For decades, various political groups—both traditional and emerging—have promoted a model with familiar traits: an expanding state apparatus, rising public spending, more regulation, and heavier burdens on those who produce. The results are evident: a deficit that refuses to shrink, a public debt that strains every budget, insufficient economic growth, and a middle class carrying an ever‑increasing load. Costa Rica made progress when it balanced social investment with fiscal responsibility, strong institutions with efficiency, and public policy with a productive sector capable of generating opportunities. International experience—and Costa Rica’s own numbers—show that no system can sustain a structure built on chronic deficits, growing debt, and stagnant productivity. Costa Rica does not need new labels for old recipes.