The book explores the historical development and status of political and economic institutions in The Caribbean. The Caribbean institutional reality is studied vis-à-vis best international practices. The main objective is identifying positive aspects and institutional areas in need of improvement that could facilitate a sustainable development path in The Caribbean.
The Caribbean economy remains a region with many paradoxes. Despite a relative abundance of natural and valuable resources, including its people, large segments of the region still grapple with significant levels of debt, environmental degradation, high unemployment in the formal sector, climate change, limited progress in technological innovation, increasing energy costs, remittance dependency, tourism dependency, loss of correspondent banking relations, exchange rate, noncommunicable diseases, and domestic politics to name more than a few. The poorest countries still lag and remain far more vulnerable to external factors related to trade and global financial sector issues. This edited volume takes a closer look at the contemporary issues related to the economies of the Caribbean. The book provides an added dimension in that each of the chapters includes the contributions of a scholar with lived experiences in and knowledge of the region. Indeed, the book underscores the detailed evidence-based research and perspectives on topics providing insights into the current landscape of the Caribbean. Ultimately, understanding the Caribbean in its varied contexts is an important milestone in pursuing policies that will contribute to flourishing economies replete with sustained growth and development.
The Latin American Economic Outlook 2019: Development in Transition (LEO 2019) presents a fresh analytical approach in the region. It assesses four development traps relating to productivity, social vulnerability, institutions and the environment.
This book offers a treatment of social justice and higher education within small island developing states like the Caribbean. This is a timely exploration of some of the global-local, structure-actor, policy-practice debates that connect directly to the promise and the challenges of pursuing social justice agendas within and beyond Caribbean institutions of higher education. In this book, the key points of examination are the (i) changing patterns within the global higher education landscape, emerging mandates for university systems, (ii) the perspectives and challenges for diverse student and staff populations, and (iii) the ways in which these collectively impact social justice agendas within institutions of higher education. The contextualization and politicization of these issues within the broader discourse of small island developing states deepens the understanding of the prospects and challenges of addressing social injustices within the contemporary landscape, but with some re-engagement of existing conceptions and theorizations (related to inclusivity, diversity, equity, ontology, coloniality, postcolonial and critical race theory) to inform how actors within these institutions can strategically respond. It will be vital reading for scholars and educational researchers with interests in higher education, social justice, and small island developing states (SIDS).
Philanthropy is commonly depicted as a universal practice and is either valued for supporting community transformation or critiqued for limiting social justice. However, dominant definitions and even popular connotations tend to privilege wealthy Western approaches. Using the Caribbean as a rich site of observance and concentrating on the island nation-state of The Bahamas, Get Involved! uncovers the hidden and under-documented activities of “philanthropy from below,” revealing a broader conception of philanthropy and civil society, especially within Black and other historically marginalized populations. Kim Williams-Pulfer draws on narrative analysis from enslavement to the current post-post-colonial moment, depicting the repertoires and practices of primarily Afro-Bahamians through the stories emerging from history (including the transnational observations of Zora Neale Hurston, social movements, and political and social institution building), the arts (from Junkanoo, literature, and visual practices), to the lived experiences of contemporary civil society leaders. Get Involved! shows the long history and continued significance of civil society and philanthropic engagement in The Bahamas, the circum-Caribbean, and the wider African Diaspora. Junkanoo is the national cultural festival of The Bahamas. It fosters a sense of community pride, identity, companionship, spirituality and unity. Watch a video about Junknoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnMpMesNb1Q&t=14s
This book examines the relationship between tax law and crisis. In times of environmental, financial, and public health breakdown, policymakers look to tax for solutions. Yet these crises also constrain the ways in which tax liabilities can be imposed and administered, and limit the revenues that can be collected. What should governments do in these circumstances and what are the wider consequences for states, societies, and institutions such as the EU? The book shows how crises place strain on the basic functions of tax, including revenue-raising, institution-building, regulation, redistribution, and the structuring of society. These strains bear more heavily on some sections of business and society than others. This makes the tax consequences of crisis unpredictable. It also means that the best choice of legal response is not merely a technical matter. Instead, it engages deeper attitudes towards crisis relief, change, social values, and democratic control. These issues are highlighted by COVID-19 but are of utmost lasting importance. The book takes a comprehensive approach and looks in more depth at the systemic roles that crises play in contemporary tax systems. It features an impressive cast of leading researchers across multiple jurisdictions and is essential for policymakers and scholars alike.
Democracy can be understood as a concept as well as a system of government associated with certain values, including transparency, accountability, the protection of rights, and non-oppressive government. This cutting edge new book explores the current contours of democracy and asks important questions such as: Does contemporary democracy mean the same thing that it did centuries ago? Are the longstanding assumptions about democracy and good governance sustainable in the face of digital transformation, paradigm shifts, and the liberalization of knowledge? Is democracy still applicable in the way that it has been traditionally envisioned? Gathering together insights from academics and practitioners with expertise on democracy and governance in the Caribbean context, this book is designed to spark a conversation about the ways in which appetites for democracy may be shifting in the Caribbean and beyond, exploring the conditions that brings these shifts to bear. Section one focuses on conceptual pieces that investigate democracy and good governance, their definition, and comparative analysis of how the conceptualization of democracy can shape outcomes in different governmental contexts. Section two explores the ways in which events, trends, and technologies have impacted democratic or undemocratic values and attitudes. Section three examines shifts in democratic inclination in the 21st century. Together the chapters represent an overdue study of the foundational governmental system of our time in a region that has historically been overlooked. Rethinking Democracy and Governance: Perspectives from the Caribbean is required reading for students of governance, public administration, and public policy.
