Oct 2016
Economic diversification is an incessant theme threading policy discussion in Trinidad and Tobago, although with an ebb and flow over time. This topic is once again at the forefront of policy…
Oct 2016
This report estimates the direct and indirect macroeconomic impact of the Brexit leave vote on the Caribbean during 2016 and 2017 in terms of economic growth, exports, tourism, and remittances. We…
Nov 2014
Given that the Caribbean region remains open to external vulnerabilities, fiscal policy is a critical tool in managing debt sustainability. But since fiscal outcomes have been persistently poor in…
Oct 2014
This policy brief answers three main questions for the Jamaican economy: (a) Do remittances act as a safety net during negative health shocks? (b) Are remittances subject to moral hazard by receivers…
Aug 2014
About 29 percent of teenagers are bullied at school in the Caribbean. Victims of bullying are more lonely, sleep less, and have fewer friends than do their nonbullied peers. Although victims of…
Nov 2013
In this policy brief, we review the laments of Caribbean businesspersons. We find that subjective perceptions are rooted in an objective reality. Businesspersons do not complain gratuitously.…
Oct 2013
In this policy brief, we review the problem of a lack of competitiveness and the policy options to improve competitiveness and hence promote economic growth. Inadequate competitiveness can be…
Sep 2013
This policy brief reviews whether the size of a country limits economic growth. Diseconomies of scale, indivisible fixed costs and geographic barriers represent intrinsic characteristics of small…
Sep 2013
In this policy brief, we focus on the debates surrounding what has been called the "silent debt crisis" of the Caribbean. We discuss the level of debt at which the relation with economic…