Productivity and Competitiveness in the Jamaican Economy -- Dr. Andrew S. Downs

Over the decade of the 1990s the performance of the Jamaican economy was rather poor according to most macroeconomic indicators. The period was characterized by negative or very low rates of economic growth as we as high levels of unemployment. After achieving a growth rate of 5.5 percent in 1990, the highest growth rate Jamaica was able to achieve during the 1990s was 2.0 percent in 1993. With rapid changes taking place in the international economic environment within which Jamaica has to operate, an integrated national economic plan is needed to rebuild the economy and to cushion it from the adverse effects of external changes.