Abstract

In an era of rapid transport and communication, spectators have come to expect a bridging of the classic political, social, and economic divide between states. It is taken for granted that states have more to work together than to strive independently for. CARICOM is the Caribbean's experiment at regional integration and it member states have pledged their ostensible support. This study is aimed at gauging the true levels of enthusiasm of the member states, which have varied among them and over time. By analysing the trade pattern of the Members with each other in comparison with the rest of the world, the commitment of the member states was ascertained. The study explores various issues and characteristics of the region that help to bolster or threaten increased cooperation among the Members. Among these, external dependency, social peculiarities, and the vulnerability of the Members makes for an interesting and uncertain prediction for the group's future. Using various indicators and indices from such sources as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the Commonwealth Secretariat the states were compared and their various situations analysed to give reason for their varied levels of commitment to regionalisation through CARICOM. Certainly possessing more in common than not, the Members prove an exception, or perhaps a refutation to the idea of international cooperation being positively affected or catalysed by commonality.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2012

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Sadri, Houman A.

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Political Science

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004235

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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