The Caribbean in public, and often academic, discourse is considered as a single space facing a uniform set of circumstances. But this does the region a great injustice, and that is why the edited volume is so timely and essential. It offers a nuanced account of the internal and external threats, challenges, but also opportunities, facing the Caribbean two decades into the 21st Century. The key issues are evaluated by a distinguished set of authors. Balanced insights are offered, but crucially an attempt is made to advance new thinking and positive solutions. What is particularly welcome are the individual country studies, which occupy the latter half of the volume. A truly pan-Caribbean approach is taken that illustrates conclusively the regions rich diversity, from Guyana with its new oil wealth to the continuing tragedy of Haiti, and from the small UK Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands to Guadeloupe and Martinique, outermost regions of the EU. All-in-all a nicely conceived and instructive volume. Peter Clegg, University of the West of England.
The Handbook of Caribbean Economies is an on-the-minute reference work that is vital for anyone with a professional interest in the region. But it is much more than that, offering comprehensive policy-oriented analyses of problems ranging from climate change to excessive external debt to lack of diversification that explain why current growth rates are generally sub-par in the Caribbean and why future prospects are so challenging. Peter Passell, Editor-in-Chief, Milken Institute Review.
`In this erudite and informative volume, some of the Caribbeans leading specialists provide a panoramic view of the regions political economy. Their sophisticated analyses examine the obstacles and external influences with which Caribbean economies must contend. The contributors underscore the regions deep crisis: the rocky transition from plantation economies based on sugar to economies based mostly on tourism. The EUs decision to end preferential treatment of the Caribbean shook the region, but so have climate change, natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, and the manmade calamities of drug trafficking and organized crime. Haitis economy has been especially hard hit, Puerto Rico went bankrupt, and Cuba still hasnt recovered from the breakup of the Soviet Union. Guyana, with its new offshore oil discoveries, and the Dominican Republic, with its creditable economic performance, shine brightly in an otherwise depressing regional tableau. The islands attempt to find their niche in the world economy remains a work in progress.' Jorge Heine, Foreign Affairs.
