Case Of Jamaica Research Articles

Food security, the agriculture value chain, and digital transformation: The case of Jamaica's agricultural business information system (ABIS)

Digital transformation has potential for improving food security through agriculture development. While these transformations are welcomed and while societies are generally moving towards modernization and digitalization, farmers in the Global South have not been transitioning into the age of digitalization, and so are unable to take full advantage in ways that can enhance the agro value chain. Considering this, what may account for the sub-optimal take up from digital transformation deployment in agriculture sector in a small island developing state? Has there been any successes to the agriculture value-chain? What are the lessons to be learned? While the systems are available and farmers may have an interest in using them, their lack of ability to maneuver these new technologies leads to non-take up/use of the new beneficial technologies. A general distrust in government further compounded by a general distrust in the use of the internet has polarized farmers from digital technologies. The sluggish operations of governments of the South have inhibited the innovation that is required to enhance take up of digital technologies in agriculture. Privatization of digitalization in agriculture is therefore proffered as an alternative to a state-owned and state-operated digital transformation of agriculture. A policy options framework is proposed as a starting point to mitigating some of the challenges faced and improving digital transformation efforts in agriculture.

Unearthing the decolonial environmental worldview (DEW): The case of Jamaica

Environmentalism has been defined in multiple ways across the literature from a global perspective, both as an ideology and as a movement. However, the definitions of environmentalism have been either vaguely defined or broad with the most common characterization being that of conservation and preservation being at the heart of environmentalism. While there is considerable research on environmentalism in the industrialized world context, there is still limited research in developing regions, with a dearth of research in the Caribbean, hence the rationale for this research. The physical environments of former colonial states have always been subjected to exploitation, yet the way in which this resource has been used by local populations have not been characterized. This paper begins to examine the ways in which local populations of former colonized states view environmentalism. Taking a case study approach, Jamaica is used as the beginning point of reference. Using interviews with self-identified environmental activists, results indicate that there is, what is uniquely referred to in this paper, a decolonial environmental worldview (DEW) that exists among environmental activists. This worldview is grounded in a number of principles that are tied to the way in which the decolonization process continues to proceed in the Caribbean region. The paper postulates that this DEW framework has elasticity and should be applied to other postcolonial societies to determine its salience.

Cruising on choppy seas: the revitalization of Jamaica as a cruise destination post COVID-19

PurposeThis article focuses on critical areas that must be adjusted and adopted in the post-Covid era. It explores strategies that are needed for the post-Covid period in cruise tourism in the Caribbean with special reference to endemic gaps in the sustainable development of cruising in Jamaica which resulted in the pre-pandemic status quo. The article aims to recommend ways of creating a road map for greater sustainability for cruise tourism in the Caribbean, the most tourism-dependent region of the world.Design/methodology/approachThe main approach is via the frame of sustainable development pillars. The methodology involved interviews with tourism and cruise industry executives and content analysis of company documents of the Jamaica Tourist Board. Additional primary data were collected from a large cruise line serving the Caribbean market. This exercise was primarily to derive insights on their customer satisfaction data. Primary data were also collected on Covid testing by Baywest Medical in Montego Bay Jamaica.FindingsIt is clear from the data that the cruise industry in Jamaica has not maximized its potential. This is largely due to the posture of large private cruise lines, which have negotiated solely in favour of their bottom line. It was also found that Jamaica has suffered from its own slow approach to the diversification of its ports and surrounding communities. Additionally, another major finding revealed that the matter of visitors has been inadequately addressed; despite cruise line data indicating a need for safer, more seamless spaces. The major strength identified is the creation of “resilient corridors” in Jamaica, which have worked well in support of the return of stopover arrivals since 2021. In fact, reported Covid cases related to the corridor have a positivity rate of less than 1% while the national figure is 9.9% for the month of July 2021, according to the Ministry of Health and Wellness.Research limitations/implicationsThis article highlights gaps in the current construct of Caribbean cruising and plots a path to bridging those gaps. The major limitation is that it focuses on the case of Jamaica. Future research should consider other islands in the region and seek to gather data directly from guests when the industry reopens, as opposed to the current approach of guest comments through cruise line documents.Practical implicationsThe practical implications are that policy-makers will be able to apply the recommendations for creating a partnership of equals, greater port and product diversification, visitor safety improvement and optimizing the resilient corridors. This will have a significant economic impact arising from greater flows of guests and extended time spent on shore.Social implicationsThe absence of cruising has had a major impact on the socioeconomics of communities in closeness, proximity to cruising, as evidenced in craft markets and ground transportation. These groupings are considered to be particularly vulnerable.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to excavate the specific hurdles, which must be tackled in the post-Covid era in Jamaica. It is of particular value to local policy-makers, local businesses and cruise lines serving the Caribbean region.

An unusual cause of visual loss: Subfoveal, motile angiostrongyliasis.

This is a short report describing the clinical presentation, investigations, treatment and outcome of a patient living in the Jamaican countryside who was diagnosed with a live, motile subfoveal helminth identified as Angiostrongylus cantonensis on optical coherence tomography at the University Hospital of the West Indies Eye Clinic. This is the second documented case in Jamaica. Early recognition of angiostrongyliasis is important as it may manifest as eosinophilic meningitis which can be fatal without prompt treatment.

Constitutional legacies of empire in politics and administration: Jamaica’s incomplete settlement

Constitutionalism is characterised by tensions and ambiguities. The Westminster constitutional framework is no different and, in the UK, these tensions are traditionally mitigated through informal institutions, underpinned by what Leslie Lipson called a ‘mutually beneficial bargain’. While the existing literature has pointed to a ‘transplant effect’ in which only the formal but not the informal institutions are transplanted, little is understood about the legacy effects of such transplants, how they are mediated by the presence, absence or modification of such a bargain, and the impact on the conduct and effectiveness of government. Using the case of Jamaica, this paper explores these issues by examining the constitutional tension between principles of responsible and representative government as they operate on the relationship between politics and civil service in the colonial and immediate post-colonial period. We argue that the constitutional legacy is one of a ‘mutually suspicious bargain’ between politicians and civil servants, which emerged under the era of colonial rule, but persisted into the post-colonial era, becoming, in the 1970s, a central flashpoint of constitutional conflict. As a result of this colonial legacy, there has been an unresolved tension in the operation of the Jamaican constitution regarding the appropriate balance between constitutional principles of responsibility.

Climate change impacts on critical international transportation assets of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS): the case of Jamaica and Saint Lucia

This contribution presents an assessment of the potential vulnerabilities to climate variability and change (CV & C) of the critical transportation infrastructure of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It focuses on potential operational disruptions and coastal inundation forced by CV & C on four coastal international airports and four seaports in Jamaica and Saint Lucia which are critical facilitators of international connectivity and socioeconomic development. Impact assessments have been carried out under climatic conditions forced by a 1.5 °C specific warming level (SWL) above pre-industrial levels, as well as for different emission scenarios and time periods in the twenty-first century. Disruptions and increasing costs due to, e.g., more frequent exceedance of high temperature thresholds that could impede transport operations are predicted, even under the 1.5 °C SWL, advocated by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and reflected as an aspirational goal in the Paris Climate Agreement. Dynamic modeling of the coastal inundation under different return periods of projected extreme sea levels (ESLs) indicates that the examined airports and seaports will face increasing coastal inundation during the century. Inundation is projected for the airport runways of some of the examined international airports and most of the seaports, even from the 100-year extreme sea level under 1.5 °C SWL. In the absence of effective technical adaptation measures, both operational disruptions and coastal inundation are projected to increasingly affect all examined assets over the course of the century.

Mobilizing Transnational Agency for Slavery Reparations: The Case of Jamaica

Previous articleNext article No AccessMobilizing Transnational Agency for Slavery Reparations: The Case of JamaicaClaudia RauhutClaudia Rauhut Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of African American History Volume 103, Number 1-2Winter/Spring 2018National and International Perspectives on Movements for Reparations A journal of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/696334 Views: 329Total views on this site © 2018 by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

The impact of polyvictimisation on children in LMICs: the case of Jamaica

Children who experience polyvictimization in high-income countries (HICs) are at higher risk for mental health-related trauma symptoms. There is limited information on the impact of polyvictimisation on children with high levels of exposure, as occurs in some low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study investigates the impact of poyvictimization on Jamaican children’s intellectual functioning, achievement, and disruptive behaviors. Data from a geographical subgroup (n = 1171) of a 1986 population based birth cohort study were utilised. At age 11–12 years, the sub-group completed questionnaires on exposure to violence at school, at home and in their communities, and tests of academic and intellectual functioning. Their parents completed questionnaires on family resources (socioeconomic status) and children’s behaviour. Findings from Structural Equational Modelling indicated that for both genders, exposure to polyvictimisation had a direct negative effect on intellectual functioning, and an indirect negative effect on achievement mediated through intellectual functioning. For boys, polyvictimisation had a direct negative effect on behavioural risk. Family resources was negatively associated with exposure to polyvictimisation. In Jamaica, a LMIC country with high levels of polyvictimisation, there is a significant negative effect of polyvictimisation on children. The secondary- and tertiary-level interventions to address these effects are costly to LMICs with limited financial resources. Prevention of exposure to violence in all its forms is therefore the recommended approach to reduce violence-related morbidity.

The impact of polyvictimisation on children in LMICs: the case of Jamaica

The impact of polyvictimisation on children in LMICs: the case of Jamaica

The impact of information technology on the efficacy of tuition fee collection: a case in Jamaica

Most governments in both developed and developing countries are reducing their financial support to universities. This condition is further compounded in Jamaica because the Jamaican government has shifted its focus and support from tertiary to early childhood education. As a result, both students and universities in Jamaica are experiencing financial difficulties. In an effort to overcome the challenges, one major university in the country has embarked upon a series of initiatives. These initiatives include, as a central element, the use of information technology (IT). Hence, this research seeks to answer the pivotal question, ‘How does the use of information technology enable a Jamaican university to manage tuition fee collection in a manner that is effective yet sensitive to students’ financial situation?’ The survey found a significant relationship between the IT system and students being financially cleared at the release of examination results. In addition, the majority of students paid their tuition fees each semester via multiple payment options, and 64% of the Billing and Receivables staff believed that the IT system was effective in collecting tuition fees. These insights should assist universities’ decision makers in identifying the best suite of financial strategies to enhance tuition fee collection.

Between ballots and bullets: elections and citizenship in and beyond the nation-state

This article approaches electoral acts and performances as central sites for the negotiation of citizenship relations. I argue that, in order to understand how these relationships are shaped, we must attend to governmental actors beyond the nation-state, from trade unions to criminal organizations. Focusing on the case of Jamaica, I show how non-state actors have come to play a central role in hybrid forms of governance, shaping citizens' allegiances to multiple, overlapping political communities. How are campaigning and voting affected by such multiple allegiances? What new understandings of citizenship can we develop if we take the role of non-state actors in the electoral process seriously? I suggest that we should study elections as a site where citizenship – understood here in its broad sense of membership of a political community – can develop both within and beyond the nation-state.

Whose Governance? IMF Austerities in a Small Island State: The Case of Jamaica

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have for a long time embarked on what can be described as a 'trustee' relationship with countries in the Commonwealth Caribbean. From the latter half of the 1970s, countries such as Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados as well as Grenada were 'forced' because of their chronic need for 'hard' currency loans to approach the IMF and the World Bank. These loans were accompanied by structural adjustment measures. This paper attempts, for the first time, to evaluate, in the case of Jamaica, whether the measures introduced by the Lending Agencies resulted in some measure of economic growth in the countries under review. The paper then examines the new agreements entered into by these countries and the measures that accompanied them. The overarching argument is that the forces of globalization as well as austerity measures introduced by lending agencies such the IMF and the World Bank prevents rather than encourages small island governments1 to embark on 'national' development plans and programs. In other words, the primary argument of this paper is that these countries are constrained in their ability to 'govern' themselves; rather their economic decisions are largely crafted by the forces of globalization and further reinforced by international lending agencies such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.Â

Resort-based or resource-based tourism? A case study of Jamaica

Subject area This case study can be used in the following subject areas: tourism management; tourism policy; tourism planning and development; destination marketing and management; hospitality and tourism management; special event planning and management; and attraction management. Study level/applicability This case study is useful to both undergraduate and graduate students specializing in hospitality and tourism management. Case overview This case study explored the nature of two forms of tourism development; resort-based and resource-based, and aimed to determine which is the more viable and sustainable option for the future of tourism in Jamaica, an island destination in the Caribbean which depends highly on the tourism industry. The literature established that both forms of tourism are challenged by several and varying factors and so their synergistic integration appears to be the most functional option for sustainable tourism development in Jamaica along with the involvement of the relevant stakeholders. Expected learning outcomes The students should be able to: Distinguish between resort-based tourism and resource-based tourism by identifying the elements and attributes that make them different. Explain the usefulness and drawbacks of both types of tourism model. Discuss the nature of culture and heritage tourism and eco-tourism. Analyze Jamaica's tourism model from the nineteenth to the twenty-firstst century by assessing the changes and developments. Discuss the role of government in facilitating the development of a “wholisitic tourism model” that will facilitate the synergy of resort-based tourism and resource-based tourism. Assess the role of the private sector in encouraging and facilitating resource-based tourism. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes. Social implications This case study conceptually and empirically analyzed the tourism model in Jamaica to ascertain whether or not the future of Jamaica's tourism should remain dependent on resort-based tourism or should it opt for resource-based tourism as a more viable and sustainable option. The discussion however, indicates that resort-based tourism can synergize with resource-based tourism to achieve sustainable development along with the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders including the government, hotel operators and the residents. The case synopsis likewise presented a concise summary of the literature reviewed regarding the concepts of resort-based tourism and resource-based tourism; and the case of Jamaica's tourism. The learning outcomes are intended to guide the teaching- learning process and stimulate students' understanding of the concepts of resort-based tourism and resource-based tourism and their specific implications in terms of tourism development in Jamaica. This knowledge can also be generalized to other destinations with similar historical background and tourism resources. The applied questions will guide the discussions and provide additional resources for assessment purposes. They will also help the students to critically assess the dynamics of tourism development. The case synopsis is consistent with the learning outcomes, corresponding applied questions and course recommendations. A total of two to three-hours teaching session can be used to discuss the constructs, analyze the case in point and answer the applied questions.

The Influence of Macroeconomic Variables on Health Indices, Murder and Mortality: A Case of Jamaica

Background: A paucity of information exists in the literature that has seen a single study modeling macroeconomic indicators, murder and health indices (i.e., illness rate, health insurance coverage, health care utilization and mortality) in the English-speaking Caribbean. The current paper fills the gap in the literature. Objective: This paper examines how selected macroeconomic variables influence murder, mortality and illhealth. Methods: The data for this study are taken from publications of different governmental organizations, responsible for the collection of pertinent data for the government to carry out policy planning. Ordinary least square regression analyses were used to establish the model for 1) mortality, 2) murder and 3) ill-health. Results: There is a fluctuation of murder rates between the decades in the study period as evidenced by the fact that the average number of murders in Jamaica between 1969 and 1981 was 266. The following decade (1980-1989) saw an 85.3% increase, which subsequently saw a 43.4% reduction by the third decade of the study period (1990-1999). The last decade (2000-2009) saw a 93.5% increase in murders. For the studied period, there was a geometric progression in murders compared to a cyclical change in mortality. There was a strong correlation between murder and health insurance coverage (rs=0.960; P=0.0001), inflation (rs=-0.861; P=0.0001), exchange rate (rs=0.950; P=0.0001); a moderate relationship between mortality and health care utilization (rs=0.654; P=0.001) and no bivariate relationship existed between murder and illness (rs=-0.411, P=0.090). Conclusion: The reality is government should have a coherent policy in place to address these events, as every life lost through murder is important and represents a reduction in potential contribution to economic growth and development.

The Problem with Violence: Exceptionality and Sovereignty in the New World

For many observers, the violent and often spectacular crime that takes place in particular Caribbean areas is evidence of a failure to create a growth-oriented economy and morally progressive ethos. It is a problem of culture, a mark of backwardness, an unsuccessful movement from savagery, or a failure to take advantage of post-World War II opportunities for development in political, economic, and socio-cultural fields. At the very least, it is something that marks the Caribbean—as well as some spaces within Latin America—as seeming to have taken a different path in relation to other New World trajectories. This article uses the case of Jamaica—itself often portrayed as exceptional within the region—to think through how, when, and why the US is, on one hand and from one perspective, written out of these narratives and, on the other and from alternative vantage points, central to them. In doing so, Thomas emphasizes the long-standing transnational dimension of violence in the postcolonial Americas, situating the New World as a single sphere of experience, in order to say something about the relationships among violence, the exploitation and settlement of the New World, sovereignty, and the various phases of modern capitalism.

Health measurement

Jamaicans are not atypical in how they conceptualize health and/or how they address patient care as the antithesis of diseases or dysfunctions (i.e. health conditions). In the 1900s and earlier, Western Societies were using the biomedical model in the measurement and trea- tment of health, health attitudes and the utilization of health services. This approach emphasizes sickness, dysfunction, and the identification of symptomology or medical disorders to evaluate health and health care. Such an approach places significance on the end (i.e. genetic and physical conditions), instead of the multiplicity of factors that are likely to result in the existing state, or issues outside of the space of dysfunctions. Notwithstanding the limitations of the biomedical approach, it is still practiced by many Caribbean societies, and this is fundamentally the case in Jamaica. The current paper is an examination of health measurement, and provides at the same time a rationale for the need to have a more representative model as opposed to the one-dimensional approach of using pathogens in measuring health. Owing to the importance of health in development, patient care and its significance for other areas in society, this paper seeks to broaden more than just the construct, as it goes to the core of modern societies in helping them to understand the constitution of health and how patient care should be treated. Thus, it provides a platform for the adoption of the biopsychosocial model, which integrates biological, social, cultural, psychological and environmental conditions in the assessment of health and the outcome of research, by using observational survey data.

Electoral Reform and Good Governance: The Case of Jamaica

Jamaica has enjoyed a relatively stable democratic system since independence in 1962. The two main political parties have alternated in power. Election results have been accepted as reflecting the majority view. Nevertheless, recognised flaws have led to periodic reform efforts, these escalating between 1997 and 2007. This article questions the effectiveness of these reforms. The first section locates the Jamaican experience of electoral reform within the broader concept of good governance. While Jamaica has not been required to implement good governance programmes, it is evident that these discourses have permeated the political and electoral reform agenda. The second section of the article examines the specifics of electoral reform. I argue that while there has been a positive impact in terms of decreasing levels of fraud and impersonation, reform has failed to significantly alter voting cultures in the garrison areas.

Marginal Intra-Industry Trade: The Case of Jamaica's Trade with CARICOM

Of the dearth of empirical studies on marginal intra-industry trade, there is a relative paucity of empirical evidence involving developing countries. The major contribution of this article is two-fold: Firstly, it measures to our knowledge for the first time the extent of Jamaica's marginal intra-industry trade with CARICOM. This study is warranted bearing in mind that Jamaica's involvement in recent integration efforts with CARICOM will have adjustment costs implications. Secondly, we compare the performance of various Jamaican export sectors with their CARICOM counterparts. The article concludes by proposing some recommendations for policy makers to ensure smoother functioning of the Jamaican labour market.

Ideology and Educational Aims: The Case of Jamaica

This research is basically a descriptive study. Its purpose was to determine the extent to which the aims and policies of education under the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) differed from the aims and policies of education under the People's National Party (PNP). It was anticipated that, given the differing self-proclaimed ideological cleavages of the JLP (capitalism) and the PNP (socialism), there would be marked differences in their educational aims. The analysis revealved, however, that if there were ideological differences, these were not easily detected from the rhetoric of their educational aims. The differences observed were largely in terms of emphasis and in the particular means and priorities designed to achieve their stated objectives.

Treating cocaine body packers: The unspoken personal risks

Cocaine trafficking is a significant problem that many Caribbean territories must face. “Body packing” is a common method of transport where the smugglers ingest several cocaine filled packages. Body packers may be taken to hospital when they are detained by law enforcement officers, but occasionally they present on their own or accompanied by persons other than the authorities. This scenario poses a difficult management dilemma in any jurisdiction. We describe our experience with one such case in Jamaica.