Fifty Years of Commonwealth: The Contradictions of Free Associated Statehood in Puerto Rico

The authors analyze the socioeconomic costs and benefits of "free associated statehood" in Puerto Rico. To begin, they describe the basic features of the Commonwealth government, emphasizing its subordination to the U.S. government. Second, they examine the impact of the Island's ambiguous political status on citizenship and nationality. Third, the essay focuses on the cultural repercussions of the resettlement of almost half of the Island's population abroad. Fourth, the authors review the main economic trends in the half-century since the Commonwealth's establishment. Fifth, they recognize the educational progress of Puerto Ricans since the 1950s. Sixth, the essay assesses the extent of democratic representation, human rights, and legal protection of Puerto Ricans. Finally, the authors identify crime, drug addiction, and corruption as key challenges to further developing free associated statehood. The authors argue that Commonwealth status has exhausted its capacity to meet the needs and aspirations of the Puerto Rican people