Public administration and policy in the Caribbean

500 Pages·2015·11.139 MB·English

by  Berman, Evan M., Minto-Coy, Indianna D

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
AND POLICY
IN THE CARIBBEAN
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY
A Comprehensive Publication Program
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
DAVID H. ROSENBLOOM
Distinguished Professor of Public Administration
American University, Washington, DC
Founding Editor
JACK RABIN
RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS
Public Administration and Policy in the Caribbean, Indianna D. Minto-Coy
and Evan Berman
Sustainable Development and Human Security in Africa: Governance as the
Missing Link, Louis A. Picard, Terry F. Buss, Taylor B. Seybolt, and
Macrina C. Lelei
Information and Communication Technologies in Public Administration:
Innovations from Developed Countries, Christopher G. Reddick and
Leonidas Anthopoulos
Creating Public Value in Practice: Advancing the Common Good in a Multi-Sector,
Shared-Power, No-One-Wholly-in-Charge World, edited by John M. Bryson,
Barbara C. Crosby, and Laura Bloomberg
Digital Divides: The New Challenges and Opportunities of e-Inclusion,
Kim Andreasson
Living Legends and Full Agency: Implications of Repealing the Combat
Exclusion Policy, G.L.A. Harris
Politics of Preference: India, United States, and South Africa, Krishna K. Tummala
Crisis and Emergency Management: Theory and Practice, Second Edition,
Ali Farazmand
Labor Relations in the Public Sector, Fifth Edition, Richard C. Kearney and
Patrice M. Mareschal
Democracy and Public Administration in Pakistan, Amna Imam and Eazaz A. Dar
The Economic Viability of Micropolitan America, Gerald L. Gordon

Personnel Management in Government: Politics and Process, Seventh Edition,
Katherine C. Naff, Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss
Public Administration in South Asia: India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, edited by
Meghna Sabharwal and Evan M. Berman
Making Multilevel Public Management Work: Stories of Success and Failure
from Europe and North America, edited by Denita Cepiku, David K. Jesuit,
and Ian Roberge
Available Electronically
PublicADMINISTRATIONnetBASE
http://www.crcnetbase.com/page/public_administration_ebooks
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC POLICY
A Comprehensive Publication Program
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
DAVID H. ROSENBLOOM
Distinguished Professor of Public Administration AND POLICY
American University, Washington, DC
Founding Editor IN THE CARIBBEAN
JACK RABIN
RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS
Public Administration and Policy in the Caribbean, Indianna D. Minto-Coy
and Evan Berman
Sustainable Development and Human Security in Africa: Governance as the
Missing Link, Louis A. Picard, Terry F. Buss, Taylor B. Seybolt, and
Macrina C. Lelei
Information and Communication Technologies in Public Administration:
Innovations from Developed Countries, Christopher G. Reddick and
Leonidas Anthopoulos
Creating Public Value in Practice: Advancing the Common Good in a Multi-Sector,
Shared-Power, No-One-Wholly-in-Charge World, edited by John M. Bryson,
EDITED BY
Barbara C. Crosby, and Laura Bloomberg
Digital Divides: The New Challenges and Opportunities of e-Inclusion, INDIANNA D. MINTO-COY • EVAN M. BERMAN
Kim Andreasson
Living Legends and Full Agency: Implications of Repealing the Combat
Exclusion Policy, G.L.A. Harris
Politics of Preference: India, United States, and South Africa, Krishna K. Tummala
Crisis and Emergency Management: Theory and Practice, Second Edition,
Ali Farazmand
Labor Relations in the Public Sector, Fifth Edition, Richard C. Kearney and
Patrice M. Mareschal
Democracy and Public Administration in Pakistan, Amna Imam and Eazaz A. Dar
The Economic Viability of Micropolitan America, Gerald L. Gordon

Personnel Management in Government: Politics and Process, Seventh Edition,
Katherine C. Naff, Norma M. Riccucci, and Siegrun Fox Freyss
Public Administration in South Asia: India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, edited by
Meghna Sabharwal and Evan M. Berman
Making Multilevel Public Management Work: Stories of Success and Failure
from Europe and North America, edited by Denita Cepiku, David K. Jesuit,
and Ian Roberge
Available Electronically
PublicADMINISTRATIONnetBASE
http://www.crcnetbase.com/page/public_administration_ebooks
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Contents
Preface .................................................................................................................................vii
Acknowledgments ..............................................................................................................xiii
Introduction ........................................................................................................................xv
Editors ...............................................................................................................................xvii
Contributors .......................................................................................................................xix
1 Public Administration and Policy in the Caribbean: An Overview
of the Caribbean......................................................................................................1
INDIANNA D. MINTO-COY AND EVAN M. BERMAN
SeCtion i PUBLiC ADMiniStRAtion AnD PoLiCY in tHe
CARiBBeAn: HiStoRY AnD MAJoR DeVeLoPMentS
2 The History of Public Administration in the Commonwealth Caribbean .................33
INDIANNA D. MINTO-COY
3 Public Administration in the French Antilles: Historical Trends and Prospects .......61
JUSTIN DANIEL
4 The History of Public Administration in the Dutch Caribbean.................................77
MIGUEL GOEDE
5 Public Policy and Management in Cuba ....................................................................95
GERARDO GONZÁLEZ NÚÑEZ
SeCtion ii iSSUeS in PUBLiC ADMiniStRAtion
6 Civil Service Performance in the Caribbean ............................................................111
WAYNE SOVERALL
7 Public Financial Management in the Caribbean ......................................................143
EILEEN BROWNE
v
vi ◾ Contents
8 Public Procurement Policy Considerations in the Caribbean: Trade,
Governance, and Development ................................................................................159
MARGARET ROSE
9 Assessing Public Sector Reform in the Anglophone Caribbean ...............................179
ANN MARIE BISSESSAR
10 Contending with Caribbean Public Sector Leadership in the Twenty-First
Century ....................................................................................................................201
EDWIN JONES, ANDREW WALCOTT, AND SANDRA GREY-ALVARANGA
11 State Capacity and International Politics .................................................................229
MATTHEW LOUIS BISHOP
SeCtion iii PUBLiC PoLiCY iSSUeS AnD tHeMeS
12 Education Reform Initiatives in the Caribbean Basin .............................................247
TAVIS D. JULES AND HAKIM MOHANDAS AMANI WILLIAMS
13 Developmental Interventions in the Caribbean .......................................................295
NIKOLAOS KARAGIANNIS, ANTHONY CLAYTON, AND JESSICA M. BAILEY
14 Environmental Risk Management in the Caribbean .................................................311
CHARLEY G. GRANVORKA, ERIC A. STROBL, LESLIE WALLING,
AND EVAN M. BERMAN
15 Sustainable Development of Caribbean Tourism .....................................................337
ANTHONY CLAYTON, NIKOLAOS KARAGIANNIS, AND JESSICA M. BAILEY
16 Policy and Regulation of the Caribbean Communications Industry .......................357
INDIANNA D. MINTO-COY
17 Health Service Reform in the Caribbean: The Rise of New Mutualism ...................379
TAVIS D. JULES AND LANDIS G. FRYER
18 Gender Equality and Gender Policy-Making in the Caribbean ...............................415
PATRICIA MOHAMMED
19 Poverty in the Caribbean ........................................................................................443

CHARLEY G. GRANVORKA
Index .................................................................................................................................465
Preface
The Caribbean is a complex and varied landscape, a fact that is not always obvious at first glance.
Thanks largely to a history of colonialism, plantation economies, slavery, and indentureship, the region
has developed a complex mix of languages, political and legal institutions, history, and culture largely
based on historical association with the United Kingdom, France, Spain, the United States, and the
Netherlands. Some countries are independent territories, while others have various levels of attach-
ment (e.g., as dependents, overseas departments, and territories) to these powers. These differences are
demonstrated to varying degrees in the nature and conduct of public administration across the region.
Interestingly, however, not many works have sought to more widely consider the public adminis-
tration experiences, legacies, models, and practices across the wider Caribbean. Indeed, the few that
focus on public administration and policy in the Caribbean tend to narrowly cover the French,
Dutch, Spanish, or Commonwealth Caribbean subregions in isolation. To date, learning across
countries in the region has been limited. Comparative reviews of public administration have also
tended to focus on countries outside the region as opposed to going across the different historical
and cultural blocs for a deeper understanding of the breadth of the region. There is a natural differ-
ence presented by historical experiences and the institutions that they have given rise to. However,
the absence of information on and an understanding of the different territories have also lessened
the possibilities for learning and internal adaptation with the natural inclination to look beyond
the region for lessons and understandings. An understanding of culture and history is a signifi-
cant requirement for policy development and understanding of the capacities and tendencies in a
country. Additionally, valuable information on policy choices and opportunities for intraregional
learning and exchange have been significantly curtailed by a singular focus on subgroupings in
isolation of the wider experiences across the region. Moreover, the literature—w hatever that exists
on public administration in the Caribbean—is for the most part outdated, posing a specific challenge
to researchers and students wanting to learn about practices in the modern period and compara-
tively to locate these in the history of the region. This suggests the need for more information and
understanding—a more comprehensive assessment—of the variety of experiences and develop-
ments in public administration, the challenges faced by these small states, and the ways in which
some of these have been addressed from a policy perspective across the region.
Moreover, the region is at a critical phase in its evolution. Many of the independent territories are
still young democracies marking almost 50 years of independence. For the independent territories,
a focus on the need for new governance concerns the right mix of policies and strategies to deliver
growth and development in a climate of increasing frustration at the mediocre performance post-
independence. This is especially so when compared to countries, such as Singapore, that at the point
of independence were at similar levels of development. For those non-independent territories that
vii
viii ◾ Preface
have retained various degrees of linkages with former colonial powers, there is an ongoing search for
governance models and institutional reform with the issue of new governance being about the search
for options for retaining (or doing away with) the safety afforded by the status quo. The imperative
for a rethink of administrative practices is also no less the case in those territories that have tradition-
ally been seen as more successful. For instance, Barbados, admired for the extent of its social poli-
cies, stable social and industrial relations, and socioeconomic development, has witnessed increasing
socioeconomic and political discontent including uncharacteristic public demonstration, while the
viability of its noted consensual governance model (Social Partnership) has been questioned. The
matter of new governance for new times is therefore a near and present concern across the region.
This collection of essays, which marks a significant reflection on what has been obtained and an indi-
cation of what is possible, is therefore more pertinent at this juncture given the heightened search for
ways of improving governance and administration across the region.
This imperative was made even clearer (for one of us) when, as a student at the London School of
Economics trolling through one of the most comprehensive library resource in the social s ciences,
it became obvious that the accounts of public policy and management in the region were largely
incomplete and in many cases significantly outdated. As such, the development of this book has
also been informed by a desire to present a cohesive framework that would be useful to students
wanting to know as much about a topic or area at various levels without having to sort through
numerous and distant material. Nonetheless, this is not a call for students not to go beyond this
work but for this collection to be seen as the first and most cohesive point of entry into these issues
for the region. For this reason, too, care has been taken in making the book accessible and in
selecting the themes and issues addressed. These include areas that are not typically included in a
book on public policy and management but which nonetheless have resonance in understanding
the Caribbean (tourism, diasporas, and migration), as well as some new and emerging policy areas
(diasporas and development, and cyber security). It is worth noting as well at this stage that there
is no hang up about the notion of public management versus public administration, with the terms
being used interchangeably throughout the work.
This book offers data and key perspectives for beginning this introspection across the
Caribbean. It seeks to do this by examining the origin, practice, and major developments in public
governance in the Caribbean. In so doing, it will address the following questions:
◾ What is the history and context of public administration and governance in the Caribbean?
◾ What has been the influence of cultural or historical affiliation on the development of public
administration and how has this balanced against local imperatives?
◾ How have public administration and policy changed over the years?

◾ How is public administration and public policy done in the Caribbean?
◾ What are the differences and similarities?
◾ What are the specific policy issues affecting the Caribbean?
◾ How have governments attempted to address these and with what effect?
◾ How have international trends and developments in public administration played out in
these territories and with what effect?
◾ What explains the success or failure of these efforts?
◾ What has been the impact of size on the conduct of public administration in the Caribbean?
◾ How do these small islands conduct policy and administration in a globalized world?
In spite of the guiding questions presented to authors, the approach was not pedantic, with each
author being given some freedom to approach the different topics from each one’s base of expertise
Preface ◾ ix
and insights garnered from years of working and researching in the region. Additionally, the aim
was to allow the reality of the region to come forth in the expositions, as opposed to the natural
tendency to focus on borrowed theories and concepts. While the latter has many merits, the intent
in this case, in the vein of an areas studies account, was to allow the experiences in the region to
come forth naturally. Indeed, the information in this volume can ultimately contribute to and cre-
ate the space for further efforts of conceptualizing or theorizing public policy and administration
in developing and small Caribbean states.
To this end, the book is a collection of essays divided into three main sections. Section I aims
to capture the history and development of public administration practices and institutions across
the Caribbean. It will also introduce some of the major traditions, developments, trends, and
challenges in the evolution and practice of public policy and administration. These chapters will
present an overview of practice and policy from the colonial period to the present, summarizing
some of the major developments in policy and administration. Specific policies and themes will
be taken up in Sections II and III. More specifically, Section II offers an exposition and critical
analysis of some of the current debates and issues in public administration, thus delving into the
internal workings of the state. In so doing, the chapters in this section also take a much more
precise and in-depth look at some of the issues introduced in Section I. Section III represents a dis-
cussion of some of the ongoing and new public policy issues and concerns in the region. Through
this structure, the book sheds light not only on the internal workings of the public administration
machinery (in Section II) but also on the economic, political, and increasingly environmental and
global contexts in which public servants operate. The chapters focus on areas where governments
need to develop administrative capacity or make improvements in order to secure the region’s
future in an increasingly competitive yet unpredictable global environment, where the quality of
public governance is an important indicator of success. They also demonstrate an awareness of the
vital role of sound policy, planning, and management in the development process.
The emphasis on themes as opposed to individual countries is also expedient, given the num-
ber of territories in the Caribbean. Nonetheless, such an enterprise is rendered somewhat difficult
in the context of such variety. In some instances then, the attempt has been made to capture the
specific circumstances of some states as independent versus dependent territories. To this end,
too, some cases will be given special attention. For example, Cuba, which in many ways is seen as
an outlier, given the unique political, economic, and ideological circumstances that have under-
pinned the evolution of this country, has been given special treatment.
Herein, however, lies one of the main limitations of this work and perhaps of such a grand
exercise. That is, some more obvious cases have also not received special treatment. Included here is
the case of Haiti, which has not been given a similar treatment as Cuba. This also applies to some

more recent experiences, including the United States’ influence in the Caribbean. Nevertheless,
the story of Haiti is not absent from this volume but runs throughout various accounts, includ-
ing the introductory chapter and others on public procurement, communications industry, and
poverty. The emergence of the United States as a credible challenger to the influence of traditional
powers in the region is also treated in various chapters. Indeed, the intent in the introductory
chapter that follows is to plug some of these gaps while borrowing content from other chapters
within the book to present a comprehensive overview of the region. Inevitably, a book like this
will have gaps in coverage. While this small region has been blessed with reputable and prolific
scholars, the challenge in identifying sufficient credible contributors in all key policy areas was a
reality with which the editors had to grapple.
Collectively, the chapters give a comprehensive overview (historical and contemporary) of
public policy and management in the Caribbean to date; help build expertise and capacity in
x ◾ Preface
the governance and administration of small island and developing states, more generally; provide
knowledge of the influences and practice of public policy and administration in the Caribbean;
and provide information on tools, strategies, and analyses for researchers and practitioners in the
region and its development partners, including multilateral institutions and countries that have
historically supported development efforts across the region. In so doing, the book brings together
some of the key issues and themes in public policy and administration, generally, and also relates
to practice in the small states of the Caribbean.
We hope this book serves as a useful springboard for reading more broadly on these topics and
perspectives as referenced in chapters of this book. However, the opening chapter sought to review
some of the themes not covered in the chapters and mentions references that would help here.
Underlying the accounts is the point that public governance in the region must improve
to deliver growth. This is important since democracy and development are influenced by the
quality of public administration. This is so because the utilization of state resources, the ability
to plan and execute for development, and the ability to manage the local economy and navigate
the contours of international politics can all be directed by efficient public administration.
A key ethos behind the production of this volume, too, is that public servants in the Caribbean
in the twenty-first century need to be much more than they have been in the past, requiring
far more than just a basic knowledge of the inner workings of the state and of administrative
rules and principles. They are required to be far more reflexive, with knowledge of a wider
array of issues and subject areas at different levels and their impact on the performance of the
public administration machinery. Indeed, this charge goes far beyond the Caribbean. That
means a far wider appreciation for the role of public policy and administration in development.
The issues and themes selected for the volume have been informed somewhat by this under-
standing; the book has been recommended as a companion for practitioners of public manage-
ment in the region as well as those deployed to the various multinational and international aid
and governance institutions with relations or postings in the region and other developing and
post-colonial settings.
These perspectives are important not only for practitioners and scholars of public policy and
management in and outside the region but also for international development specialists and insti-
tutions, who as demonstrated in this volume have and will likely continue to play a major role
in public administration and the content and outcomes of public policy. An understanding of
the breadth of experiences and developments is also important for policy managers and develop-
ment planners, in so far as opportunities are offered for more informed lesson drawing and the
development of best practices. More broadly, a comparative study also allows for a more accurate
assessment of the extent to which experiences in public policy and administration are dependent

on history, culture, or politics versus factors such as size. In this way, the richness of data gained
from such comparative assessments can help practitioners and students of public administration
learn about the experiences, methods, and practices of other countries and be better able to assess
the ways in which they can learn from these practices.
Thus, while this book addresses the field of public policy and administration, the themes and
concepts are of interest to a multidisciplinary audience (e.g., development economists, historians,
and political scientists). The book provides interested parties within and outside the region the
opportunity to more fully understand the variety of institutional models and the different tools
and techniques used in the craft of public policy and management and the ability to be able to
identify areas of commonality in the midst of diversity. Indeed, that is one of the more interesting
conclusions drawn from the various presentations highlighted in the introductory chapter. That
is, the results and experiences in public policy and administration have, for the most part, been