Page 7 By Wendy C. Grenade, PhD Senior Lecturer in Political Science The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados T he contemporary moment is the most defining period in modern history. The interplay of the existential climate crisis, the devasting effects of COVID-19 and its socioeconomic, gender and psychological implications, have and will continue to exacerbate development challenges for countries in the Global South. When taken together this cascade of crises has farreaching implications for small developing postcolonial economies, such as those in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region. For the Caribbean, crises are not new. However, in the contemporary moment, the severity and intensity of risks and threats have led to major disruption at all levels of human endeavour. As the world grapples with unprecedented challenges, a maze of uncertainty continues to expose inherent vulnerabilities that threaten the viability of Caribbean economies, the sovereignty and security of states and the wellbeing of the people within Caribbean societies. Yet, despite the challenges, there are opportunities to break entrenched norms as the region seeks to build greater resilience in every sphere. This article focuses on Strategic Resilience-Building (SRB) within the Caribbean public sector. The article is based on the premise that the public sector is one of the main drivers for the transformation of the Caribbean region. I contend that the public sector does not exist to serve itself but it is critical to societal transformation and nation-building. In fact, it is much more than a bureaucratic hub for ‘service delivery’. As part of the executive branch of government, the public sector is the brain power in the formulation, implementation and monitoring of public policy. It is that vital bloodstream that flows between citizens and the state. The public sector is that arm of government that stretches across and within sectors to provide public goods to sustain society (such as health care, security, environmental conservation and education). In some cases, through its tourism bureaus and diplomatic missions, the public sector is the face of the country to the world and has a fundamental role in enhancing the image of the country overseas as it interfaces with the diaspora, potential investors and international actors. Without an effective public sector, a country becomes ungovernable. Therefore, the public sector is an indispensable organisation that must be continuously renewed. My main contention is, if the Caribbean is to mitigate against its inherent vulnerabilities, SRB must be a critical pillar of public sector transformation. The article proceeds in this way. Following this introduction, the article provides a brief overview of the discourse on vulnerability and resilience. It then focuses on SRB and outlines some of the core dimensions that are imperatives for the 21st Century public sector. Vulnerability and Resilience: A Brief overview The debate on vulnerability and resilience is central to the discourse on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) (Thomas 2004; Briguglio 2014). For Thomas (2004), vulnerability refers to “proneness of small states to the adverse effects of changes in their environment and insufficient resilience to overcome these adverse effects on their own.” Vulnerability twins the incidence and intensity of risks and threats and the ability to withstand them. For Caribbean SIDS, types of vulnerabilities include physical, economic, social, political and institutional. While vulnerability is generally inherent, polices can be induced to build resilience. From an economic • Continues on next page
8 Publizr Home