Trinidad and Tobago's struggle to diversify its economy reflects more than the dominance of its energy sector, economist Dr Vanus James has argued, pointing to weaknesses in policymaking and governments' failure to learn from past decisions.

James made the argument at the University of Guyana's October 6 launch of Professor Jay Mandle's book, Essays on the Political Economy of the Anglophone Caribbean.

According to a university release on the event, He challenged the view that “Dutch disease” was the main explanation for Trinidad and Tobago's diversification difficulties, instead pointing to what he described as “slow learning” and “public policy disease”.

James linked the latter to authoritarian governance, arguing that the way governments make decisions can hinder economic progress.

His remarks formed part of a wider discussion about why Caribbean countries have struggled to realise the development ambitions associated with independence, and what might help them move forward.

Revisiting the promise of independence

Mandle's book examines the political and economic experiences of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Through a collection of essays, he explores the national, regional and international forces that have shaped the region's development, including the gap between the ambitions of independence and the outcomes achieved.

The book revisits the ideas of Caribbean thinkers such as Walter Rodney, Lloyd Best and Arthur Lewis, who sought to chart a new direction for the region following the collapse of the West Indies Federation and the transition towards independence.

Its subjects range from economic diversification in Trinidad and Tobago to the threat climate change poses to coastal Georgetown.

Mandle also draws on Best's argument that Caribbean societies must understand their circumstances through careful observation and learning from conditions on the ground.

Dr Thomas Singh, Director of the University of Guyana's GREEN Institute, who chaired the launch, said the publication offered an opportunity to examine what works in the region's development and what does not.

Questioning inherited economic ideas

Professor Emeritus Paget Henry of Brown University described the book as timely, arguing that the Caribbean's intellectual development had been shaped by ideas that warranted renewed scrutiny.

Henry criticised the influence of neoliberal economics and French post-structuralism, describing them as “two intellectual hurricanes” that swept through the Caribbean during what he characterised as a period of “intellectual recolonisation”.

His remarks added to the discussion about how inherited intellectual frameworks influence the way Caribbean societies understand their economic and political challenges.

James also reflected on his work with Caribbean thinkers Best and Lewis, linking their contributions to continuing questions about decolonisation, economic policy and diversification.

Learning as a path forward

Mandle said learning remained central to his study of the Caribbean.

He explained that the book combined knowledge gained through engagement with the region and its people with empirical analysis, with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of the region's development.

He also emphasised that opportunities for learning and critical inquiry should extend beyond academic circles.

Mandle, an emeritus economics professor at Colgate University and a member of the advisory board of the University of Guyana's GREEN Institute, said he chose a Caribbean publisher because he wanted the work to be rooted in the region.

“I wanted it to be a book about the Caribbean, published by the Caribbean,” he said.

University of Guyana Press Manager Kerrina Leslie described academic publishing as an investment in knowledge and a means of preserving scholarship from and about the region.

Dr Dianna DaSilva-Glasgow, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, expressed hope that the publication would reach classrooms, research spaces and policy discussions about the Caribbean's future.

The book’s electronic edition is available for purchase, while the paperback can be pre-ordered through the University of Guyana Press.

Professor Emeritus Jay Mandle