Some progress in Haiti

by  Tyler Cowen in

Haiti backers heralded some good news Monday for the earthquake ravaged Haiti: 44 miles of newly asphalted road, a new 605-acre industrial park in the north that will attract 65,000 jobs and a marquee hotel brand [Marriott].

“This is a very special day. It is truly a day of change,” Luis Alberto Moreno, the head of the Inter-American Development Bank said Monday.

The bank, which invests hundreds of millions of dollars in Haiti, is sponsoring a two-day investment forum in Port-au-Prince beginning Tuesday. So far, 1,000 people have registered, 500 of them business people from 29 countries.

Here is more and I thank B. for the pointer.

Comments

Eric Falkenstein

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If that hotel were publicly traded, I'd short it: vacation in Haiti?

Andrew M

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It could be a business hotel rather than a vacation hotel? With all the NGOs, there must be a huge market for a standard hotel in which to claim expenses.

Rahul

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Why not move the UNESCO or the UNHCR HQ to Haiti? Win Win I say.

Chuck

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605 acres developed already?

Ted Craig

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"a new 605-acre industrial park in the north that will attract 65,000 jobs"

Will it?

Richard Ebeling

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It sounds like a version of the "broken window fallacy."

Rahul

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Doesn't count if an earthquake broke the window.

The Anti-Gnostic

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"Hundreds of millions of dollars" from the Inter-American Development Bank, oodles of other public and private charity, thousands of earnest, hardworking volunteers, and still no working sewage system.

What a fraud and a sham.

bunker brown

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Yeah, I'd be more impressed with a working sewer and trash collection system.

Bill

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Let's be a little more upbeat.

I bet you can find a working sewer and trash system at the Marriott.

Jessika

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Before you criticize, count how many have to build everything from scratch. So what are these millions of dollars - a drop in the ocean.

The Anti-Gnostic

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So what are these millions of dollars – a drop in the ocean.

No they're not. Haiti is one-half of a Caribbean island--several hundred million simoleons will go a long way. The incentives of the hundreds of NGO's down there are to perpetuate their existence, not to implement solutions.

The reality is that the Haitians who remain there are incapable of self-governance at any level acceptable to the civilized world. Wall it off (like their neighbors in the Dominican Republic do), or re-colonize it.

The Anonymouse

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Maybe a drop in the ocean compared to what needs to be done to 'fix' Haiti. Not a drop in the ocean compared to how much the world is willing to give a failing (before the earthquake) and failed (after) state.

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