Contemporary Challenges for Caribbean Economies

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare economic weaknesses throughout the Caribbean region, and humane standards of living are at risk. This book highlights the retooling that must be done to promote economic stability in this important area of the world. It contributes to ongoing discourse regarding Caribbean economies and highlights the long-term issues that must be addressed to move forward.

Today's economic challenges are more complex than ever before. If nations continue to seek economic growth using outdated methods, there will not be progress. Economists Terence Yhip and Brian Alagheband provide new ways to promote economic stability throughout the Caribbean, offering ideas and proposals to reinvigorate economic growth through the adoption of technology and investment in human capital. With these new priorities, raising total factor productivity is the strongest objective if the goal is to accelerate GDP per capita. The countries are debt-strapped; heavy foreign borrowing is not a viable option. Technology and innovation are driving economic growth, and Caribbean countries need access to digital and digitized resources today.

Economic issues in this region cannot be addressed and solved without intervention, and it is essential for governments to focus on the shifting landscapes today. The book offers strategies to diversify the production and export of complex goods and services. The authors note that the necessary capabilities can take nations decades to build. Such investment will require trade-offs and sacrifice. Progress cannot and will not be immediate, but such modifications will produce meaningful economic returns.

The book includes a chapter on Guyana, a rising economic "superstar" due to the nation's oil. Questioning whether oil will cure or worsen economic and political problems, the authors examine the persistence of racial divisions and the curse of non-renewable resource.