Small Caribbean Community economies keep turning in weak performance — low productivity, low competitiveness, too little diversification. Persaud-Ready examines that problem through Jamaica and Haiti, asking what migrant remittances, foreign direct investment and national competitiveness scores have to do with growth across the thirty years from 1987 to 2017.

The conceptual frame draws on several propositions: that remittances lift GDP growth in less financially developed countries, that the gain shrinks when the money goes to consumption, that foreign direct investment raises growth, and that competitiveness and growth are linked. Secondary data are analysed with inferential statistics. Tests show a strong relationship between growth and all three variables in both countries, with trade openness, financial development, productivity and economic freedom emerging as important determinants too.

Recommendations follow for both countries: engage the diaspora to draw more remittances and channel them into productive investment, strengthen democratic institutions to build investor confidence, and act to attract and keep skilled people.