The Free-Trade Miracle

Rampant inflation, food insecurity and the exchange rate affect many in Haiti. The reduction of poverty, which affects almost 60 percent of the population, is understandably a central goal.

In his first speech, President Jovenel Moïse spoke of “a Haiti where the inhabitants do not only struggle against poverty; a Haiti where everyone can find a better life.”

Agriculture matters, both to Haiti and its new president. One of the biggest issues is tariffs and subsidies. Twenty years after tariffs were dropped, the impact continues to be discussed and debated.

The research project Haiti Priorise sets out to introduce new data on costs and benefits that helps decision-makers to focus on the soundest policies and investments for the nation.

This year, the world will spend $US162 billion ($230bn) subsidising renewable energy, propping up inefficient industries and supporting middle-class homeowners to erect solar panels, according to the International Energy Agency. In addition, the Paris Agreement on climate change will cost the world from $US1 trillion to $US2 trillion a year by 2030. Astonishingly, neither of these hugely expensive policies will have any measurable impact on temperatures by the end of the century.