Premium Essay

Integration Efforts in the Caribbean

In:

Submitted By marshaC
Words 1392
Pages 6
INTEGRATION EFFORTS IN THE CARIBBEAN ESSAY

Sir Arthur Lewis in 1965 wrote ‘these islands did not start on the federal road in a fit of idleness. They start because it was clear that a federation is the only possible solution to their problem.” To understand what Sir Arthur Lewis meant regional integration must be defined. According to Carbough (2004), regional integration is a process of eliminating restrictions on international trade, payments and factors of mobility. Full regional integration is the economic, social, legal, political, business and environmental factors into one common regional space. There are six levels of integration which are the trade association, free trade area, customs union, common market, economic and political union. Over the past decade regional integration movements have been undergoing tremendous pressure as they attempt to sustain viability. Hippolyte- Manigot (1979) stated “Since the mid 1970s, so serious have some of these difficulties been that practitioners and analyst of regional integration have indicated their doubts about the viability of regional integration.”
The first effort for integration took place in 1958. This was known as the West Indies Federation. The federation faced several problems but what really led to the demise of the federation was fell apart in January 1962 was the withdrawal of Jamaica. This withdrawal was to lead to a movement within Jamaican for national independence from Britain. The withdrawal of Jamaica then led to the famous quote by the then premier of T n T Dr. Eric Williams. He stated “one from ten leaves nought” this statement signified and justified his decision to withdraw T n T from the federal arrangements shortly after. The second effort was known as the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA). This was a freed trade arrangement to ensure that the benefits of free trade were

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Geography

...Regional integration can be described as the union of a geological area, the main theme running through the efforts is that of cooperation. Hence regional integration is the interaction and cooperation of various countries in a specific region working together in order to foster their own well being, the idea of integration suggests unity and teamwork. On the other hand, regional integration also refers to an outcome, occurring when pre set criteria are met. Regional integration involves some compromise on the part of nation states, but should enhance the general quality of life for the citizens of those states. Regional integration can be described as a dynamic process that entails a country’s willingness to share or unify into a larger whole. The degree to which it shares and what it shares determines the level of integration. Exploration of the factors promoting regional integration within the Caribbean * Common language - The language of the Caribbean people is English, and this facilitates easy communication. * Close Proximity - The Caribbean countries are relatively close to each other, hence, travel by air or sea from one country to another can be done in a relatively short space of time. * Caribbean countries share a common history - Most of the Caribbean people are descendants of people who had been subjected to slavery and indentureship. This makes it possible for the Caribbean people to embrace each other. * Common Cultural Heritage - The Caribbean...

Words: 2411 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Burma Road Riot

...A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY (CARICOM) WEST INDIES FEDERATION Established in 1958, the West Indies Federation comprised the ten territories of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica. Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, the then St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago. The Federation was established by the British Caribbean Federation Act of 1956 with the aim of establishing a political union among its members. Although a plan for a Customs Union was drawn up, emphasis was not placed on the economic aspect of Federation during the four years of its existence. Economically, the Region remained as it had been for centuries, and not even free trade was introduced between the member countries during this period. The West Indies Federation came to an end in 1962 but its end, in many ways, must be regarded as the real beginning of what is now the Caribbean Community. The end of the Federation meant the beginning of more serious efforts on the part of the political leaders in the Caribbean to strengthen the ties between the English-speaking islands and the mainland territories, Guyana and Belize, by providing for the continuance and strengthening of the areas of cooperation that existed during the Federation. To this end, in mid-1962, a Common Services Conference was convened to take decisions on these services, the major ones among them being the University of the West Indies (UWI), founded in 1948 and the Regional Shipping...

Words: 3062 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Federation

...The Rise and Fall of the British West Indian Federation HIS 371 Dr. Keith Tinker, Ph.D. April 16, 2015 Lashawn Brown The Rise and fall of the British West Indian Federation can be better understood, if we first understood the history of how the British came to occupy the Caribbean. To do this let us first focus on what was before and what eventually came to be. With that being said, this is an informative essay that is an attempt to discuss the plight of the British colonies in the Caribbean in terms of the rise and fall of the ‘West Indies Federation’ and its future replacements CARIFTA and CARICOM because of the Federation’s failure. This was all done in an effort to propel West Indian nations from colonialism to self-governance and economic self-sufficiency. There was no significance to the Caribbean until the year 1492, when Christopher Columbus set sail to the east on behalf of his country Spain. Columbus set sail in search of wealth, specifically gold and a better trading channel between Spain, China and Japan. His mother land Spain, was at that time, one of the four principal European powers to colonize the Caribbean by the early seventeenth century. The other three principal powers were the Dutch, the British and the French. While on his journey, which should have been easterly, Christopher Columbus somehow ended up in the west where he stumbled upon some islands; his search for the country in the East was unsuccessful. On the islands, situated in the west...

Words: 3088 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Is Caricom Still Relevant

...The Caribbean, a region comprising of some 30 countries, is largely known for leisure and relaxation as tourist bask in the Sea and Sun. However as small economies the question of how these economies can shape their futures, has always been at the fore-front of its political minds. Thus recognizing the power of unity, a number of these countries have forged together into a force that can compete on the world stage, now known as the “Caribbean Community and Common Market” i.e CARICOM. However there have been many challenges and the road ahead is uncertain. The Trinidad Guardian, April 26th 2012, asked the question “Caricom, soon to be Carigone?” The relevance of this question is of concern for all citizens that form part of the Caribbean Community. Whether aware or not the impact or lack thereof, of CARICIOM affects the way of life of the persons in the Countries that make up this Community. the genesis of caricom The states making up the Caribbean have long recognized the value of unity and integration and in 1958 established the “British West Indies Federation”, which was done made up of 10 states. The Federation ended in 1962; however the idea of a unified Caribbean Community did not end. In 1965, three Caribbean countries signed an Agreement at Dickenson Bay Antigua, to set up the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA), which came into effect on May 1, 1968, and eventually included 11 member states. In October 1972 at the Seventh Heads of Government, the Caribbean leaders...

Words: 958 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Caribbean Human Development Report

...Caribbean Human Development Report 2012 Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security Caribbean Human Development Report 2012 Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security Copyright © 2012 by the United Nations Development Programme 1 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission. ISBN: 9789962688082 Website: http://www.regionalcentrelac-undp.org/en/hdr-caribbean Editors: Robert Zimmermann, Carol Lawes and Nanette Svenson Cover design: Timothy Bootan and Juan Manuel Salazar Design and Layout: Miguel Nova y Vínculos Gráficos Printed in Panama by Inversiones Gumo, S.A. For a list of any errors or omissions found subsequent to printing please visit our website. No consultation has been carried out in Guyana. The data on Guyana have been obtained through public sources and the UNDP Citizen Security Survey 2010. Caribbean Human Development Report 2012 Helen Clark Administrator United Nations Development Programme Rebeca Grynspan Associate Administrator United Nations Development Programme Heraldo Muñoz Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for LAC United Nations Development Programme Freddy Justiniano Director a.i. Regional Centre for LAC United Nations Development Programme Niky Fabiancic Deputy Director Regional...

Words: 19519 - Pages: 79

Premium Essay

Sociology

...groups or classes of people according to wealth, power, status and or prestige (Mohammed, 2007). Ø In addition, a particular race or color may be aligned with those who have wealth, prestige or status in the society. Social Stratification under Slavery Ø During the era of slavery Caribbean society was a closed system of stratification based on race and color. The society was termed as a ‘plantation society’. Ø A plantation society was a rigidly stratified system of social and economic relations enforced on plantations in the Americas (Mohammed, 2007). Ø Economic characteristics – very large agricultural land holdings which demanded a huge labour force for manual work. The owners and managers were Europeans who had access to capital. Ø Social Relationships – the large plantation encouraged the formation of a miniature social system with little contact with the outside. The ‘total institution’ of the plantation demanded that everyone observed the superiority of European culture. Different races contributed to cultural diversity but the way in which the plantation was organized discouraged easy interaction and mixing of the races Effects of Social Stratification on Contemporary Caribbean • Certain social groups continue to dominate society. These groups may be direct descendents of Europeans whether white or coloured. • There is still a strong resemblance to the colonial economy where raw materials are exported and there is a minimum of manufacturing or significant...

Words: 633 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Royal Caribbean Strategic Analysis

...| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ...

Words: 10860 - Pages: 44

Premium Essay

National Development of 3rd World Countries

...[Type the company name] Senior-Economics National Development of Third World Countries [Type the company name] Senior-Economics National Development of Third World Countries In this world, the average person in some countries earns more than $40,000/year. In this same rich world, 28 billion people live on less than $700 a year. As a result, 33 thousand children are dying every day in developing countries. Each minute, more than one woman dies during child birth. Hundred million children, most of them girls, are out of school due to poverty. The term ‘Third world’ is a label that describes the states that are considered to have under-developed standards concerning their economy, standards of living, health, education, globalization, or other factors of improvement. They have major common characteristics that are: their capita incomes are low, this poverty leads to shorter life expectancies, higher rates of infant mortality, lower levels of education, and higher levels of population that are engaged in agriculture. Moreover, their exports are from the primary sector and they have low growth rate of income and low levels of productivity. They also have high levels of population growth rate. In addition to one common political situation; most of the third world countries were colonies of the former powers of Europe and Asia. Most of the newly independent countries aimed for two objectives: Development and Independence. In general, development means the enhancement...

Words: 1718 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Caribbean Development

...Caribbean Development: An Overview Paul Sutton * Development is generally recognised as a complex multifaceted process of economic, social, political, environmental and cultural change, which results in increases in the well-being of people and extends their rights and choices in the present without compromising the abilities of future generations to enjoy these benefits. In the Caribbean the economic, social and political elements of development have held centre stage in the last fifty years. Typically they have been (and are) represented in the form of rising incomes (greater Gross Domestic Product per capita), social progress (improved welfare through education and health programmes and gender equality) and political freedoms (independence, administrative efficiency and democracy). In the last fifteen years environmental issues have slowly risen on the development agenda as well as, more recently, cultural issues such as artistic expression and various forms of identity. Any exploration of development in the region is therefore very wide. The focus of this paper is on the traditional agenda - economic, social and political development in that order. This is not because these aspects are in any sense ‘superior’ to other forms of development (although the economic dimension remains dominant within the development discourse and within the Caribbean), but because it permits the long view - to look back at development policy to situate where the theory and practice of development...

Words: 6965 - Pages: 28

Free Essay

Examination of Global Competition and Sustained Development

...Given the size and complexity of the tourism industry in the Caribbean States I will concentrate on some of the environmental consequences along with the financial benefits and socio-political effects faced as a result of being a popular destination for millions of people. The focus of this piece will be on the following issues, issues such as water shortage, displacement of people from their traditional forms of livelihood, also the fact that the Caribbean States are over dependant on the tourism industry as a means of attracting foreign investments. Tourism has often been described as an industry that destroys the resources on which it depends for its very existence. In many parts of the world tourism seems to be suffering from its own success. The World Travel and Tourism Environment Review quotes the Financial Times of January 9, 1993, as describing the Mediterranean Sea, a major tourism area, as a "diluted sewer." It continues, "The Mediterranean Basin is home to 130 million people and is visited by 100 million tourists annually. Jointly these generate 2 billion tons of sewerage of which roughly 30% is treated. The remainder is discharged into the sea untreated and contaminates the area with little room to escape. The result? Only 4% of shellfish from the area are considered fit for human consumption and periodic increases in algae are to be expected (WWTTERC Review 1993). A report by the Coral Reef Alliance, in 1995, found that "at the current rate of destruction,...

Words: 2420 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Alba Case Study

...Honduras………………………………………....... 6. Asymmetries and Behaviour: Hugo Chavèz………………………………………………… 7. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………… 8. Bibliography……………………………………………………………………………………………… Introduction 1. Definition ALBA defines itself as "the Latin American option that fights for the autodetermination and sovereignty of people of its regions", especially, against of what they define "all the imperialistic politics of United States of America". (Alianza Bolivariana para nuestros pueblos de America, 2004) In other words, it is an integration platform that focuses on solidarity, complementarity, justice and cooperation between countries of Latin America that want to achieve together the level of "integral development through its own alternative way, in the middle of the increasing formation of regional predominant blocks in the world". (ALBA, 2010). This aim was initially reached thanks to the efforts of two countries, Venezuela and Cuba, that in December 2004 joined to put into real words their intentions to create a southern cooperative alliance. That alliance should mainly oppose to the politics of the Free Trade Area of Americas, imposed ten years before by U.S....

Words: 4562 - Pages: 19

Free Essay

Caribbean Studies Notes

...caribbean studies notes MODULE ONE LOCATION AND DEFINITION OF THE CARIBBEAN REGION Definition of the Caribbean Region Geographical This describes the area washed by the Caribbean Sea and is often described as the Caribbean Basin. It would therefore include most of the islands of the Lesser Antilles, Greater Antilles as well as the mainland territories in Central America (Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Honduras) and Northern South America such as Columbia and Venezuela. The common link here is the Caribbean Sea. Geological There are deep seated structural features of Caribbean geology which also identifies commonalities. It is the area that is defined by the Caribbean Plate and which experiences similar tectonic, seismic and volcanic features and processes. Historical It describes the area that saw the impact of European colonization, slavery, indentureship and the plantation system. this refers to all the territories so that one way of defining the Caribbean is to identify those countries that experienced the rule of specific European countries. Thus the Caribbean may be defined as being broken up into the English, French, Dutch and Spanish speaking countries and territories. Political In the Caribbean at least three types of governmental systems are found. They include Independent States, Associated States and Colonial Dependencies. CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIETY Society Society is a collection of people occupying a defined geographical...

Words: 9332 - Pages: 38

Free Essay

Global Business Plan

...exist for branching out their fictional company DeltaCompCarib (DCC) into a new global market. During this time the team developed a business strategy to promote DCC and bring its product line to Puerto Rico. Early on DCC had to conduct a regional analysis, country analysis, and an organization and product or service analysis. Regional Analysis Regional Alliances and Economic Integration Puerto Rico is just one of many Caribbean countries, which make up the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM). This regional integration between Caribbean countries, formed in 1973. According to the United States Trade International Commission (2008), “The purpose of regional integration is to achieve economic gains through free trade flow and investments between neighboring countries often by lowering or eliminating tariffs against imports from fellow member countries. These actions increase duty free trade, tourism, movement of labor, and the flow of capital across national borders, reducing the possibility of conflict. Regional integration promotes global business in that it removes, in stages or altogether, previous barriers to foreign investments and other business ventures” (Trade policy for Development). Duty free access and tax incentives encourage the United States firms to invest heavily in Puerto Rico to assist in promoting Puerto Rico's prosperous trade. “Puerto Rico’s industries include pharmaceuticals, electronics...

Words: 6790 - Pages: 28

Premium Essay

The Internationalization Process of Statement Limousine Service

...Prepared by: Russell Clarke The Internationalization Process of Statement Limousine Service Final Individual Assignment SMEG6000: International & Caribbean Business Environment (Cohort 6) Balraj Kistow 15th August 2014 Contents 1. Executive Summary 3 2. Company Background 4 3. The Business Model 5 4. Preparation: Is Statement Limo Ready? 6 5. Potential Market Analysis 7 7. Market Entry Strategy 9 9. Conclusion 10 10. References 11 2. Executive Summary O f the numerous studies of international business, there has been a clear indication that the internationalization of an organization is a process by which said organization exponentially increases their international involvement over time. With reasonable and verifiable assumptions placed within the realm of economic and business factors, the characteristics of the internationalization process influence has a direct influence on the pattern and pace of this process. This paper will focus on the development of a model for the internationalization of Statement Limousine Service that focuses on its planned acquisition, and integration, into foreign markets. The paper will follow the pattern of the Six steps model, developed by Moberg & Palm. As its name suggests the process involves six steps of the internationalization and are respectively as follows: This model provides a concise idea about the internationalization concerning...

Words: 1365 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

12 Trends in Maritime Transport

... 1. Structural changes in international trade and the evolution of maritime transport have a direct impact on port growth and expansion. Therefore, these elements and their recent characteristics must be examined, since they provide the frame of reference in which port reform in Latin America and the Caribbean has been carried out. These factors also determine future port development. A. Globalization, production, trade, and ports 2. Globalization, or the expansion of markets and hence of the economic prospects of societies, is taking place not only because of the supra-national nature of markets, but also because of the flow of foreign investment and the strategies of multinational enterprises. These multinationals today account for two-thirds of global exports of goods and services and nearly 10% of domestic sales worldwide.   3. In this environment of increasing interdependence in the world, the international division of labor is changing as a result of structural changes in trade and unprecedented mobility of international capital. However, while the integration of goods and services and capital is progressing at a rapid pace, integration of the labor market is much slower. In addition, ever more sophisticated technologies are being disseminated, in a framework of spectacular streamlining in communications and telecommunications. The development of information technology has, in turn, boosted productivity and, in many cases, worker income...

Words: 4293 - Pages: 18