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Economic and Political Forces in Haitian Underdevelopment

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Abstract

Haiti’s economic plight is well-known. The country is the poorest one in the Western Hemisphere, with a per capita income which by the time President Aristide returned in 1994 was estimated at US$250–260 per annum, perhaps even lower — certainly so in the countryside which is home to the majority of the population.1 In addition, urban income is heavily concentrated in very few hands.2 As a result, half, if not more than half, of the inhabitants of nation’s capital are ultra-poor and have to spend at least 75 percent of their income to secure a daily intake of 1500 calories.3

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© 2011 Mats Lundahl

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Lundahl, M. (2011). Economic and Political Forces in Haitian Underdevelopment. In: Poverty in Haiti. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230304932_4

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