Discuss the view that a major challenge to the integration movement in the Caribbean is a wide disparity of development among member countries of CARICOM.
Regional integration is one of the main objectives of CARICOM. There are many challenges that CARICOM faces in meeting sustainable and harmonized integration in the Caribbean. CARICOM member states are at different levels of development and so this disparity can prove to hinder integration. Economic, social and political factors affecting development and the extent to which they hinder integration in CARICOM Caribbean will be discussed.
Economic factors are some main indicators of economic development. Some of the poorer member states such as Haiti, Montserrat, and Grenada, are less developed than other member states such as Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, and Barbados. The poorer countries are less productive and there is higher exploitation of resources. These economies lack diversity, focusing on one sector e.g. agriculture. Therefore, these economies suffer unsustainable growth and development. Consequently, the poorer countries depend on the more developed ones for aid and would benefit more from “free trade” since they are not able to sustain growth and development in their economies as the developed countries. Challenges emerge here, because the more developed countries would not benefit as much because there would be free movement of their skilled labour, capital and would like to receive higher portions of the profits based on their investments.
Social factors that pose problems for integration, as well, can be seen in education and employment. In the richer countries, the literacy and life expectancy rates are higher and the poverty rates are lower. The educational opportunities are better and offer more chances to further education. For example, in Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica there is access to the University of the West Indies. This attracts min these more migrants to the richer countries for these opportunities. Similarly, workers would also leave for better jobs and wages, in these more diversified countries. Once there is free movement of people, as the CARICOM movement would like to implement, the richer countries fear that it would be easy for skilled human resource to move out of their country while the poorer ones fear that labour would move for better opportunities. This can cause brain drain in some countries and could deter some CARICOM members and hinder integration.
Also, politically, the policies of the government of the developed countries protect their goods and services to trade with countries where they can increase profitability. They might have higher tariffs and quotas because they are able to trade independently within the region and even internationally to gain more for their country for example, Bahamas and Barbados. The poorer countries would be more dependent and the richer ones would expect higher share of profits which will threaten integration.
In conclusion, the political, social and economic development of developed CARICOM countries compared to the less developed countries has evidently caused problems with implementation of “free trade” of labour, capital, and goods and services. Hence, the disparity in levels of development of CARICOM countries can be said to be a major challenge in the integration of the member states of CARI COM.
While there is a fair thesis, both sides of the argument need to be considered and then a conclusion made. In addition, some of the points listed were not well explained. Although, the points are accurate. A clearer link needs to be made to the integration movement.
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