Like many other books, this one has a long history. In 1997, we coordinated a panel with the same title as this book at a conference of ASERCCA (Association of European Research on the Caribbean and Central America) in Portsmouth, UK. At the time, we were concerned about whether the economic growth that seemed to have returned to most countries of the region, was sustainable. The concern not only involved environmental sustainability, but also social, and even economic, sustainability. We thought it was too early for concluding that the wonderful results of the neoliberal reforms were just around the corner.

From the discussions during that conference, it was clear that the topic of sustainable development would remain a critical issue for the region for some time to come. Subsequent developments have only confirmed the continuing socio-economic vulnerability of the region. Several chapters in this book were presented as first drafts during the ASERCCA conference. Subsequently, we have also approached other authors to write papers on specific topics, with a view to complementing the central themes of the book. We think this has resulted in a comprehensive book, including general papers that cover the main aspects of sustainability for the whole region, as well as some country case studies. Although approaches and detailed conclusions may differ, all authors share a critical stand towards neoliberal reforms. At the same time they examine the effects of these reforms empirically without prejudicing any outcomes.