Lingering Colonial Impacts Such As Poor Institutions and Often External Dependence

Some of the considered important features that developing countries tend to have in
common were also evident in the Republic of Haiti.
Haiti is the poorest country in the whole western hemisphere. Since breaking free from
French colonial rule over two centuries ago, the Caribbean state has weathered multiple foreign
interventions, chronic political instability, and devastating natural disasters. Two-fifths of all Haitians
depend on the agricultural sector, mainly small-scale subsistence farming, which remains vulnerable
to damage from frequent natural disasters. The confluence of these forces has transformed what
was once the wealthiest colony in the Americas into the poorest country in the Western
Hemisphere.
Poverty, corruption, vulnerability to natural disasters, and low levels of education for much
of the population represents some of the most serious impediments to Haiti’s economic growth.
Lingering colonial impacts such as poor institutions and often external dependence.
Foreign intervention and debt
Freedom from France in 1804 did not mean an end to foreign powers intervening in Haiti.
France only recognized an independent Haiti in 1825, after its former colony agreed to pay
reparations that would be worth $22 billion today. Over the next 120 years, as much as 80 percent
of Haiti’s revenues went to paying off this debt. “For an entire century, Haiti geared its economy to
paying back the French debt and missed out on industrialization, education, and development of its
government and democratic institutions,” says Brian Concannon, founder and executive director of
the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti. “It really couldn’t develop.”
Political instability
The U.S. withdrawal was followed by a series of unstable governments, which culminated in
1957 with the establishment of a twenty-nine-year dictatorship under Francois Duvalier and his son,
Jean-Claude. Their rule was characterized by corruption that drained the nation’s coffers and human
rights violations that left some thirty thousand dead or missing. In 1986, massive protests and
international pressure forced the young Duvalier to flee the country, giving way to a new
constitution and democratic institutions.
In 2011, Michael Martelly became president following a contested election clouded by

allegations of meddling by the United States on his behalf. A musician with no previous political
experience, Martelly postponed presidential elections twice and ruled by decree for more than a
year. Haiti was cast into a political vacuum in 2016, when the election of Martelly’s successor,
Jovenel Moise, was annulled amid fraud allegations. The country was ruled by an interim
government until early 2017, when a second round of elections confirmed Moise's victory.
Haiti continues to rank among the top fifteen most corrupt countries in the world, with
Moise under investigation for money laundering.
Haiti is also heavily dependent on external revenue. Haitians rely heavily on remittances
from Haitians living abroad to supplement their incomes; the World Bank estimated remittances to
Haiti were almost $3 billion for 2018, constituting about 31% of Haiti’s GDP.
Higher population growth rates
Early researchers claimed that an increasing Haitian population contributed to the

degradation of the environment. However, recent research places Haiti as the country with the
lowest per capita ecological footprint in the world. Haiti can be characterized as a low-income, high-
density nation. As of 2012, Haiti's population count was at 10.6 million. The UN estimates that 52%
of the population lived in urban areas in 2011, with an annual 3.9% annual increase in population in
urban areas. Low-income individuals are largely concentrated in urban areas, especially Port-au-
Prince, and are subject to poor environmental quality, human health, and quality of life. As the
population of urban areas in Haiti grows it is hard to update the already poor infrastructure to meet
the needs of so many people.
Natural Disasters/ Adverse geography
As a small Caribbean country, Haiti is often the victim of intense natural disasters such as
hurricanes, tropical storms, and earthquakes, which have a large impact on both Haiti's environment
and its citizens. Roughly 40% of the total land in Haiti is farmed, with agriculture being the basis of
the country's economy. Given agriculture's high dependence on natural ecosystem services, farming
systems are at high risk to be negatively affected by climate change and climate-induced shocks. The
intensity of Atlantic hurricanes in Haiti has increased substantially since 1980. These storms
frequently result in loss of human life, loss of livestock, destruction of agriculture, soil erosion, a
spike in water-borne diseases, and decreased food security. Tropical storms often also lead to
flooding, which is one of the leading causes of vulnerability in Haiti. Flooding often occurs in Haiti's
most populous cities, which are located in valleys along the coast. Large amounts of rain, barren hills
resulting from deforestation, and poor drainage infrastructure leave Haiti especially susceptible to
flooding after tropical storms. Landslides also often result from the rain accompanying a tropical
storm, since much of the soil has eroded as a result of deforestation. From 1980-2009, Haiti had
more deaths due to natural disasters than any other country in the insular Caribbean. The majority
of deaths were caused by flooding or landslides, which resulted from the heavy rains of tropical
storms combined with the unstable slopes left from deforestation.
Higher levels of inequality and absolute poverty
Plagued by chronic political instability and frequent natural disasters, Haiti is the poorest
country in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the poorest countries in the world. Haiti’s poverty is
massive and deep. Almost 60% of the population lives under the national poverty line of $2.41per
day. More than 24% live under the national extreme poverty line of $1.23 per day. In addition, Haiti
continues to recover from the 2010 earthquake that devastated the capital of Port-au-Prince, whose
original estimated economic damage was $8 billion to $14 billion. In October 2016, Hurricane
Matthew, which the World Bank characterized as the most devastating disaster since the
earthquake, caused damage estimated to equal 32% of Haiti’s gross domestic product (GDP).The
agricultural, livestock, and fishing sectors suffered losses of about $600 million. A two-year drought,
compounded by Hurricane Matthew, has largely destroyed Haiti’s food supply, creating
humanitarian disaster. More than 96% of Haiti’s 11 million people are at risk from natural disasters,
and Haiti is one of the most exposed countries in the world to climate change.

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Lingering Colonial Impacts Such As Poor Institutions and Often External Dependence

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Some of the considered important features that developing countries tend to have in

common were also evident in the Republic of Haiti.

Foreign intervention and debt

In 2011, Michael Martelly became president following a contested election clouded by

Early researchers claimed that an increasing Haitian population contributed to the

Natural Disasters/ Adverse geography

Higher levels of inequality and absolute poverty

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