Caribbean Argonauts : Advancing Economic Modernization

This paper hypothesizes that there is a common explanation for the limited success Caribbean nations have experienced in achieving two inter-related objectives: economic integration and rapid economic growth. The outflow of highly trained and educated people from the region stands among the highest in the world. The magnitude of this emigration has deprived the Caribbean of the human capital necessary to secure both goals. With this the case, CARICOM needs a significant number of its highly educated overseas residents to return home, bringing with them both entrepreneurial ability and an integrationist perspective. The paper explores the incentives that would be necessary to generate a return flow of “new Argonauts.”