The Dominican Republic's Development Trends*

Introduction
Latin America has had long periods of political instability and economic uncertainty, which have played a crucial role in its current state of development. Colonialism, dictatorial governments, foreign interventions - both military and economic, semi-democracies, corrupted governments and weak legal systems, among other social phenomena, have contributed to the painfully slow pace of building a society where human rights violations are not a major concern.

Nevertheless: “The changing conditions on the global scene in the late eighties set a new opportunity for Latin America: social stability was achieved thanks to the signing of treaties between the government and the guerrillas, especially in Central America; renegotiation of foreign debt and the end of dictatorships that led to democratic processes.” (Tames: 2013, Pag. 2). However, even though common criteria and similar events have been used to measure the level of development, the different Latin American countries are in different stages of development. Therefore, each country has to be analyzed independently in order to know its actual level of development.

In the following section, I will analyze the development tendencies of the Dominican Republic based on five different factors: political stability, rule of law, economic growth, human development/education, and environmental protection.

The Dominican Republic.
With a population of 10.06 million inhabitants, the Dominican Republic shares the Quisqueya island with Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. The DR has over half a million immigrants from Haiti, which has had a great impact on the Dominican economy.

Economic Growth, Human Development and Education
The Dominican Republic has long been primarily an exporter of sugar, coffee, and tobacco, but in recent years the service sector has become the economy's largest employer, due to growth in telecommunications, tourism, and free trade zones. The economy is highly dependent upon the USA, the destination for more than half of its exports. Remittances from the US and Europe amount to about one-tenth of GDP, equivalent to almost half of exports and three-quarters of tourism receipts. (CIA: 2013)

The Human Development Index study done by the UNDP revealed that: “Between 1980 and 2012, Dominican Republic’s life expectancy at birth increased by 10.7 years, mean years of schooling increased by 3.3 years and expected years of schooling increased by 2.8 years. Dominican Republic’s GNI per capita increased by about 133 percent between 1980 and 2012. ” (UNDP: 2013, Pag. 2)

In order to combat inequality and the high unemployment rate, the government is devoting resources to financing the micro and median entrepreneurs, to self-employment sectors, and to family businesses. It is also injecting capital into agriculture, and building low income housing.

In terms of the education sector, the government is dedicating 4% of its budget to education as established by law. It is developing a project to eradicate illiteracy among the population. Also, the government is restructuring the school system, creating extended school periods (up to 8 hours a day), establishing universal pre-k centers, increasing teachers' salaries, and providing access to post-graduate professional programs for teachers.

Furthermore, in the health and human services area, the government is modernizing the current hospital system as well as creating new facilities. Finally, it is enhancing universal health insurance at no cost for the general population.


Political Stability and Rule of Law
Since the mid-1990's a democracy and rule of law system have been consolidating in DR, with a multi-political party system, the restructuring of the judiciary and adherence to international treaties on human rights protection. However, “transparency of government activity and accountability remain low... [and] impartiality and competence of [the judicial system actors] need further strengthening.” (Dominican Republic-European Community: 2008, Pag. 4) As well as centralizing authority, vesting strong powers to the president and his office with very limited checks and balance, absence of permanent professional civil services, and absence of a modern procurement system, “all this produces a perception in civil society that the role of government is to provide favor or reward rather than to perform or delivery services in accordance with objective rules and standards.” (Dominican Republic-European Community: 2008, Pag. 7). Currently the government is establishing the means to enhance public servants' accountability and transparency, creating and/or changing a law to combat criminality and reduce police brutality, and updating the criminal law.


Environmental Protection and Climate Change
The Dominican Republic is located in a vulnerable region, impacted every year with a number of tropical storms and hurricanes, which increases poverty and inequality. In addition, it also has faced in the recent past deforestation that is being confronted with a new legal system for environmental protection and accountability, as well as government projects. Civil society has played an important role in this matter, putting pressure on government officials to take action concerning certain natural resources which are at risk of being devastated or polluted. For example, recently the government agreed to turn down a contract with a foreign company to exploit a mine in an area called Loma Miranda. According to UNDP, independent studies, and scholars, there would have been an unrecoverable degradation of rivers and forests of that region, and in consequence a negative impact on the lives of the people in the surrounding communities.

Conclusion
In spite of the recent history of dictatorship and caudillismo in the Dominican Republic, studies of international organizations and index indicators show that this country is taking measures to secure a future of sustainable development. International cooperation with organizations such as the European Union, Inter-American Development Bank, United Nation and World Bank, among others, assures the continuation of trends for sustainable development of the Dominican Republic. Furthermore, the “Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development” project made in cooperation with the UN which outlines the intervention to: Combating Hunger and Malnutrition, Education, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Health and HIV-AIDS, Environment, and Infrastructure, is an instrument for continuing work for sustainability. In addition, the current government is strengthening and speeding up investment in sectors that will reduce inequality and poverty, and in consequence creating a climate of confidence and reliability among the Dominican population. This will reduce the possibility of social revolts and strikes which would create social instability.

*Final Essay presented for the conclusion of the course: Latina American Culture by the university Tecnologico de Monterrey. Prof. Enrique Tamés. At Coursera.org. July 2013.

References

1. Tames, E. The Idea of Development. Latin American Culture. Tecnologico de Monterrey. 2013 (Coursera course). Video Transcript. Web July 2013.
2. UNDP. Dominican Republic. HDI values and rank changes in the 2013 Human Development Report. Human Development Report 2013. UNDP. 2013. Web. July, 2013.
3. Dominican Republic – European Community. Country Strategy Paper and National Indicative Programme for the Period 2008-2013. DR-EU. 70 Pag. Web. July 2013.
4. COPDES, ONU-RD, ONAPLAN . Investing in the Sustainable Development of the Dominican Republic: Millennium Development Goals. CORDES, UNCT. 2005. 118 Pag. Web. July 2013
5. IDB. Dominican Republic : IDB Country Strategy 2010-2013. 46 Pag. Web. July 2013.
6. Verner, Dorte. Reducing Poverty, Protecting Livelihoods, and Building Assets in a Changing Climate: Social Implications of Climate Change for Latin America and the Caribbean. World Bank. (2010). Web. July 2013.
7. CIA. The World Fact Book: Dominican Republic. May 15, 2013. Web. July 2013.
8. BBC HARDtalk [TV show]. Interview to: Enrique García, Development Bank of Latin America. BBC. 2013. Video: 23:58. Web. July 2013