PANAMA fell eight spots in the 2014-15 global competitiveness index released Tuesday, September s by the World Economic Forum. . Corruption was listed as the main obstacle to doing business in Panama, followed by inadequate education and an inefficient state bureaucracy

 The drop broke a trend of recent years in which Panama had always improved its position. Despite the decline, Panama stands as the second most competitive economy in Latin America and the Caribbean, behind Chile (33), and ahead of neighboring Costa Rica (51). Large economies in the region such as Brazil (57) and Mexico (61) also fell compared to the previous year in a ranking that includes 144 economies. The World Economic Forum said that to increase economic resilience, Latin America must implement long-term structural reforms and increase productive investment in infrastructure, training and innovation