The evolution of foreign trade in Haiti, 1918-1955

Abstract

Haiti's economy represents a paradigmatic case of long-term economic lag in time. However, there is little empirical evidence about the extent of it, and their causes in a long-term historical perspective. The Haitian foreign trade during the first half of the twentieth century first strategy is to approach a more global process of economic failure. This paper presents a detailed database level product and country of origin and destination, the evolution of exports and imports of the island country in terms of volume, value, structure and geographical distribution is analyzed. All this highlights the enormous economic fragility of the Haitian trade balance in that period