# Insights from Vladimir Lovinski's book "Haïti le Sous-développement durable

Quetya Aubin, Vosh Dathus

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Quetya Aubin, Vosh Dathus. Insights from Vladimir Lovinski's book "Haïti le Sous-développement durable. 2025. hal-05053511

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# Insights from Vladimir Lovinski's book "Haïti le Sous-développement durable

Quetya Aubin<sup>a,b</sup> and Vosh Dathus<sup>a,b,c1</sup>

## Introduction

In *Haïti le Sous-développement durable*, published in 2023 by the University of Ottawa Press Vladimir Lovinski offers an in-depth analysis of the challenges and opportunities associated with economic development and decentralization in Haiti. The author highlights the dynamics and ambiguities of development policies, underlining the difficulty of institutionalizing local development planning (Lovinski, 2023). This book review aims, through a qualitative analysis of the author's arguments and their applicability, to assess their relevance to Haiti's current context, and the potential impact of his ideas on the country's development.

To assess the impact of Lovinski's proposals, we used a qualitative approach based on content analysis of the book's chapters, examining theoretical arguments, empirical examples and their consistency with the Haitian context. This method enables us to understand the nuances of the author's arguments and their applicability in the Haitian context.

## A multidimensional vision of development

As François Perroux (1960) put it, interpreting social and development issues means abandoning any homogenizing bias, because the social universe is above all an essentially heterogeneous territory. Vladimir Lovinski has mastered this exercise in *Development* is approached from a multi-dimensional angle, encompassing economics, politics and cultural practices.

<footnote><sup>a</sup>Pôle Haïti-Antilles, Haïti Sciences et Société (HaSci-So)</footnote>

<footnote><sup>b</sup>Équipe des Partenaires Scientifiques pour la Communication de la Recherche (E-PSi-Core)</footnote>

<footnote><sup>c</sup>Laboratoire des Mondes Américains (LADMA), Université d'État d'Haïti</footnote>

<footnote n="1">¹ Corresponding author: dvosh2000@yahoo.fr</footnote>
Without seeking to direct the reader's interest, we would like to two essential contributions of this work: the analysis of the development problems facing Haiti from a local/territorial approach and decentralization - which is a novelty - and the fact of grasping this approach as public action - i.e., from the methods of public policy analysis. In this way, Lovinski structures his work in several points.

**Diagnosis of underdevelopment** : Lovinski (2023) conceptualizes "sustainable underdevelopment" as a paradoxical state in which economic, social and political structures intentionally or unintentionally reproduce inequality and dependency. He attributes this phenomenon to a combination of historical factors, such as the colonial legacy and the double debt of independence, and contemporary dynamics, notably the imposition of neoliberal policies by international institutions such as the IMF. For example, he criticizes the importation of economic development models imbued with neoliberal measures. He believes that local economic development is not thought through internally, based on local realities and specificities, and therefore adapted to local needs. The decisions taken by public planners are not always in line with local priorities. This analysis aligns with recent work on economic dependency in Haiti (Fatton, 2014).

**Decentralization and local economic development:** Lovinski advocates an approach focused on mobilizing internal resources and empowering local authorities. The author proposes a model of participatory governance, in which local authorities enjoy greater autonomy. Unlike centralized programs such as "Ede Pèp", which failed due to disconnected planning, this model promotes local decision-making (Lovinski, 2023, p. 113-117). This perspective is in line with Pierre's (2020) analysis of the need for effective decentralization.

**Public policy criticism**

The reality of local development and the fight against poverty is well analyzed by the author. Indeed, in his contextual focus, he concentrates on the situation of exacerbated poverty and popular discontent provoked by the adoption of economic restructuring policies in the 1990s. This focus of Lovinski's work, analyzed through the prism of the definition of Haitian public policies, highlights the good-pupil attitude of the country's authorities, who try to apply the proposals of international agencies, notably the IMF and the World Bank, in the absence of any critical thinking.

"Approaches aimed at combating poverty in a context of decentralized or institutional reforms, one of the first concerns that arises concerns the territorial capacities needed to stem the courses of poverty evolution, hence the capacity to act with a view to containing the scale of the phenomenon (Lovinski, 2023 p.91)." This assertion has served as a theoretical framework for assessing the efficiency of sectoral anti-poverty policies in Haiti.
Lovinski's analysis highlights the marginalization of the local and of territorial specificities in the formulation of sectoral public management policies. Port-au-Prince - home to political power - allows itself to think without any scientific data for the whole Republic. The example used by the author to illustrate this political and managerial practice is the "Ede Pèp" program (MPCE, 2013), which was entrusted to an intersectoral committee made up, among others, of the Prime Minister's Office, which was responsible for the national coordination of this activity. This program, poorly adapted to local realities, illustrated the excessive centralization of decision-making.

## Relevance and implications

Lovinski's ideas are particularly relevant in the current context of Haiti, where underdevelopment remains a major challenge. His local economic development strategies have the potential to transform communities by stimulating local autonomy and initiative. When it comes to decentralization, Lovinski's proposals are innovative and contrast with traditional, often ineffective methods. The implications of these ideas for future research and public policy are promising.

## Conclusion

This book is particularly relevant to the current context of socio-politico-economic crisis and instability, where Haiti must seek to overcome the obstacles of underdevelopment and promote sustainable growth. Lovinski's ideas can serve as a basis for discussion and concrete action to improve the country's economic and social situation.

Lovinski's analysis highlights the historical and structural causes of underdevelopment, which he attributes to a lack of political foresight on the part of public planners. His proposals for local economic development and decentralization are well supported by concrete examples.

However, some proposals require further empirical data to demonstrate their effectiveness on a large scale, such as the community microfinance projects proposed by Lovinski. Despite certain limitations, Lovinski's ideas open up innovative perspectives. They underline the importance of an inclusive, participatory approach to overcoming structural challenges.

Although Lovinski proposes innovative solutions, he pays less attention to key sectors such as education and health, which are crucial to sustainable development. These limitations do not detract from the value of the book, but they do call for further research to assess the feasibility of the proposals in a variety of contexts.
Reading this book provides a better understanding of the complexities of development in Haiti, and inspires further reflection on decentralization and local development strategies.
With a view to promoting research into local development, it's worth asking the question "How can Lovinski's proposals be tested empirically in rural Haitian contexts?"

In conclusion, the ideas presented by Lovinski offer innovative avenues for a better future.
Political decision-makers and local players should consider these proposals when devising effective development strategies.

## References

* Dupuy, A. (2010). « Disaster Capitalism in Haiti ». Latin American Perspectives, 37(6), 14-28.

* Fatton, R. (2014). Et social Haiti: Trapped in the Outer Periphery. Boulder : Lynne Rienner Publishers.

* Lovinski, V. P. A. (2023). *Haïti: Le sous-développement durable* (p. 200). Les Presses de l'Université d'Ottawa/University of Ottawa Press.

* MPCE (2013). Plan d'action pour le relèvement et le Développement d'Haïti. Port-au-Prince : Ministère de la Planification et de la Coopération Externe (MPCE), p. 61.

* Perroux, F. [Sous la direction de]. (1960). L'univers économique et social, t. IX de l'Encyclopédie française, 616p. Paris, Larousse 1960.

* Pierre, J. (2020). « La décentralisation en Haïti : Enjeux et perspectives ». Revue Haïtienne de Science Politique, 12(3), 45-67.