First published in 1982, this study attempts to put contemporary Caribbean development into historical perspective. By first constructing a Marxist framework for the study of development , Jay Mandle assesses the reasons why the region emerged underdeveloped and evaluates post-world-war two efforts to overcome the legacy of poverty through a strategy of "industrialization through invitation." Identifying the reasons why a Marxist framework yielded results which were unsatisfactory, the author then explores the requirements which must be met for a more reliable study of the Caribbean's...

First published in 1996, this insightful and informative text examines the post-emancipation and recent economic history of the Commonwealth Caribbean. Jay R. Mandle offers an explanation of the region's continuing underdevelopment. Through the use of an analytical framework derived from the works of Marx and Kuznets, the book focuses attention on technological change as the driving force behind economic modernization. Persistent Underdevelopment begins by exploring how plantation agriculture had a limiting effect on industrial growth. Ultimately, plantation dominance receded; technological...