March 2016


Issue Home >>

 

A line culled from the national anthem, “In the Fires of Hope” is the title of the first of two volumes, a collection of articles marking the 50 years from 1962–2012. This volume, edited by Professor Patrick Watson, Director of SALISES, was launched at the Office of the Campus Principal on March 2.

The book is divided into two parts, the first being edited versions from a series held at The UWI called “Conversations with Prime Ministers.” There are two conversations in there, one with the late ANR Robinson, and the other with Basdeo Panday, both prime ministers with extraordinary terms in office and politics in general.

The second, lengthier section carries a series of articles touching on politics, economics and sociology, as follows:

  • Re-Engineering the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago for Participation and Performance – Timothy Hamel-Smith
  • Assessing Lewis’ Industrialization by Invitation (IBI) in the context of the Atlantic Plant in Point Fortin – Ranita Seecharan and Roger Hosein
  • Dutch Disease, Genuine Savings and the Role of Corporate Legitimacy – Roger Hosein and Rebecca Gokool
  • Towards Economic Diversification in Trinidad and Tobago – Rohan Longmore, Pascal Jaupart, Marta Riveira Cazorla
  • Woodbrook on the Path to Independence – Dylan Kerrigan
  • Win-Win: Enhanced Oil Recovery and Carbon Storage in Trinidad and Tobago – Lorraine Sobers and Selwyn Lashley

The book was reviewed at the launch by former Governor of the Central Bank and Campus Council Chairman, Mr. Ewart Williams. Mr. Williams chose to focus on the three papers on the economy (specifically on the energy sector), though he “could not avoid” commenting on the Woodbrook life he remembered.

He offered a penetrating analysis of the book, making it clear from his thoroughness that he had not done a superficial reading. On the article on economic diversification, authored by three staff members of the World Bank, he closed with these remarks.

“In summary, this is a very informative and provocative article, which perhaps does not go far enough. For economic diversification, we certainly need to get the market incentives right but we need to do more than that – we need to work on our institutions. Improving our business climate is central to building international competitiveness. However, it is time that we accept that this requires not only reducing red-tape and improving our work ethic; it also means dealing with crime and corruption, which too, are major blots on our investment climate.”

The comments on the content of the book were as insightful as his comments on the state of the country, and UWI TODAY will carry his review in our next issue. Meanwhile, the book is available at The UWI Bookshop.