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Begin New Search Political Geography Caribbean Author Athena R. Kolbe

1. Assessing Haiti’s Electoral Legitimacy Crisis – Results of a 2016 Survey

Author:
Athena R. Kolbe and Robert Muggah
Publication Date:
02-2016
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Igarapé Institute
Abstract:
This Strategic Note presents the results of a national survey of 1,766 Haitian adults conducted between January 17 and 22, 2016. Respondents were asked about their participation in voting, barriers to participating in the voting process, their choice for president, and their opinions about a variety of possible solutions to Haiti’s electoral impasse. It finds that there is widespread pessimism about the direction the country. It also detects that voter turn-out in October 2015 was likely considerably less than officially reported. However, the survey shows that most Haitians would vote if they were confident that elections were free and fair. The most important issues that Haitians believe the next president should tackle are jobs and the economy, followed by corruption, regaining trust, and education.
Topic:
Corruption, Politics, Elections, Legitimacy, and Survey
Political Geography:
Caribbean and Haiti

2. Impact of Perceived Electoral Fraud on Haitian Voter’s Beliefs about Democracy

Author:
Athena R. Kolbe, Nicole I. Cesnales, Marie N. Puccio, and Robert Muggah
Publication Date:
11-2015
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Igarapé Institute
Abstract:
Haiti’s presidential elections in October 2015 were reportedly marred by voting irreBurned Ballot in the Haiti electionsagularities and fraud. The results issued by the Provisional Electoral Council in early November are contested, with the country again gripped by widespread protest, organized violence and targeted killings. An Igarapé Institute research team administered household surveys in 135 polling stations before and after the election to assess attitudes about the electoral process. The findings suggest an incompatibility between the declared result and the voting patterns of Haitian citizens. They also indicate the corrosive effects of electoral corruption on citizen attitudes and faith in the democratic process.
Topic:
Elections, Democracy, Voting, Polls, and Fraud
Political Geography:
Caribbean and Haiti

3. Break Your Bones: Mortality and Morbidity Associated with Haiti’s Chikungunya Epidemic

Author:
Athena R. Kolbe, Augusta Herman, and Robert Muggah
Publication Date:
07-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Igarapé Institute
Abstract:
In December 2013, chikungunya, a debilitating dengue-like virus spread by mosquitos, was first diagnosed in the Americas on the island of St. Martin. The disease quickly spread to neighboring islands and on May 7 the Haitian Ministry of Health confirmed 14 cases. A week later that number had increased to more than 1,500. Within two weeks of its purported arrival, it had risen to more than 5,500 cases. Epidemiologists report that chikungunya is likely to keep spreading. Although most Caribbean nations were able to control and respond to the outbreak, chikungunya has been merciless in Haiti. Lack of basic infrastructure, poor mosquito control measures, and deep social and economic disparities hampered prevention and treatment efforts. Shortly after the outbreak was announced, an Igarapé Institute-led research team was dispatched to conduct a nationwide survey to determine the risks and protective factors for infection with chikungunya. The Institute has coordinated similar assessments of spread of cholera and food security in the wake of natural disasters, as well as violence and victimization. Between 19-30 May 2014, a total of 2,807 randomly sampled households (accounting for 13,760 individuals) from all ten geographic departments were interviewed, as were 446 randomly sampled tourists departing the Port-auPrince airport. An additional survey of market conditions was conducted in Port-au-Prince and the seaside town of Jacmel. A qualitative component to the study included five focus groups (ten participants in each group) and 27 in-depth interviews. The qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted in Jacmel and the greater Port-auPrince area.
Topic:
Infrastructure, Public Health, and Epidemic
Political Geography:
Caribbean and Haiti

4. Is Tourism Haiti’s Magic Bullet? An Empirical Treatment of Haiti’s Tourism Potential

Author:
Athena R. Kolbe, Keely Brookes, and Robert Muggah
Publication Date:
06-2013
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Igarapé Institute
Abstract:
Tourism is often described as key to Haiti’s salvation. The economic potential of foreigners visiting the island nation is cited in virtually all major assessments of the country’s current development problems. This may seem at first counterintuitive: the impoverished and disaster-stricken country has long-struggled with violence and political instability. But it is increasingly regarded as necessary. Immediately after the January 2010 earthquake it was recognized that strategic investments would be needed to secure Haiti’s economy once foreign aid had diminished. Tourism was recently elevated to a top priority by Haiti’s current administration and the Ministry of Tourism. The government hopes that an influx of foreign currency generated by tourist dollars could help lift the country out of aid-dependency. This is not as surprising as it may seem. Haiti used to be a Caribbean destination – Graham Green described it as a tropical idyll in the mid-twentieth century during the early years of the Duvalier regime. What is more, former U.S. president Bill Clinton publically reminisces of his honeymoon in Haiti and until the 1990s Club Med ran a resort just an hour outside of Port-au-Prince. Yet the prospects for tourism are still highly uncertain. After coups in 1991 and 2004, recreational tourism has all but vanished. Since the devastating 2010 earthquake, one is more likely to see missionaries and aid workers in Haiti than vacationers. This Strategic Note assesses the extent to which Haiti is safe for tourism and explores how tourists and those in the industry view their role in Haiti’s development efforts to increase tourism. It draws, as in past Igarapé Institute publications, on both quantitative surveys and qualitative research. Informed by this empirical evidence, the study sets out a number of recommendations to improve the tourism industry within the country. This Strategic Note considers the perceptions of tourists visiting Haiti in 2013 and their motives and perceptions of the country. A total of 2,231 tourists were surveyed with a response rate of almost 75 per cent. An additional 390 tourism professionals were also consulted and interviewed.
Topic:
Government, Natural Disasters, Tourism, and Economy
Political Geography:
Caribbean and Haiti

5. Haiti’s Urban Crime Wave? Results from Monthly Household Surveys

Author:
Athena R. Kolbe and Robert Muggah
Publication Date:
03-2012
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Igarapé Institute
Abstract:
Haiti exhibited a dramatic escalation in criminal violence with Haitians reporting declining confidence in police institutions during the last six months (August 2011 to February 2012). For the first time since 2007, the incidence of violent crime and victimization has shown a consistent increase, and confidence in public institutions appears to be dropping quickly. Random household surveys conducted on a monthly basis between August 2011 and February 2012 indicate that violent crime is increasingly common, particularly over the past few months in the densely packed ‘popular’ zones of Haiti’s largest urban centers. This assessment is based on a longitudinal survey using random sampling methods. Specifically, households in the urban areas of Port-au-Prince, Les Cayes, Cap Haitien, Gonaives, St. Marc, Jacmel and Leogane were randomly selected and surveyed about their experiences with criminality and faith in public institutions. The survey sought to measure their exposure to insecurity and opinions regarding future safety. Collectively, these surveys demonstrate an increasing dissatisfaction with the government of Haiti after five years of growing confidence as well as fears that political uncertainty and turmoil will increase crime.
Topic:
Crime, Law Enforcement, Violence, Urban, and Survey
Political Geography:
Caribbean and Haiti

6. The Economic Costs of Violent Crime in Urban Haiti

Author:
Athena R. Kolbe, Robert Muggah, and Marie N. Puccio
Publication Date:
07-2012
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Igarapé Institute
Abstract:
Crime and victimization are amongst the most pressing concerns cited by Haitian citizens today. Surveys conducted on a monthly basis between August 2011 and July 2012 indicate that violent crime is increasingly common, particularly in the densely packed “popular” zones of Haiti’s largest urban centers. Paradoxically, in spite of increased international investment in restoring the capacities of the Haitian National Police, ordinary Haitians struggle to access basic policing services. This Strategic Brief is the second of a series that features findings from longitudinal surveys using random sampling methods. The assessment is focused principally on households residing in urban areas of Port-auPrince, Les Cayes, Cap Haitien, Gonaives, St. Marc, Jacmel and Leogane. All respondents were randomly selected and surveyed about their experiences with crime, their quality of life, and their ability to access basic services such as health care. Taken together, these surveys also demonstrate the serious economic costs of insecurity amongst ordinary Haitians.
Topic:
Crime, Violence, Urban, Peace, and Survey
Political Geography:
Caribbean and Haiti

7. After the Storm: Haiti’s Coming Food Crisis

Author:
Athena R. Kolbe, Marie N. Puccio, and Robert Muggah
Publication Date:
12-2012
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Igarapé Institute
Abstract:
Far from global media headlines, tropical storms devastated Haiti during the recent hurricane season. In late August 2011, 19 people were killed when hurricane Isaac touched down.1 More than 50 more people were killed when Hurricane Sandy ripped through Southern Haiti in October 2012.2 Some 16 more people were killed in November 2012 during flooding in the northern city of Cap Haitien.3 And the impacts extended beyond death and injury: rain triggered mudslides throughout the country, washing out homes, roadways and bridges and bringing transportation to a near standstill. Compounding extensive protracted internal displacement generated by the 2010 earthquake, government officials estimate tens of thousands more were made homeless.
Topic:
Natural Disasters, Crisis Management, Food Crisis, and Hurricane
Political Geography:
Caribbean and Haiti