Politics or Markets?

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? Mats Lundahl offers a thorough analysis, from an historical perspective, of how political and economic factors have contributed to the current state of underdevelopment. The closing chapter rounds off the book with an outline of the future prospects for Haitian development.