Venezuela -- Replace the UN with FIFA? Just think of the "oil-for-food" deals in Iraq and then imagine how a UN-sponsored World Cup might turn out. Frightful. But as a leading economic indicator, the World Cup tells us to buy!
But now consider FIFA's track record on boosting its host countries' economies. I have been looking at some figures gathered by the Center for American Progress and they are quite persuasive. As John S. irons points out in a June 7, 2006 posting, "economic growth in the years following a World Cup appears to be strong: In nine of the 13 World Cups since 1954, economic growth has been faster in the two years following the World Cup than in the year of the event. Furthermore, being both the host and the winner of the World Cup has led to a triple blessing: The four countries that have hosted and won the World Cup have seen an increase in growth rate in the two years following the event."
Here's a final trivia question: Which are those four countries?
Please e-mail PostGlobal if you'd like to receive an email notification when PostGlobal sends out a new question.
