The Developmental Benefits of Strategic Decolonization in the Caribbean

This study examines the sovereign nations and semi-autonomous dependent territories that border the Caribbean sea to determine the presence of significant structural differences between Caribbean nations that gained sovereignty during the pre-1945, \u27early-period\u27- characterized by violent, unplanned popular uprisings- those that gained sovereignty in the post-1945, \u27late-period\u27- characterized by diplomacy and favorable economic and political relationships between young nations and FCPs- and those semi-autonomous territories still under the control of colonial nations. Based on data from the World Bank, I have identified very strong evidence that early-period independent nations have significantly lower economic development, score significantly lower on indicators of good governance, and have had significantly slower progress in industrialization and technological advancement than both late-period independent nations and semi-autonomous territories. This challenges common scholarship on decolonization strategies, provides valuable insight into the value of relationships between young nations and their FCPs, and identifies potential hazards of poorly planned decolonization