Why the Center

Effective policy formulation and decision-making are based upon accurate information and analysis. However, there exists an information gap in relation to issues of paramount concern to the Caribbean region and the Caribbean Diaspora communities.

The Center will seek to fill this existing information gap in policy formulation and decision-making processes. It will be an institution dedicated to accurate data gathering, credible studies and analyses at the national, regional and global levels in a comprehensive and coordinated manner on matters which affect the interests of Caribbean people in the Caribbean region and in the Caribbean Diaspora. While other institutions, including some that are Washington-based, have assumed partial or ad hoc roles in this effort, from time to time, they are often controlled and/or influenced by interests, though not necessarily inimical to the Caribbean and its people, that often lack the insights and the expertise of individuals deeply connected to the Caribbean. The Caribbean Research & Policy Center will fill this void.

At the same time, the Center recognizes that there are a number of existing programs attached to institutions (both in the United States and in the Caribbean) which carry out valuable research and data analysis. The Center will work in partnership with such institutions and entities in the Caribbean (in particular Caribbean universities and other regional organizations), and in North America and elsewhere, that are engaged on issues which fall within the purview of the Center’s work.