Towards Sustainable Development in Central America and the Caribbean

Since the economic decline in the early 1980s, most countries in Central America and the Caribbean have returned to positive growth rates. The recovery often coincided with or followed extensive neoliberal reforms. The contributors to this book address the crucial question of whether these growth rates are sustainable. Several aspects of sustainability are assessed, in particular macroeconomic, social, and ecological aspects. The book includes both comparative analyses focusing on one of these aspects of sustainability, and country case studies. The conclusion is that these countries have not yet arrived at a sustainable growth path due to, for example, high levels of foreign and domestic debt, worrisome trade gaps, a lack of social integration and irresponsible exploitation of natural resources. In sum, the analysis points to serious weaknesses in the current neoliberal model, the implications of which go far beyond this particular region.

Autorentext
TREVOR EVANS Lecturer in Economics, University of Applied Sciences, Berlin PHILOMEN HARRISON Deputy Program Manager, Caribbean Community Secretariat, Georgetown, Guyana MATS LUNDAHL Professor of Development Economics, Stockholm School of Economics RUERD RUBEN Associate Professor, Development Economics, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands CARLOS SOJO Director, Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Costa Rica REBECCA TAYLOR Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of Portsmouth, UK ANDY THORPE Principal Lecturer in Economics, University of Portsmouth, UK

Inhalt
Towards Sustainability in Central America and the Caribbean: Introduction and Overview; A.G.Dijkstra & A.Danielson Fiscal Sustainability in the CAC Region; A.Danielson The Fruits of Interest: Financial Liberalization and Banking in Central America; T.Evans Trade Reform in Central America and the Caribbean: Will Liberalization Resolve the Problem of Structural Imbalances?; R.Taylor & A.Thorpe Economic Reform, Citizenship and Social Integration in Central America; C.Sojo Crisis, Adjustment and the Dynamics of Gender Relations in Central America and the Caribbean; A.G.Dijkstra Economic Policy and the Environment: Structural Adjustment and Prospects for Sustainable Natural Resource Management in Central America; R.Ruben Sustained Growth in Haiti: Pipe-Dream or Realistic Possibility?; M.Lundahl The Performance of the Manufacturing Industry under Adjustment: The Case of Trinidad and Tobago; P.Harrison Index