Honoree

 

Dr. Ralph Henry spent a number of years as a public servant before joining the Department of Economics in 1980, where he remained until 1998. His research interest in poverty and inequality, which started when he was attached to the Ministry of Planning and Development, continued in the Department. While at the Department he taught Development Economics, Labour Economics, and Economics of Human Resources. He also developed a course in the Economics of Culture, which was first taught at St. Augustine. 

 

Dr. Henry was also instrumental in the development of a foreign language component, which became a co-requirement of the Masters Programme in Economics at the time. He encouraged outreach for the Department, which took the form of short programmes during the vacation period for personnel in the public and private sectors throughout the Region. He also encouraged enrolment of students from Africa and Asia in the graduate programme.

 

He was one of the founding members of the Latin American Desk, which brought together staff members of the Campus who had an interest in deepening contacts with our Latin American neighbours. The desk has since matured into Centre for Latin America and the Caribbean (CENLAC).  Since leaving to work as consultant with Kairi Consultants Ltd, he has continued to collaborate with the Department of Economics, including advising graduate students and providing attachments for them to secure practical experience as Economists in Kairi Consultants. He is now well known for research in the area of poverty in the Caribbean.