Politics Or Markets?: Essays on Haitian Underdevelopment

Front Cover
Routledge, 1992 - History - 519 pages
Centuries of corrupt government have led many to assume that the actions of the State are responsible for the present Haitian economic crisis. This assumption is strengthened by the recent memory of the infamous Papa Doc Duvalier's regime. But is Haiti's underdevelopment purely a result of the actions of government or is it, as some believe, a result of market operations?
In this collection of essays, brought together for the first time, Professor Lundahl provides a thorough analysis, from an historical perspective, of how political and economic factors have contributed to the current state of underdevelopment. The analysis is presented in five sections. The first offers a broad panorama of both economic and political factors contributing to the crisis and includes a review of some of the most important contributions to recent literature on this subject. Sections two and three explore the roles of markets and of politics, in greater depth. The closing two sections examine some popular responses to the political and economic problems. The book finally provides an outline of the likely future prospects for Haiti. The arguments are supported by facts and details, and the book remains interesting and accessible throughout.

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About the author (1992)

Mats Lundahl is Professor of Development Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics.

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