The Bahamas in the 21st Century

Book excerpt: Economies in the Caribbean and all over the world are grappling with the consequences of globalisation and the accompanying changes in the rules of international trade, including loss of preferential markets and erosion of preferences. This has resulted in increasing global competition for traditional products from these economies, a situation compounded by rising energy costs and accompanying negative social ills such as unemployment, rising criminality, health and educational challenges, and the like. Besides, many of these economies are facing a serious threat from climate change and the accompanying environmental problems. What are realistic socio-economic development options for The Bahamas, given the policy space now available to its government? In this era of neoliberal globalisation, however, we would find that there has been little of worth contributed to the concrete task of working out thorough strategies and consistent policies (i.e., the local response) for coping with these socio-economic problems in The Bahamas. Indeed, it is surprising how little attention has been paid to developing rational strategies and policies aimed at providing a planning frame to deal with the multi-dimensional problems of the Bahamian underdevelopment. The edited volume The Bahamas in the 21st Century seeks to answer questions like these and to offer concrete policy recommendations while engaging scholars, policy makers, professionals, students, and all persons interested in the burning issues associated with this theme.