Harvard University Center for International Affairs

Choices and Change: Reflections on the Caribbean

Harvard University Center for International Affairs

Synopsis:
Caribbean countries are highly sensitive to exchange rate manipulation and other forces that can adversely affect their foreign exchange and export-derived public revenues. Liberalization of the global economy has eroded preferential terms of trade on which their standard of living is based. Faced with changing political and economic alliances, they must advance technologically and broaden their economies. In these essays, originating from a 1994 conference at Harvard University, researchers and political leaders analyze the economies and international relations of the Caribbean nations. The authors propose new forms of integration for the region to link productive structures among private sectors, increase institutional flexibility, and reduce costs of doing business. To achieve sustainable growth, Caribbean countries must also develop their human resources. Merely opening the economy to the outside will result in further social and economic destabilization, unless governments manage the transition so that lower-income groups do not bear disproportionate burdens. Caribbean society must cultivate a new sense of civic identity, in which people feel free to practice their cultural traditions and embrace common goals. Contributors: Nancy Birdsall, Richard J. Bloomfield, Ramesh Deosaran, Winston C. Dookeran, Alan K. Henrikson, David E. Lewis, Bertus J. Meins, Sarath Rajapatirana, Havelock Ross-Brewster, Andres Serbin, Charles A.T. Skeete, Elena M. Suarez, Amos Tincani, and Karen S. Walch.

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Other editions: Hardcover - 1995, Softcover - 1995