Demographic Analysis of the Probability Coronavirus (COVID-19) has already been in Haiti and the Dominican Republic for more than one Month (Posted on March 18, 2020)

The issue of when the Coronavirus arrived in Haiti and the Dominican Republic has not been addressed by researchers yet. There is very little information online. And what I’ve been reading from government press releases strikes me as grossly misleading. So here’s my take on it. Based on network analysis and simple statistical probability associatedRead More

Mangos (TechnoServ/USAID/Coca Cola/IDB 2015)

This is an evaluation of Haiti Hope Mango Project, supported by USAID, Coca-Cola, and the IDB and implemented by TechnoServe from 2011 to 2015. The research was conducted under the auspices of Socio-Dig, a Haiti-based research company. I think the research is particularly useful for anyone interested in the Haiti agricultural sector and especially exports. The reportRead More

Travesty of the Haiti vs. Dominican Mango Industry

While Haiti absorbed some US $120 million of investments in the mango sector and did not significantly increase mango exports, the Dominican Republic created a mango export industry. In 1989 they only had 1,250 hectares planted in orchards. By 2006 that figure had tripled to 4,400 hectares. As for exports, they went from 8,222 boxesRead More

Haiti / Dominican Republic Border Surveys and Report (USAID 1998)

This report is a year 1998 rapid rural appraisal that compares and contrasts the agrarian economy, social organization, and developmental world view found in six rural areas of the Dominican-Haitian border, three on the Haitian side and three on the Dominican side. The report assesses the relevance of these patterns for projected bilateral watershed activities.Read More

Dominican Republic: Where Did all the Girls Go? Rural Dominican Sex Ratios

First published on June 16, 2012 on Open Salon This white paper treats demographic trends found in mountain park areas of the Dominican Republic. The reason that I am publishing here is that I believe it provides a fascinating contrast to demographic conditions found on the other side of the border, in rural Haiti, where differentialRead More

Justice System in the Dominican Republic

Originally posted on Open Salon in 2012 The research and inspiration for this blog began when I was arrested and imprisoned for four months in a Dominican Penitentiary (I was falsely accused of organizing illegal boat voyages; subsequently tried and acquitted). The experience—not all bad–gave me an inside look at the Dominican penal system. WhenRead More

Dominican Republic: An Open Critique of Jared Diamond’s Collapse (Haiti and DR)

This was originally published on Open Salon back in 2010 Jared Diamond, of all people, has let us down with Collapse and the suggestion that “societies choose” to fail or survive (he is reifying society). This is most evident in his short, shallow, and one-sided analysis of the differences between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. ToRead More

Haitian-Dominican Border Misunderstandings

The Haitian-Dominican border is a widely misunderstood place. Here I want to share some insights in hopes that they will contribute to a better understanding of the area. But before I get started, I want qualify myself as not just another anthropologist whining about Dominican-Haitian relations. Over the past 25 years I’ve spent 9 yearsRead More

Dominican Republic: History of Border and Re-Haitianization

This post is similar to another of my border posts but begins with a more useful summary of the history of the border and examines the re-haitianization of the Dominican side of the border in greater depth, including articulation of both Haitian and Dominican migration and subsistence strategies, and provides some good data. I shouldRead More

DR & Haiti