aribbean Issues

Caribbean Issues authority topic

Caribbean Economies and Economic Sovereignty

Caribbean-first analysis of inflation, finance, trade, energy, food, banking, ownership, community wealth and economic sovereignty.

Editorially reviewed · Updated August 29, 2026

Key answer

Caribbean economic sovereignty is the capacity to make development choices that build regional ownership, resilience and bargaining power instead of reproducing dependency.

Questions this hub answers

How can Caribbean economies retain more value?

Caribbean economic sovereignty is the capacity to make development choices that build regional ownership, resilience and bargaining power instead of reproducing dependency.

What makes regional finance and banking more resilient?

Caribbean economic sovereignty is the capacity to make development choices that build regional ownership, resilience and bargaining power instead of reproducing dependency.

How do inflation, debt and foreign ownership affect households?

Caribbean economic sovereignty is the capacity to make development choices that build regional ownership, resilience and bargaining power instead of reproducing dependency.

Analysis and reporting

Economy

PAVED OVER

How Grenada's Design-Build-Finance-Maintain model sidelined local contractors - and handed the nation's roads to three foreign firms with troubled track records.

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Energy

After the Pandemic, the Power Cut

An "energy lockdown" is already encircling the Caribbean - and quietly, ministers across the region are preparing for the kind of squeeze most citizens have not yet been told to expect.

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Economy

The Big Push or a Small Step?

Is the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank's 2026-2031 strategic plan the economic breakthrough the region has waited decades for - or a necessary but insufficient framework dressed in bold language?

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Podcast episodes

The Lobbyist's Paradise

The Lobbyist's Paradise - Episode 3 - Forty Years In The Room

The Bahamas is not buying Roger Stone's Caribbean policy expertise; it is buying verified proximity to Donald Trump and an operative skilled at creating enough pressure and noise to be heard. His conviction and presidential pardon function as proof of loyalty, turning controversy into an asset despite the financial and reputational cost.

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The Lobbyist's Paradise

The Lobbyist's Paradise - Episode 2 - The Hospital

The hospital's true cost is not only its $278 million construction price and continuing public subsidy; it is the geopolitical price of securing urgent infrastructure when the power demanding loyalty does not provide a viable offer. The Bahamas accepted China's financing and then bought Washington access as diplomatic insurance.

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The Lobbyist's Paradise

The Lobbyist's Paradise - Episode 1 - The Protection Racket

The $1.25 million DCI Group contract appears to be crisis insurance rather than a purchase of measurable deliverables: The Bahamas paid for access to Trump-aligned influence while facing U.S. pressure over a China-financed hospital and a national election. FARA reveals who was paid, but not what happened behind closed doors.

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Podcast

Bonus: From Provision Grounds to Poolside (The Debate)

This debate explores the provocative question of whether the Caribbean’s extreme reliance on tourism has created a "servant economy" or if the region is simply participating in a modern "service economy." It centers on the distinction between the nature of the work—serving others—and the structural ownership of the value created by that work. The debate covers several critical areas: The Dependency Extreme: The discussion highlights how islands like Antigua and Barbuda have become the most tourism-dependent in the world, with the sector generating 93% of national GDP . It weighs the benefits of this growth—such as Aruba cutting unemployment from 40% to near zero—against the risks of a "reliance trap". The Leakage Crisis: A central point of contention is the 80% leakage rate , where the vast majority of visitor spending exits the region through foreign-owned hotels, airlines, and imported goods. The debate examines how three corporations control 75% of the cruise market , often using private islands and offshore registrations to ensure revenue never reaches local vendors. The "Servant" Label vs. Professional Reality: The debate tackles the "servant" accusation head-on, noting that while tourism wages (often US400–725 a month) are low and stagnant, the distinction of "servant" is really about a lack of bargaining power and ownership . It contrasts this with the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, where local ownership of intellectual property allows Caribbean firms to be "sellers of expertise" rather than just labor. The Collapse of Production: Participants analyze the historical shift from agriculture to tourism. It notes that the decline of sugar and bananas wasn't a casual choice but was often triggered by external trade rulings and the withdrawal of colonial-era preferences, which wiped out 80% of farmers in some areas. Food Security and Sustainability: The debate addresses the irony of a region earning billions in tourism while facing a US$6 billion annual food import bill . It questions the resilience of a model where a single hurricane can destroy both the tourism infrastructure and the fragile agricultural links simultaneously. Ultimately, the debate moves beyond "tourism vs. agriculture" to focus on "Owner vs. Renter." It introduces the concept of "Maroon Economics," arguing that the region's future depends on renegotiating the terms of ownership so that the value generated by Caribbean people stays with Caribbean people. To hear more, visit caribbeanissues.substack.com

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Podcast

Podcast Deep Dive into From Provision Grounds to Poolside

This podcast explores the critical question of whether the Caribbean’s heavy reliance on tourism has transformed the region into a "nation of servants" or if it simply operates within a modern service economy. It delves into the structural dependency of islands like Antigua and Barbuda , where tourism generates a staggering 93% of national GDP , and examines the "shallowness" of a model built on low-yield "sun, sand, and sea" arrivals. The core of the discussion focuses on the following key themes: Economic Leakage: The podcast breaks down why roughly 80% of tourism revenue vanishes from the region through foreign-owned hotels, airlines, and imported goods, leaving local economies with only a fraction of the wealth generated. The Cruise Industry Monopoly: It investigates how three major corporations control nearly 75% of the Caribbean cruise market , using offshore registrations to avoid taxes and private islands to capture revenue that would otherwise go to local vendors. Service vs. Servant: A major highlight is the distinction between these two concepts. The sources argue that "servant" status isn't about the work itself—such as waiting tables—but about a lack of ownership and bargaining power . It contrasts tourism with the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and financial sectors, where local ownership of intellectual property allows the Caribbean to act as a "seller of expertise" rather than just a provider of labor. The Decline of Agriculture: The episodes recount how the region’s once-vibrant agricultural sector was often dismantled by external trade rulings and the withdrawal of colonial-era preferences, forcing a "reliance trap" swap from low-wage farming to low-wage tourism. Food Security and Sustainability: The discussion addresses the irony of a region earning billions in tourism while facing a US$6 billion annual food import bill , highlighting how hurricanes can simultaneously wipe out both tourism infrastructure and the fragile agricultural links that remain. Ultimately, the podcast argues that the path forward isn't necessarily a return to the land, but a renegotiation of ownership . It explores "Maroon Economics"—the idea that the Caribbean must move from being a "renter" of its own industry to an "owner" of the value its people create. To hear more, visit caribbeanissues.substack.com

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Podcast

A Deep Dive Into: Built To Obey, Not To Build-Caribbean Education

This podcast, investigates the structural origins and current outcomes of the region’s education system, following this progression: * The Inherited Foundation: The episode opens by arguing that while the names on certificates have changed (CXC, CAPE), the underlying “architecture” remains a nineteenth-century colonial inheritance—renovated but never rebuilt—designed for obedience rather than building. * The Sorting Machine: The hosts explain the history of high-stakes exams like Trinidad’s Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) , identifying them as modern versions of colonial-era filters meant to limit access to quality schooling for the masses. * The 41% Benchmark Crisis: A deep dive into the 2024 CSEC results , where only 41% of candidates passed five subjects including Math and English, framing this not as a deficit of student intelligence but as a century-level crisis of “learning poverty”. * Job Seekers vs. Job Creators: The discussion highlights critical regional research (Danns and Mentore) concluding that the curriculum is optimized for compliance and recall —behaviors suited for employees in someone else’s enterprise—rather than for creating owners. * Brain Drain as the “Actual Product”: The episode analyzes how the system effectively serves as a pipeline for exporting certified, mobile labor to other economies, losing up to 70% of the most educated citizens in some territories. * The Generative AI Stake: The hosts explore how the procedural, rote tasks prioritized by the current system are exactly what AI is automating fastest , making the need for a shift to “ambiguous problem-solving” urgent. * Proof of Concept (HEART Trust): A look at Jamaica’s HEART Trust/NSTA , which proves that competency-based models can yield 90%+ certification rates, though the hosts critique its current focus on “portable workers”. * The Maroon Path Forward: The episode concludes by applying Maroon Economics —the principle that created value should circulate within the region—to propose a new “producer-oriented” blueprint where ownership is a graduation requirement and the curriculum focuses on regional challenges like climate adaptation and food security. To hear more, visit caribbeanissues.substack.com

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Podcast

A DEEP DIVE INTO THE QUIET AIRLIFT

A deep dive into JetBlue's decision to end nonstop service to Antigua, using that single route cancellation as the entry point into a much larger question: how exposed is the Caribbean's tourism economy to decisions made in boardrooms it has no seat at?This episode unpacks how the region's dependence on foreign carriers creates structural risk — airlines optimize for shareholder returns and network-wide restructuring, not the developmental needs of small-island states. We look at why extra-regional connectivity to North America has nearly doubled over the past decade and a half while intra-Caribbean connectivity has collapsed by close to a third, leaving tourism-dependent islands better linked to distant gateways than to each other. And we ask what it would take for CARICOM governments to move from negotiating airlift one country at a time to bargaining as a bloc — before the next route disappears. Companion article: " The Quiet Airlift ," available now on Caribbean Issues. To hear more, visit caribbeanissues.substack.com

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