asia in order to promote economic cooperation. [1]
Ecuador adopted the dollar as its national currency in 2000 following a major recession, which led to stability in the economy. [1]
In late 2010 the government enacted a Production, Trade, and Investment Code, which was intended to develop production of higher value-added products. [1]
One of Ecuador’s main exports is oil, which is produced primarily by the government. In late 2011, the government renegotiated all oil concession contracts, which increased the states share of national oil production from 62% in 2010 to 72% in 2011. [1]
Geography
Ecuador is located on the Northwestern coast of South America. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean at the equator, and it is squeezed between Columbia and Peru. The Pacific Ocean is to the East, Colombia is to the North, and Peru is to the South. The area is 283,561 square kilometers. It is slightly smaller than the state of Nevada. [2]
People
The ethnic breakdown of Ecuador’s population is: 65% Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white), 25% is Amerindian, 7% Spanish and others, and 3% is black. Roman Catholic is the majority religion of Ecuador. The July 2012 estimate of the population is 15,233,680 and is growing at 1.419%. The birth rate is 19.6 births per 1000 population in 2012. The Ecuadorian life expectancy is 75.94 years. The literacy percentage is 91. [2]
Government
Throughout Ecuador’s history, the nation has been caught in endless cycles of political instability. They have struggled to develop a working constitution and have had weak institutions. [1]
The current government of Ecuador is a republic. The conventional long name is Republic of Ecuador. Quito is the capital of Ecuador. In Ecuador there has been 20 different constitutions, with the most recent being in October of 2008. Throughout Ecuador’s history they have been many changes of power.
The current government of Ecuador has been shaped by the latest constitution that was introduced in October of 2008. The legal system is based on Chilean civil code with modifications. There are 24 administrative divisions. There are 3 branches of government: an Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch.[2] This constitution provides for 4-year terms of office for the president, vice president, and members of the National Assembly. Presidents may be consecutively re-elected for an additional term. [4]
The Executive Branch consists of the president and cabinet. The president appoints the cabinet. Currently, Rafael Correa is the elected president of Ecuador.[2] There are currently 38 cabinet members.[4] The Legislative Branch consists of a unicameral National Assembly. The Judicial Branch consists of the National Court of Justice, Constitutional Court, Provincial Courts, ordinary civil and criminal judges, and the Prosecutor General's office. [1]
Development Environment
President Correa is the longest-serving president since the 1979 return to democracy. He is the first since 1979 to have sustained popularity throughout the country, and is popular amongst a broad array of class and demographic groups. His economic priorities include higher social spending, increased government control over strategic sectors, and ensuring a greater share of natural resource revenues for the state. Correa’s administration has increased efforts to strengthen and diversify its political and economic ties with countries in Latin America, Europe, and Asia in order to promote economic cooperation. [1]
Ecuador adopted the dollar as its national currency in 2000 following a major recession, which led to stability in the economy. [1]
In late 2010 the government enacted a Production, Trade, and Investment Code, which was intended to develop production of higher value-added products. [1]
One of Ecuador’s main exports is oil, which is produced primarily by the government. In late 2011, the government renegotiated all oil concession contracts, which increased the states share of national oil production from 62% in 2010 to 72% in 2011. [1]