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Jamaica’s tax system is built on a troubling illusion — only a fraction of workers are actually contributing, and yet revenue expectations remain unrealistically high. That was the blunt assessment by economist Dr Damien King at the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) annual budget breakdown event last Thursday.

King laid bare the structural flaws in the country’s tax base, revealing that fewer than 15 per cent of employed Jamaicans effectively carry the weight of income tax. And yet, despite growing burdens…

Violence in Jamaica is a deeply rooted issue, shaped by a complex web of socio-economic, cultural, and historical factors. While conversations surrounding crime often centre on male perpetrators and victims, it is critical to shed light on the significant yet multifaceted roles women occupy within this cycle of violence, acting as victims, enablers, or even active participants.

Jamaican women face disproportionately high rates of gender-based violence, encompassing domestic abuse, sexual assault, and femicide. Alarming…

Few women firing but many calling the shots in gangs, facilitating money, murder, mayhem

They may not be the ones pulling the trigger or bludgeoning those who dare test their authority. Still, women in Jamaica’s most organised crime syndicates play roles that are no less deadly, and heinous, and which continue to challenge law enforcement.

They operate under a different code; one usually buttressed by familial or intimate ties with Jamaica’s most ruthless. So, their loyalty is unshakeable, and so, too, is their silence.…

The Operation Restoration Christian school sits amid a line of patched-up housing blocks and streetside cookshops in Trench Town. In an area known as one of Kingston’s inner-city crime hotspots, it was founded as a haven for children caught up in gang violence.

Inside, boys in smart khaki uniforms and girls in yellow shirts and pleated burgundy skirts sit chatting in groups. The classrooms are adorned with images of Jamaican heroes, such as Marcus…

The Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CAPRI) has launched a digital platform that seeks to analyze the China diplomatic and economic projects in Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean region.

The China-CARICOM Portal, unveiled during an Inter-American Dialogue webinar, maps over 800 Chinese projects across participating Caribbean nations between 2013 and 2023.

“This tool will serve as an essential resource for policymakers and researchers to make informed decisions about engagement with China,” explained Alexander Coswell…