Caribbean Basin Countries Research Articles

Evaluating Health Inequality in Five Caribbean Basin Countries Using EQ-5D-5L.

BackgroundEQ-5D-5L is a standardized health outcomes instrument that can be added to national surveys to measure inequality in health outcomes. The aim of this study was to produce baseline values of health inequality using EQ-5D-5L for five countries in the Caribbean Basin region based on national surveys in 2012–2014.MethodsThe EQ-5D-5L questionnaire was included in adult population surveys of Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. EQ-5D-5L measures were calculated for demographic groups using stratifiers from the World Health Organization’s PROGRESS-Plus framework, and generalized linear models were used to test for association between EQ-5D-5L and the PROGRESS-Plus variables. Ordered logit models were used to obtain odds ratios for the effect of the PROGRESS-Plus variables on reporting problems on the EQ-5D-5L dimensions. The Kakwani index was calculated for each country.ResultsData were obtained for representative samples in each country, giving a combined total of 11,284 respondents. Different patterns of inequality were observed among the five countries. The biggest drivers of inequality were age and gender, and the biggest EQ-5D factors were self-care in Belize and pain/discomfort in the other four countries.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that the EQ-5D-5L instrument can easily be added to national surveys. Inequality measures from this study can be used as baseline values for comparisons with future similar surveys in these five countries to infer changes in health inequality as measured by EQ-5D outcomes. These can be used to track the performance of policy initiatives aimed at specific demographic groups.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40258-022-00754-9.

Health and entrepreneurship in four Caribbean Basin countries

The literature dealing with health and entrepreneurship has focused on developed countries. We use a sample of almost 5000 business owners and wage-workers from four Caribbean Basin countries to study this relationship. Analyses are performed using data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor along with the Visual Analogue Scale of the EQ-5D-5L instrument as an overall health rating. The results show that business owners are healthier than wage-workers, which is in line with the findings from studies in developed countries. Furthermore, better health is associated with a lower likelihood for fear of business failure to be a deterrent to new business formation, a greater likelihood of self-belief in having the skills to run a business, and an increased recognition of start-up business opportunities among wage-workers. These positive associations between health and entrepreneurial perceptions provide new evidence about why less healthy individuals refrain from entrepreneurship. Finally, we find that the healthiest business owners run the companies with the highest growth expectations.

Occurrence of Six Begomoviruses Infecting Tomato Fields in Venezuela and Genetic Characterization of Potato Yellow Mosaic Virus Isolates

Begomoviruses are one of the major pathogens in tomato crops worldwide. In Venezuela, six begomovirus species have been described infecting tomato: Potato yellow mosaic virus (PYMV), Euphorbia mosaic Venezuela virus (EuMVV), Merremia mosaic virus (MeMV), Tomato chlorotic leaf distortion virus (ToCLDV), Tomato yellow margin leaf curl virus (TYMLCV) and Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). In this study, the occurrence of these viruses was analysed by PCR in 338 tomato plants exhibiting virus-like symptoms. Sixty-three per cent of the plants were positive at least to one of the begomoviruses tested. PYMV and TYLCV were the most frequent viruses showing 39.6 and 23.7% occurrence, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses revealed two groups of PYMV isolates from several Caribbean Basin countries. The first group clustered isolates from several countries, including Venezuela, and the second group clustered only Colombian isolates. Due to the high prevalence of PYMV and TYLCV in Venezuela, it is suggested that the surveillance and control strategies currently applied in the country should be focused on these two begomoviruses.

Temperatures and cyclones strongly associated with economic production in the Caribbean and Central America

Understanding the economic impact of surface temperatures is an important question for both economic development and climate change policy. This study shows that in 28 Caribbean-basin countries, the response of economic output to increased temperatures is structurally similar to the response of labor productivity to high temperatures, a mechanism omitted from economic models of future climate change. This similarity is demonstrated by isolating the direct influence of temperature from that of tropical cyclones, an important correlate. Notably, output losses occurring in nonagricultural production (-2.4%/+1 degrees C) substantially exceed losses occurring in agricultural production (-0.1%/+1 degrees C). Thus, these results suggest that current models of future climate change that focus on agricultural impacts but omit the response of workers to thermal stress may underestimate the global economic costs of climate change.

Regional Trade and Production Blocs in a Global Industry: Towards a Comparative Framework for Research

While apparel manufacturing is often considered the quintessential global industry, the regional dimension of trade and production in the textile and clothing sector is less widely noted. In this paper I discuss two macroregional production blocs: North America (defined as the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean Basin countries) and Greater Europe [which includes the European Union (EU), Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey, and North Africa]. Analyzing what opportunities regionalization might provide is particularly relevant given China's increasing dominance of both the EU and US import markets in the post-Multifibre Arrangement period. Drawing on the global commodity chains literature, I discuss three dimensions around which cross-regional comparative research on the European and North American apparel sectors can be organized: (1) production model; (2) institutional context; and (3) development outcomes. Several similarities between these production blocs are noted, particularly with regard to the intraregional division of labor expressed by networks connecting firms in higher-wage and lower-wage countries and the coexistence of assembly subcontracting and full-package manufacturing in both regions, but differences include the existence in Europe of a stronger textile base and a more expansive regionalization strategy (as suggested by the Euro–Mediterranean Partnership), which may strengthen the competitiveness of the Greater European bloc vis-à-vis its North American counterpart.

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Apparel-based industrialization in the Caribbean Basin: A threadbare garment?

In a world of some two hundred countries, only a relatively few –mainly members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development– can be identified as “winners”, that is to say, countries with high and sustained annual per capita incomes in the order of US$ 20,000. Among other factors, some of the principal features of winner countries are that: i) they have been through an intense industrialization process, ii) they have projected that process into the international economy in the form of exports of manufactures, and iii) the leading national companies which have exported manufactures have been transformed into transnational corporations (TNCs) in the process. Many developing Asian countries have used the apparel industry as a springboard to deepen their industrialization process, especially by becoming suppliers of “full packages” to international buyers, involving the complete manufacture of apparel according to the designs provided by their international clients. For many Caribbean Basin countries, apparel exports represent their principal link with the international economy. In this case, however, since those exports stem from a low wageexport processing zone-special access package designed to help United States apparel TNCs to compete better in their home market against Asian imports, they do not produce the desired developmental results in the Caribbean. The United States apparel TNCs employ only those factors that allow them to improve the efficiency of their international system of integrated production, which are essentially the low wages paid in the case of the Caribbean Basin. Consequently, instead of deepening the local industrialization process, they truncate it. The exports do not represent the external projection of the local industrialization process, but merely the assembly of imported components. The local apparel companies are not internationalized in the process, but instead have their very existence threatened. Thus, as part of a developmental trajectory, these activities have worn threadbare and need replacement by something better.

A Preliminary Survey of Antibiotic Residues and Viable Bacteria in Milk from Three Caribbean Basin Countries

There is widespread concern about the presence of antimicrobial drugs in milk. The presence of drug residues in milk may have public health implications. Milk samples (n = 25 to 65/country) were collected from bulk tanks and commercial vendors in Barbados, Costa Rica, and Jamaica between February 1996 and August 1997. Bulk tank samples were collected from high milk-producing regions of Jamaica and Costa Rica and from 26 dairy farms in Barbados. Milk pH, bacterial growth (total CFU/ml and the presence of Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus), and the presence of antimicrobials were determined. Milk samples were tested by a microbial inhibition test (Delvotest-P, Gist-Brocades Food Ingredients, Inc.) to screen for antimicrobial drugs. All positives were retested for the presence of β-lactam antibiotics after incubating with penicillinase and some positives were identified by high-pressure liquid chromatography–UV. Mean pH values ranged from 6.5 to 6.7. S. aureus was identified in bulk tank samples from Costa Rica (52%), Barbados (44%), and Jamaica (46%). S. agalactiae was identified in bulk tank samples from Costa Rica (28%), Barbados (8 and 16%), and Jamaica (18%). Antimicrobial residues were detected in some bulk tank samples from Barbados (8%) and Jamaica (10%) but not in samples from Costa Rica. All positives in milk from Jamaica and Barbados were determined to be β-lactams. No residues were detected in pasteurized milk samples from Barbados or ultrahigh-temperature milk from Jamaica. The presence of β-lactam residues in some of these samples suggests the appropriateness of testing milk prior to processing for consumption.

Non‐tariff measures and United States' imports of CBERA‐eligible products

Trade coverage ratios are calculated to assess the 1991 incidence of non‐tariff measures (NTMs) on imports of products eligible for duty‐free treatment under the United States’ Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA). Overall, 16 per cent of all CBERA‐eligible products were found to be covered by one or more NTM. Corresponding figures for all eligible products exported from individual beneficiaries range up to 40 per cent. Much higher trade coverage ratios are found for individual product groups. NTMs constitute important deterrents to US imports of CBERA‐eligible products. Heavy reliance on NTMs counters the intent of the CBERA, namely to extend preferential treatment to exports from Caribbean Basin countries.

Overview of Biological Control of Homopterous Pests in the Caribbean

The potential for biological control of homopterous pests of agricultural crops in the Caribbean region is supported by a rich history of successes and some biological and ecological attributes which favor this approach to pest management. A review of the discovery and importation of parasites and predators of citrus blackfly, Aleurocanthus woglumi Ashby into Caribbean Basin countries and subsequent repeated utilization of these natural enemies in newly invaded areas provides evidence that: 1.) Success with a pest in one area is generally transferrable, particularly if cooperation can be established; 2.) More than one natural enemy species can be utilized, and several species can contribute to the ultimate success of the project; 3.) Natural enemies from different regions are sometimes effective under varying conditions in the target areas of introduction; 4.) Successful suppression of a serious pest over a broad area can be obtained with little initial investment via classical biological control; and 5.) No deleterious effects of the successful biological control effort on citrus blackfly were identified, compared to those associated with repeated use of chemical pesticides over a similar area of infestation. Other examples cited provide evidence for the continued emphasis on development and implementation of biological control of the Homoptera.

Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis and African Horse Sickness Current Status and Review

The arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) diseases of livestock have worldwide impact. The prevention of an introduction of an exotic disease and the control of one subsequent to an introduction will require the attention, cooperation, and support of the livestock industry, regulatory agencies, and researchers. The most effective protection of our livestock industries is to prevent the introduction of an exotic disease agent. This implies complete restriction of animal imports and exports. However, "zero risk" is an unacceptable option in today's world of internationally integrated and interdependent agriculture. Scientifically sound and factually based regulatory decisions must be combined with continued vigilance and preparedness, as well as appropriately directed surveillance and research, to protect the world agricultural marketplace. Two exotic arbovirus diseases that are of current concern to the livestock industries and regulatory officials of the North American and Caribbean Basin countries are VEE and AHS. Devastating epizootics of VEE in equines have occurred frequently in the Western Hemisphere, but no recent epizootic activity has been documented. Naturally occurring foci of sylvatic, equine nonpathogenic VEE virus subtypes, however, do exist in the tropical countries of the hemisphere. The relationship of these sylvatic virus foci to the origin of equine virulent epizootic VEE virus subtypes is unknown. AHS epizootics had been confined to Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent until recent outbreaks in 1966 and 1987-1990 in Spain. With the recurrence of AHS in Spain for the past four years, concern about the possible introduction into potential vector species and equines in the Western Hemisphere has increased. This review addresses the current VEE and AHS virus activity and the potential for outbreaks in the Western Hemisphere.

Managing the transfer of technology for development: remote sensing applications for the Caribbean Basin

Across the Caribbean Basin, scientists and policymakers are becoming increasingly interested in natural resource exploration, development, and conservation. Remote sensing technology can provide large quantities of data about these resources, in a costefficient manner. Satellite systems deploying optical sensors, such as Landsat and SPOT, as well as weather satellites, such as the NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), have proven invaluable in dealing with the critical issues that continue to arise in marine and coastal zone development. However, Caribbean Basin countries lag behind Latin America in applying remote sensing technologies to such tasks. This paper examines the principal problems involved in managing a significant high technology transfer and applications process. We report the results of an extended Delphi study dealing with ways of overcoming the major obstacles to remote sensing applications in the Caribbean, and with the most promising means of deploying those technologies which are relevant for regional marine and coastal zone development.

Noctuidonema guyanense: An Ectoparasitic Nematode of Fall Armyworm Adults in the Tropical Americas

Noctuidonema guyanense Remillet and Silvain is an ectoparasitic nematode that attacks the adult stage of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) and a few other species of Noctuidae. The nematode is widely distributed in the neotropics from French Guiana to Florida through the Caribbean Basin, and from Colombia, South America to Texas, North America through mainland countries. Both incidence and intensity of host infestation by N. guyanense are greater in Caribbean Basin countries than in the mainland countries. Low relative humidity and low and high temperature adversely impact N. guyanense population dynamics in the laboratory. Infestation by N. guyanense exhibits an insidious, chronic pathogenicity in hosts. The biology of N. guyanense and its acute pathogenicity and mechanics of transmission among hosts remain virtually unknown.

EVALUATION OF THE NITROGEN FIXING CAPABILITIES OF PHASEOLUS VULGARIS LINES, DEVELOPED FOR THE CARIBBEAN BASIN

Chemically fixed nitrogen is a costly import for Caribbean Basin Countries. Increased cost of fertilizer only serves to reduce crop yields in these areas. This greenhouse research was undertaken to evaluate the N2 fixing capabilities and yield potential of several Phaseolus vulgaris lines developed for use in Caribbean Basin countries. Ten common bean lines from breeding programs at the Universities of Puerto Rico and Wisconsin and two efficient Rhizobium phaseoli strains were used for the study. Plants treated with Rhizobium UMR 1899 and UMR 1632 had significantly higher stem and leaf dry weight than the control plants. Bean lines WBR 22-34, WBR 22-50, WBR 22-55, PR9056-98B and the cultivar Coxstone showed increased dry matter accumulation over that of the control plants. Plants treated with the Rhizobium strain UMR 1899 had the highest stem and leaf dry matter accumulation. Nodulation was significantly higher when plants were treated with UMR 1632. The lines WBR 22-34 and PR 9056-98B produced more nodules than the other lines used. Pod yield as measured by number of immature pods was highest for PR 9056-98B when inoculated with Rhizobium UMR 1899.

CARICOM Countries and the Caribbean Basin Initiative

On February 24, 1982, President Reagan promulgated his Caribbean Basin Plan-popularly known as the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI)which subsequently became law under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (CBERA), effective January 1, 1984. A primary economic objective of the CBI is to help beneficiary Caribbean Basin countries earn their own way toward self-sustaining growth (Reagan, 1982: 323) by providing aid to encourage private-sector activities, by allowing one-way duty-free exports to the United States, and by stimulating private investment, national and foreign. Although the CBI has been operating for almost six years, many believe that it has fallen very short of expectations. A Congressional Study Mission and Symposium on the Caribbean Basin Initiative (U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1987: 5), held in Barbados, September 18-19, 1987, found that was virtual unanimity at the symposium, as there is in the Caribbean in general, that the CBI has not fulfilled its promise of stimulating economic growth and development. Jamaican Weekly Gleaner (April 11, 1988) quoted the head of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on trade, Congressman Sam Gibbons, as saying: The original CBI is not the success we hoped for.... consensus of opinion among regional leaders in 1986 that the CBI had not proven beneficial to countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) as a whole (Government of Barbados, 1986: 22) still holds today (Daily Nation, April 26, 1988). Indeed the government of Montserrat declared that as of August 13, 1987, it had attracted no industries under the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act of 1983.' That a one-way duty-free trading arrangement with the world's richest country would only confer marginal benefits on very small beneficiary CBI countries (Jamaican Weekly Gleaner, November 30, 1987) seems at variance with conventional economic theory. Conventional economic theory (Kenen,

Measurement of trade concentration under the United States' Caribbean Basin Initiative

This study measures the degree of trade concentration by country of origin under the US' Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), and compares it to that of other import categories using Suits' (1977) index. Although several recent studies have suggested that CBI tariff preferences hold only limited benefits for Caribbean Basin countries, the present study finds the CBI does provide for an equitable sharing of the meager benefits among beneficiaries displaying widely different productive abilities.

The U.S. Caribbean Basin Initiative and the Puerto Rican Experience

The Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI), officially the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (Public Law 98-67, Title II), announced by President Ronald Reagan in February 1982, became law on August 5, 1983, and has been in effect since January 1984. The CBI constitutes thus far the major attempt by the U.S. government to provide an economic component to its policy in the Caribbean Basin. The approval of the CBI provides the legal framework for the implementation of special economic measures designed to foster closer economic relations among the United States and the Caribbean Basin countries and to shape and influence the policies to be followed by the countries of the region in solving their economic crises. The measures to be implemented under the programs of the CBI are a function of U.S. interests in the region and are designed to foster an economic development model congruent with those interests. Although it has never been publicly stated, the underlying model for the CBI is Puerto Rico's Operation Bootstrap-that is, an export-oriented industrial development model fostered by a strong injection of U.S. investments. Curiously, as has been pointed out by Rodriguez Beruff (1983: 7), the Puerto Rican experience under Oper-

The benefits to Caribbean Basin countries from the U.S. CBI tariff eliminations

The Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act eliminates U.S. tariffs on many exports of countries in the Caribbean Sea and Central America. This paper estimates the short-run effects of these tariff eliminations on the export earnings and economic welfare of the beneficiary countries. It is found that the tariff eliminations increase annual export earnings of beneficiaries by at most $81 million and provide annual welfare gains to these countries of $15 million to $24 million. The benefits are concentrated in agricultural products (particularly sugar, beef, and tobacco) and in products assembled from U.S. components for export to the United States (particularly electronic equipment). The countries that benefit most are the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Guatemala.

Interview with Richard R. Fagen

INTERVIEW WITH _ RICHARD R. FAGEN Richard R. Fagen is GildredProfessor ofLatin American Studies at Stanford University and the author of numerous publications on Latin America. His firsthand experience in the area has included resident teaching assignments in both Chile and Mexico, and five visits to Nicaragua during and after the insurrection ofJune-July 1979. In the following interview, conducted in February and May 1981, Professor Fagen discussed changing conditions in the Caribbean Basin countries and U.S. policy interests in the region. Questioning Professor Fagen was Kathryn Waters, a 1981 SAIS graduate in Latin American studies and member ofthe SAIS Review staff. SAIS Review: In your book, Latin America and the United States: The Changing Political Realities,'you argue that the United States has continued to maintain an interventionistpolicy towardLatinAmerica, albeit in a more subtle form than overt military action. Do you think that the Carter administration made any incremental steps toward a less statusquo policy in the Caribbean area? FAGEN: If by a less status-quo policy you mean that they did things that encouraged or resulted in certain changes, the answer is "yes." Certainly in Nicaragua, the fact that they disassociated themselves, finally, from the Somoza regime was clearly a change in the status quo. In other cases, for instance with respect to Cuba, after an initial flurry ofspeculation that something would be done to change the relationship with Cuba, they did nothing. Ifanything, they toughened up. So it really depends on what country, or even what time, we are talking about. SAIS Review: I was thinkingprimarily ofhow you described the history of U.S. policy as being status-quo oriented in wanting to maintain dominance in the hemisphere; for instance, despite the disassociation 1 Richard R. Fagen and Julio Cotler (Eds.), LatinAmericaand the United States: The Changing Political Realities (Stanford, CaI.: Stanford University Press, 1974). 49 50 SAIS REVIEW with Somoza, that the United States would still try to wield influence in the Nicaraguan arena. FAGEN: Oh, absolutely. I think that the Carter administration didn't make a dramatic break with the long tradition of attempts to exercise U.S. hegemony in the Caribbean Basin. That's perfectly obvious in the El Salvadoran situation where the Carter administration was profoundly interventionist. It essentially shaped the first junta in the fall of 1979, and of course continued to turn, or at least tried to turn, that particular sow's ear into a silk purse. SAIS Review: The increased incidence ofarmed confrontation and revolution in Central America and the Caribbean in the last two years seems to reflect a demand for radical change from intolerable conditions. Have the transitions in Grenada and Nicaragua, and earlier in Cuba, encouraged guerrilla activity elsewhere in the Caribbean such as El Salvador? What conditions determine the success or failure of offensives directed against a government in power? FAGEN: Well, as to the first part ofthe question, it's clear that successful insurgencies and revolutionary activity ofthe sort that was carried on in Nicaragua give heart to similar movements elsewhere. There's little enough to cheer about from the viewpoint of the left, and when something like Nicaragua happens it gives heart to people struggling against various forms ofoppression in other places. As to the second part ofthe question, it depends on what one means by "encouraged guerrilla activity." Ifone means that in the sense, for instance, that those in the U. S. government, in the media, in academic life, and elsewhere mean when they see the "hand of the Cubans" and the "hand of the Nicaraguans " behind every insurgent movement, then the answer has to be "No." In fact, what is striking about the tumultuous Caribbean Basin is how little overt and demonstrated Cuban- and Nicaraguan-inspired guerrilla activity there is. One of the things that many people in Washington have trouble believing is that insurgent movements are basically nationalistic and indigenous movements, and that it doesn't take a Nicaragua or a Cuba to make those movements come into being or to sustain themselves. SAIS Review: Would you say that the publicity about boats with arms and men landing in El Salvador from Nicaragua was exaggerated or misinterpreted by government people...