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Canute S. Thompson examines the nexus between the place and scope of the educational enterprise of a country and a country's developmental prospects and experience. His central claim is that the sustainable development of a country is a function of the quality of its education system and the levels to which its citizens are educated. He argues that in this calculus, the quality of post-secondary and tertiary education systems is a determinant of a country's prospects for development.

In examining the issue of underdevelopment facing the Caribbean, Thompson explains that institutions of higher learning in the region face the imperative of finding ways of becoming both more accessible and more relevant to the developmental needs of the region. Taking account of the provisions of the General Agreement on Trades in Services, he points to the disadvantages this trading arrangement poses for higher education institutions in small developing states and suggests ways in which the vulnerabilities these institutions face may be addressed.

While asserting that higher education institutions, including and especially the University of the West Indies, must find ways to remain viable in a highly competitive marketplace, Thompson argues that governments of the region have a duty to ensure the survival and success of these institutions. In this vein, he advances recommendations for the public funding of access to higher education.

Thompson also examines impediments to development  such as crime, the decline in social activism, weak institutional processes and leadership, and public mistrust  and explores their connection to education. He concludes that the path to sustainable regional development is dependent on improving the quality of, and access to, education, and that such improvements will in turn help contain crime, inspire social activism, strengthen institutional processes and leadership, and ultimately restore public trust.

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The contributors to Caribbean Realities and Endogenous Sustainability discuss alternative theoretical perspectives, sustainable growth-inducing economic policies, and special challenges in this era of neoliberal globalization. These perspectives, policies and challenges have to be seriously considered if appropriate interventions towards changing the Caribbean status quo and eliminating social and political ills are to be pursued. The authors evaluate past efforts and policies, criticize failed perspectives, and offer alternative strategies, policies and realistic options to the regions current socio-economic impasse and misery from a distinctly Caribbean viewpoint. The chapters are informed by such important factors as historical legacy, the role of institutions (including market and government), geopolitics and international relations, security, local culture and social psychology, which clearly stand in contrast to the starry-eyed analysis of the current orthodoxy. Overall, the essays not only expand the body of knowledge but, more importantly, provide a rich menu for alternative strategies and policies related to Caribbean international relations and social and governance ills in the twenty-first century.

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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.