The Caribbean is often described using the moniker “high debt, low growth,” yet this has not truly been the case until recently. The Caribbean Economic Team’s Quarterly Regional Bulletin contends that debt is or is forecasted to become too high in the Caribbean—perhaps crossing into the “dark side.” The Caribbean debt benchmark, used to judge whether debt is too high, is … [Read more...] about The Dark Side of Debt
It’s only spanking! Isn’t it?
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Author, PicFreak If you ask Caribbean adults if corporal punishment is OK, 66% (65% of males and 68% of females) say yes. Of these, 91% (93% males and 89% females) admit to suffering corporal punishment as children. Of the latter only 13% (14% males and 11% females) respond by declaring corporal punishment as unacceptable. Thus, there is a … [Read more...] about It’s only spanking! Isn’t it?
Remittances as a Safety Net in Jamaica
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? (c) How does formal health insurance interact with remittances as a safety net during adverse health episodes? Evidence suggests that remittances offer full protection against … [Read more...] about Remittances as a Safety Net in Jamaica
Mothers Are Right: Eat Your Vegetables And Keep Away From The Girls (Boys)
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. … [Read more...] about Mothers Are Right: Eat Your Vegetables And Keep Away From The Girls (Boys)
What’s Cricket Got to Do with it?
There are strong and intriguing parallels between the performances of the West Indian Cricket team and the region’s economy during the past three decades. The Windies’ successes remained sporadic until the 1960s, when the side changed from a white-dominated to a black-dominated team – the Windies became more inclusive and more competitive where team selection was based on … [Read more...] about What’s Cricket Got to Do with it?