Puerto Rico secured a place among the world’s top-third most viable economies this year, locking into the 31st position — up four notches from last year’s 35th ranking — in the World Economic Forum’s Global competitiveness index released Wednesday.
As 2011 wraps up, the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association — one of the island’s most important trade organizations — took stock Tuesday of the last 12 months, concluding that a trio of major administration-backed measures significantly set back competitiveness by hindering free trade and industrial growth.