Infrastructure, The World Cup, and Brasil

This week, The Economist has an interesting article on the progress of infrastructure development in Brazil. There have been numerous delays in the construction of several of the stadia to be used in the upcoming World Cup 2014 Competition.

Pele celebrating an occupancy permit for the 2014 World Cup in Manaus.

Brazil probably isn’t fundamentally different than a whole lot of other places inasmuch as once government gets too greatly involved, processes can grind down to unacceptable speeds. The whole of the country is very much on the clock right now, and there have already been concessions that venues may have to be changed due to the readiness of the facilities in which they were scheduled to be played.

These concessions don’t even address the problems potential visitors are facing once they arrive for the matches in Brazil. The Economist reports a somewhat woeful inadequacy in the nations’ current ability to effectively navigate its own infrastructure. Many needed airport upgrades are yet needed. (At 3.29 million square miles, Brazil's area is larger than the contiguous 48 states) Efficiency in transportation is logistically necessary because the sites are spread out all over this vast land.

Massive government spending is assured in Brazil in the coming years, and for the moment, their economy is relatively robust. By the end of this decade, chances are Brazil will be much closer to a mature world economy than one that is emerging.

And in the end, I’ll bet FIFA ends up playing a whole lot of futebol in a few years. And I’ll bet the Brazilians will throw a hell of a party, even if a contest or two turns into a pelada.