2026-07-01http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/418332The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is at an economic crossroads. A secular slowdown in growth, a radical transformation of the external environment, high debt and fiscal imbalances, and persistent unemployment and poverty have combined to create an imperative for redefining the OECS strategy for growth and economic development. The crucial elements of such a strategy are: (1) the formulation of a long-term vision that positions the OECS Economic Union in the global economy; (2) reorientation o f the basic development model toward greater openness, competition and a more level playing field in the sub-regional economy, and (3) the creation of new capacity in the labor force and the private sector to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the global market place, and in the public sector to coordinate and support the process o f deeper regional (and global) integration. The current challenge facing the sub-region is how to reinvigorate and sustain growth alongside the following imperatives --reducing high unemployment and poverty rates, restoring fiscal and debt sustainability, and securing a more sustainable external position in an increasingly competitive global environment.application/pdftext/plainCC BY 3.0 IGOhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/World BankACCELERATING GROWTHACCOUNTINGADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURESAIRANTIGUA AND BARBUDABANKING SECTORBONDSCENTRAL AMERICACENTRAL BANKCOMMERCIAL BORROWINGCOMPARATIVE ADVANTAGECOMPETITION POLICYCOMPETITIVE ADVANTAGECOMPETITIVENESSCONSUMERSCRIMECROWDING OUTCUSTOMSCUSTOMS ADMINISTRATIONDEBTDEVELOPED COUNTRIESDEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCEDEVELOPMENT ECONOMICSDEVELOPMENT PROJECTSDEVELOPMENT STRATEGYDISASTERSDOMESTIC MARKETEASTERN CARIBBEAN CENTRAL BANKECONOMIC COOPERATIONECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTECONOMIC POLICIESECONOMIC UNIONEXCHANGE RATEEXPORT COMPETITIVENESSEXPORT PERFORMANCEEXPORT SECTOREXPORT SECTORSEXPORTSEXTERNAL POSITIONFAIR TRADEFINANCIAL ASSISTANCEFINANCIAL SERVICESFINANCIAL SYSTEMFISCAL DEFICITSFISCAL POLICYFISHFOREIGN FIRMSFOREIGN INVESTMENTFOREIGN INVESTORFOREIGN INVESTORSFREE TRADEFREE TRADE AREAGDPGLOBAL ECONOMYGLOBAL MARKETGROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTHEALTH SERVICESHIGH UNEMPLOYMENTINCREASING RETURNSINNOVATIONINSURANCEINVESTMENT CLIMATEINVESTMENT INCENTIVESLABOR FORCELABOR MARKETLABOR MARKETSLABOR PRODUCTIVITYLABOR REGULATIONSLABOR UNIONSLEGISLATIONLEVEL PLAYING FIELDLIBERALIZING TRADELOCAL PRODUCERSMACROECONOMIC CONDITIONSMACROECONOMIC PERFORMANCEMACROECONOMIC STABILITYMARKET SHAREMEDIAMEMBER COUNTRIESMEMBER COUNTRYMIGRANTSMIGRATIONPREFERENTIAL ACCESSPRICE CONTROLSPRIVATE INVESTMENTPRIVATE SECTORPRODUCERSPUBLIC DEBTPUBLIC EXPENDITUREPUBLIC EXPENDITURESPUBLIC PROCUREMENTPUBLIC SECTORPUBLIC SERVICESREAL GDPREAL WAGESRECIPROCAL PROTECTIONREGIONAL APPROACHREGIONAL COOPERATIONREGIONAL ECONOMYREGIONAL INSTITUTIONSREGIONAL INTEGRATIONREGIONAL LEVELREGIONAL MARKETREGIONAL MARKETSREGIONAL SOLUTIONSREGIONALISMREGULATORY BARRIERSREGULATORY FRAMEWORKSAVINGSSCHOOLSTAX ADMINISTRATIONTAX BASETAX RATESTECHNICAL ASSISTANCETECHNOLOGY ADOPTIONTELECOMMUNICATIONSTERTIARY EDUCATIONTOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITYTOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY GROWTHTRADE AGREEMENTSTRADE LIBERALIZATIONTRADE UNIONSTRADING ARRANGEMENTSTRANSPORTTRANSPORT SERVICESUNEMPLOYMENTUNEMPLOYMENT RATESVALUE ADDEDVIOLENCEWAGE RATESWAGESWELLNESSWORKERSWORLD ECONOMYWORLD PRICESWORLD TRADEWORLD TRADE ORGANIZATIONWTOYOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT