I was lucky to be part of an IDB-led technical visit to Estonia, with a delegation of public officials from our member countries. We wanted to learn about Estonia’s remarkable progress on digital government. I approached the visit with a mix of expectation and skepticism. I had read a lot about Estonia’s experience but, over many years of working on governance, I learned … [Read more...] about What I Learned in Estonia about digital government
Caribbean
Avoiding A Debt Disaster
Preservation of life and property is the most pressing instinct when faced with the threat of a natural disaster. But after survival, the next phase – recovery – can be the more arduous and complex feat. Since 2010, the Caribbean region[1] incurred an estimated US$3.2 billion in damage to housing, crops, and infrastructure while total deaths amounted to nearly 180 persons. At … [Read more...] about Avoiding A Debt Disaster
Caribbean Cities and the Sustainable Development Goals
Throughout most of urban history, humanity has used nature’s resources to build cities and to release carbon dioxide at a rate that was well within Earth’s budget. However, beginning in the early 1970s, unsustainable growth accelerated and today, humans are now using 1.7 times the amount of Earth’s resources. This means that by July 29th each year, we will have consumed more … [Read more...] about Caribbean Cities and the Sustainable Development Goals
Disease Detectives Hardly Sleep
Beginning in 2017 and as part of the mandate to meet their International Health Regulations (IHR) requirements, Belize, Jamaica, and Guyana have received grant funding and have partnered with the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to build their capacity to prevent, protect against, control and provide timely and appropriate … [Read more...] about Disease Detectives Hardly Sleep
Doing Business in the Caribbean, or Not?
In January of this year, Minister Marsha Caddle of Barbados announced the creation of a Doing Business (DB) subcommittee with the objective of improving the country’s ranking in the World Bank’s Doing Business indicator (DBI). In announcing a specific desire to climb in the Doing Business ranking, Barbados joins countries like Jamaica, China, India and Russia. In light of the … [Read more...] about Doing Business in the Caribbean, or Not?