Regional integration has emerged as perhaps the most controversial issue within the Caribbean. While some progress in implementing economic reforms, both at the national and regional level are observable, the efforts made by Caribbean policymakers to strengthen regional cooperation and integration have not yielded the envisioned level of economic transformation. Caribbean Trade and Integration distinguishes itself by combining history with sound economic and policy analysis. Moreover, this book reviews a survey of several key historical studies that have identified the urgent need for a change in policy action among Caribbean Community member states over time and that have outlined many pointed policy suggestions to effect the same. The book culminates by addressing the need to unpause the Caribbean Single = Market and Economy and proposes a number of initiatives to generate this outcome. While this book is written to appeal to an academic audience, it also provides essential reading for policy practitioners, stakeholder groups, the CARICOM Secretariat and those interested in the dynamics of Caribbean regional integration.

This collection of CARICOM-specific research represents a spectrum of writing on interrelated themes of trade, growth, debt and the environment as it applies to development prospects in the Caribbean. The contributors include a mix of researchers, at various levels of experience and institutional representation, who utilize theoretical and empirical perspectives to examine key concerns of policymakers and other stakeholders. The editors have organized the discussions in such a way as to sequence thought about the region which emphasizes the peculiarities of smallness and openness in the context of a globalized world. The importance of economic integration regionally and integration into established global production value chains are highlighted. This type of strategy becomes obviously relevant especially in the post-Covid-19 recovery processes. Trade and Development Issues in CARICOM represents a point of reference for regional policymakers and thinkers to contemplate the multifaceted nature of regional growth and development. CONTRIBUTORS: Antonio Alleyne, Dillon Alleyne, Ramesh Chaitoo, Anthony Gonzales, Rebecca Gookool-Bosland, Roger Hosein, Troy Lorde, Winston Moore, Machel Pantin, Michelle Scobie, Ranita Seecharan, Damie Sinanan, Nirvana Satnarine Singh