The Problem With Haiti

Why is Haiti so poor? Of course every crackpot has a theory, but Tyler Cowen links to this short essay by Bob Corbett which is better and more comprehensive than anything else that I have read. Much of the story is the usual:

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. The Haitian masses suffer some of the most debilitating and depressing misery of any people in the world. Yet, virtually all that misery is human caused, in most cases, by a tiny minority inside and outside Haiti who have the wealth and power to control.

Peculiarities of history conspired against Haiti. As the only country to free itself as the result of a slave revolt, it was seen as a major threat by all the slave holding powers (most of them, in 1804) and was persecuted by the world. Much of the international oppression was orchestrated by France and the US. US interference has been dominant since the occupation 1915-1934. Corbett's article has lots of interesting details about internal and external problems.

One of the oddities of Haiti is the fact that the official language (French) is not the language of the people (Haitian Creole). This language barrier is a serious and fundamental barrier which helps to keep much of the population illiterate.

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