Haiti poverty

5 Stories

France Urged to Repay Haiti's $22B 'Independence Debt'

Payout would make up for quake aid shortfall

(Newser) - France should fork over almost $22 billion to Haiti to make up for the "independence debt" it extorted from its former colony 200 years ago, a group of prominent activists and authors has urged in a letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The money would give the impoverished Caribbean...

Haiti Quake Caused $14B in Damage: Study

Natural disaster one of worst ever, compared to size of country

(Newser) - Haiti’s earthquake caused up to $14 billion in damages, or 117% of Haiti’s annual economic output, according to a new study from the Inter-American Development Bank. That makes it the most costly natural disaster since World War II, relative to the size and economy of the affected country....

What Rebuilding Haiti Will Mean
 What Rebuilding Haiti Will Mean 
Jan 19, 2010 4:45 AM CST

What Rebuilding Haiti Will Mean

Debt relief, housing quality, and a better government are key

(Newser) - World leaders have vowed to rebuild Haiti's infrastructure into something better than it was before; the Independent takes a look at what this would mean in practice:
  • Higher-quality housing: Haiti has no building codes; international donors should insist the new dwellings their funds build for those left homeless in the
...

Haitian Slams Robertson for Devil Pact Diss

Ambassador tells Rachel Maddow US benefited from Haiti 'devil pact'

(Newser) - So, the Satanic curse that Pat Robertson blames for Haiti's current suffering? The Haitian ambassador to the US begs to point out that Americans might not want to be so quick to join the televangelist in equating the island nation's fight for independence from France to a pact with the...

Why Haiti Is So Poor
 Why Haiti Is So Poor 
A COMPILATION OF HYPOTHESES
Jan 13, 2010 8:39 PM CST

Why Haiti Is So Poor

Early break with France, ruinous Duvaliers among theories

(Newser) - With bad news still pouring in from earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Tyler Cowen pulls together some hypotheses on why the nation is so poor (noting that he doesn’t endorse all):
  • Haiti gained independence from France too soon, in the early 1800s. Caribbean neighbors Guadeloupe and Martinique waited, and get a good
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5 Stories