Regional Sustainable Economic Development in the Caribbean? A Discursive Inquiry

The Caribbean region is governed by several regional bodies. Among the more important organizations for small island states, where coral reefs and ocean conservation are paramount, is the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Currently, the region is going through critical environmental changes that bring important vulnerabilities. The Community states that a key mission is to “Mainstream all aspects of sustainable development, including environmental, economic, and social dimensions.” This requires that these elements are balanced against each other such that economic priorities neither damage the ecology of the area nor generate divisive inequalities. We assume that if these are balanced values, they will receive equal selective attention in the official semantic behavior of CARICOM. To test this, we conduct a quantitative content analysis of a decade's worth of CARICOM Annual Reports and Records of Decision. The analysis shows that economism dominates the attention of the Community, and that this economism is inflected in governance discourses. Social values are substantially present and there are evident concerns for social equity, but environmental protection and sustainability discourses are much less so and even less so are esthetic and ethical considerations (which include ideas like responsibility, obligations, and beauty). Thus, the values indicated by CARICOM's semantic behavior are not balanced to account for noneconomic priorities. These concerns can all be remedied with renewed focus and decisions that highlight more attention to social and environmental concerns.