Global Q&A: ‘How is your country coping with the global economic crisis?’

Epoch Times reporters asked: “How is your country coping with the global economic crisis?”
Global Q&A: ‘How is your country coping with the global economic crisis?’
Albano Loureiros, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Updated:

A sense of insecurity, lost jobs, and growth in education and business are among the difficulties and positive outcomes being experienced worldwide. This is what The Epoch Times reporters from Spain to the Philippines discovered when they asked locals around the world: “How is your country coping with the global economic crisis?”

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/100621_Rio_de_Janeiro_Brazil_Albano_Loureiros2_cc_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/100621_Rio_de_Janeiro_Brazil_Albano_Loureiros2_cc_medium.jpg" alt="Albano Loureiros, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil." title="Albano Loureiros, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil." width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-107782"/></a>
Albano Loureiros, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Albano Loureiros, 55, Trade Representative

Brazil was affected in exports. ... Chinese products have continued to enter [the country]. But now I’m noticing some growth at the level of industrial production. If it’s growing here, then it’s coping.

 

 

 

 


<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Week71_Arturo_Spain_cc_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Week71_Arturo_Spain_cc_medium.jpg" alt="Arturo Delgado, Canary Islands, Spain." title="Arturo Delgado, Canary Islands, Spain." width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-107783"/></a>
Arturo Delgado, Canary Islands, Spain.
Canary Islands, Spain
Arturo Delgado, 64, University Head of Finance Dept.

As a first approach, I would say that in the initial stages of the economic crisis, Spain’s government was paralyzed, and let things unfold without reacting to it, that was a mess. Now we are obliged because of the circumstances and the requisites of being a member of the European Union, several measures have been taken, hard ones, so what we can do at this moment is wait and see if macroeconomic ratios begin to change, which would be a sign of hope.

 

 

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/20100621_Phillipines_ervic_2_cc_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/20100621_Phillipines_ervic_2_cc_medium.jpg" alt="Ervic Deleon, Philippines (living in Dubai)." title="Ervic Deleon, Philippines (living in Dubai)." width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-107784"/></a>
Ervic Deleon, Philippines (living in Dubai).
Philippines (living in Dubai)
Ervic Deleon, 39, Store Supervisor

The Filipino people still work abroad because there is more opportunity, and they are using their own cars less, so they take the public transport. The government is trying its best to do something about the crisis, but still the Filipino people are suffering a lot during this economic crisis.

 

 

 

 


<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/100620_UK_KatieWoodhead_JamesPoulter_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/100620_UK_KatieWoodhead_JamesPoulter_medium.jpg" alt="Katie Woodhead, Sheffield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom." title="Katie Woodhead, Sheffield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom." width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-107785"/></a>
Katie Woodhead, Sheffield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
Sheffield, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Katie Woodhead, 48, Teacher

I think the main impact has been a general sense of insecurity. Of course, some people have felt it directly and lost their jobs, but for me, it is a feeling of insecurity, of not knowing how things are going to pan out. And also, there are cuts in services, and I am concerned about the impact it will have on my daughter’s education. I hope the government is painting a bleaker picture than it really is, so they can turn around and say, ‘Look how well we’ve done.’

 

 


<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/20100613_Italy_Piero_Lavino_Veronica_Melelli_cc_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/20100613_Italy_Piero_Lavino_Veronica_Melelli_cc_medium.jpg" alt="Piero Lavino, Cossato (Biella), Italy." title="Piero Lavino, Cossato (Biella), Italy." width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-107786"/></a>
Piero Lavino, Cossato (Biella), Italy.
Cossato (Biella), Italy
Piero Lavino, 64, Business Consultant

In my opinion, the crisis extends from the fact that we are governed badly—there is corruption, a widespread sense of impunity. There is a culture that it is normal to defend oneself and not worry if everything goes wrong. The crisis is managed very badly, because there is no attempt to remedy the things that are the real cause. In my opinion, Italy wouldn’t go so badly if we were governed in a better way, and if there were more correct behaviors.

 

 


<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/TheNetherlands_economic_crisis_cc_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/TheNetherlands_economic_crisis_cc_medium.jpg" alt="Michiel Verlaat, The Netherlands." title="Michiel Verlaat, The Netherlands." width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-107787"/></a>
Michiel Verlaat, The Netherlands.
The Netherlands
Michiel Verlaat, 23, Web Designer

You notice by, first of all, unemployment rates and secondly by the unrest. And also, the political unrest, we’ve just had our national elections, and it was all about the crisis. It is hard to imagine that whole companies are going bankrupt, but actually, I have enough work. I’m not affected really. We’re doing it ourselves: being afraid, we stop buying things and then, yes, of course, there will be a crisis.

 

 

 


<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/20100621_Australia_PeterKentwell_cc_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/20100621_Australia_PeterKentwell_cc_medium.jpg" alt="Peter Kentwell, Gold Coast, Australia." title="Peter Kentwell, Gold Coast, Australia." width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-107788"/></a>
Peter Kentwell, Gold Coast, Australia.
Gold Coast, Australia
Peter Kentwell, 51, Fraud Investigations

From all accounts—be they media, political, also I’m an ABC radio avid listener, so I’m hearing it from both academic points of view as well—it would seem as though this country so far is fairing the economic global crisis better than just about any other established country in the world. I stress “so far,” because I think it could be a revolving door, whether that’s a year away, six months away, two years, three years away, I think we’ll find out within that time frame at the most and then it’s whether or not we’ll be able to still be in a position once we come out again.


<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/20100621_AfghastanLivingInDubai_ahmad_cc_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/20100621_AfghastanLivingInDubai_ahmad_cc_medium.jpg" alt="Ahmad Rashiq, Afghanistan (living in Dubai)." title="Ahmad Rashiq, Afghanistan (living in Dubai)." width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-107789"/></a>
Ahmad Rashiq, Afghanistan (living in Dubai).
Afghanistan (living in Dubai)
Ahmad Rashiq, 23, Marketing Executive

Actually, I am from Afghanistan and in Afghanistan, the economic crisis does not affect us too much because this is a country that is growing again, and is building up again, everything—education, business. And it effects us through other companies from overseas; when the economic crisis in the world began they stopped working and stopped growing, so still we hope it’s going to be better. After the economic crisis worldwide, we would have more education, more universities, and more companies which will help Afghanistan.



<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Sweden_Sandra_Kinnaman_Nordstrom_cc_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/Sweden_Sandra_Kinnaman_Nordstrom_cc_medium.jpg" alt="Sandra Kinnaman Nordstrom, Stockholm, Sweden." title="Sandra Kinnaman Nordstrom, Stockholm, Sweden." width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-107790"/></a>
Sandra Kinnaman Nordstrom, Stockholm, Sweden.
Stockholm, Sweden
Sandra Kinnaman Nordström, 25, Student

I did not notice anything last winter when the crisis hit, but I lost my job. I have not noticed that they [the government] has done anything about the crisis in Sweden.

 

 

 

 

Look for the Global Q&A column every week. Epoch Times correspondents interview people around the world to learn about their lives and perspectives on local and global realities. Next week’s global question: “How far can you get on $10?”