Over the past year, CaPRI has led the call for lively
public debate between the citizens of Jamaica and the
decisions makers of Jamaica.
In the interest of this debate, CaPRI believes that all
citizens must have access to unbiased and statistically
sound information. We believe in objective research and
therefore we present articles that are not only positive
but critical in nature.
JEP
Public Forum
Almost all of us agree that corruption
is destroying our land. Greed and selfishness are impoverishing
our country... Public officials, including police officers,
turn a blind eye to crime and abuses in return for a little
bly. We decry it, but feel we can do nothing about the
wickedness of politicians.
But what do we really know about corruption? Looking at
the facts, can we conclude that corruption is as serious
a problem as we suppose?
Corruption
in the Public Sector
From
an economic perspective, corruption inhibits private investment
and growth, distorts public investment, subverts the merit
principle, rewards those who do not play by the rules,
and contributes to undermining sustainable livelihoods
in an economy, especially for the poor. This, Transparency
International argues, are costs which are normally shouldered
by those who can least afford to bear the burden (Transparency
International, 2000)
Education
Reform
Recent research has suggested that anticipated future
changes in the global economy will further shift Jamaica’s
comparative advantages away from traditional labour- and
resource- intensive industries. Moreover, vulnerability
to climatic and external shocks will further expose production
that is dependent upon space to vagaries that lie largely
beyond the country’s control. One of the few areas
in which Jamaica enjoys a comparative advantage that is
likely to survive such changes is knowledge-generation
Election
Monitoring Report
The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI) introduces
Jamaica’s first microscopically brewed quantitative-qualitative
manifesto analysis. Between July to August 2007, the think-tank
closely probed and tallied the manifestos and the associated
costs attached to the proposals of the country’s
two main political parties, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP)
and the People’s National Party (PNP).
Hurricane
Dean
Vulnerability has been a key factor in the growth performance
of Caribbean economies throughout their history. It is
now well established that Caribbean states, Jamaica included,
suffer from a particularly high degree of exposure to
external shocks. But the literature also contends that
vulnerability is not the sole determinant of growth performance.
Back
to top
Informal
Investment Schemes
The proliferation of a number of informal investment schemes
in Jamaica has given rise to discussions on the impact
of these schemes on the economy. With only limited knowledge
of the scope and structure of these organizations, many
Jamaicans have eagerly invested in them, with the hope
of multiplying their returns through the unusually high
interest rates offered by these entities.
Foreign
Policy
The foreign policies of small states are often dominated
by economic considerations both in relation to the general
lack of diplomatic resources and the fact that economic
development is the main goal of foreign policy. This accurately
describes the Jamaican case.
Jamaica’s foreign policy often exhibits a “translation
dilemma,” whereby ostensibly economic growth-inducing
agreements are signed, but the country fails to realize
the consequent economic potential. Jamaica’s experience
with the Sugar Protocol under the Lomé Agreement
is a prime example of this “translation dilemma.”
Jamaia's
Debt: Exploring Causes and Strategies
Jamaica
is the fourth most indebted country in the world, measured
either by debt/GDP ratio or debt per capita. This debt
load arose largely over a period of seven years between
1996 and 2003 when the public debt rose by 71 percentage
points of GDP – doubling the amount of debt. That
growth was a reflection of changing circumstances at home
and conditions abroad.
The
domestic capital market expanded and became increasingly
sophisticated in response to financial liberalization
in the early 1990s. This increased the absorptive capacity
of the
economy for domestic debt growth.
Back
to top
