First Page
745
Abstract
This Article provides an overview, based in part on the author's field survey, of the investment laws and policies of the Eastern Caribbean subregion. The island states of the Eastern Caribbean offer foreign investors unique opportunities. Among the reasons that these states should attract investment is the close relation between the two two neighboring islands, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands, and the United States; this relation offers the Eastern Caribbean states ready access to the U.S. market. The author examines these relations and the institutional frameworks for investment employed by the various states. The Article raises questions about the value of providing investments and maintains that other factors, such as the level of worker training and the existence of necessary infrastructure, are also significant. The Article concludes that most Eastern Caribbean states would be well served by centrally locating their investment centers in divisions of existing governmental ministries. Through these investment centers, the states should tap into the technological knowledge of the private sector, focus on long-term investment priorities, and prepare to manage large-scale investment. Moreover, these states should examine their investment codes to ensure their clarity to foreign investors. The author also concludes that the states of the Eastern Caribbean should continue to offer comprehensive incentive packages because different investors are attracted by different types of incentives.
Recommended Citation
T. M. Ocran,
The Institutional and Policy Framework for Foreign Investment in the Eastern Caribbean, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands,
27 Vanderbilt Law Review
745
(2021)
Available at: https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/vjtl/vol27/iss4/2