Poverty & Social Development: A Caribbean Perspective

Globalization and Regional Integration: Still so Many Question to Ponder
In recent remarks on the subject of the CSME, and the impacts of globalization on the Caribbean, Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller defined among others, that:

The region,

“must now stand even more firmly as an economic bloc and devise and implement strategies based on each island's strengthens and competitive advantages”

Globalization is a “fait accompli”, and despite all the imperfections that lie in the system, it is of the utmost importance for small and emerging economies to devise and develop mutual relations, as to fully harmonize the ongoing process that unfold with globalization and regional integration.

And If we move beyond the negative terms that have been lingering over the globalization phenomenon, some positive gains might fall out of a regional integration framework, that tackles and addresses adjustments in terms of governance, and the instrumentation of an overall supporting environment to accelerate, and facilitate socio-economic development.
It goes without saying that shortcomings will always manifest themselves. Nonetheless, a cohesive and comprehensive approach to the issues can also arm regional governments with the necessary insights to articulate the constructs of counter-measures to smoothen the impacts of the structural changes, as those dynamics impact upon the creation and distribution of wealth.