DOMINICAN REPUBLIC VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT

Dominican Republic Vulnerability Assessment

Dominican Republic Vulnerability Assessment

Introduction

The Dominican Republic is a country that occupies just over the eastern two thirds of the Spanish in the archipelago of the Greater Antilles. The western third of the island is occupied by Haiti; therefore, the Spanish is an island that is shared by two countries. Both of area and population, the Dominican Republic is the second largest country in the Caribbean (after Cuba); its land area is 48,442 square kilometers and is estimated to be about 10 million people. In this paper, we are discussing the internal and external constraints of Dominican Republic.

Internal Constraints

Political

The Dominican Republic is a middle-income country where there is great inequality. More than a third of the population lives below the poverty line, unemployment is high (14%) and the informal labor sector very important. Moreover, the country is hit by a very high crime rate, linked to networks of drug traffickers, particularly within the army and police. The Dominican Republic is a platform for trafficking South American cocaine and money laundering.

Politically, the presidential elections in 2012 have caused some problems since the current President Leonel Fernandez, falling in the polls, was thought to represent despite the constitutional ban on consecutive reelection of. Former President Hipolito Mejia of the center left is the current favorite of these elections.

Ethnic and religious

Catholicism is in the Dominican Republic after a concordat with the Vatican state religion, even if there is religious freedom. Of the more than 500 Catholic priests in the country about 70% belonged to different orders. The German Foreign Office is in its publications share of about 75% Catholic, Protestant 4%, Adventist 1.5%, 2% other Christian churches (such as the New Apostolic Church, with about 5,000 members) and 16% no religious affiliation at. Many declared "Catholic" but in practice a kind of Catholicism, which is crossed by African elements. These practices are referred to as Brujeria - "Witchcraft"- or, more recently, "read 21 divisions" subsumed. They are often carried concealed and find little official attention.  Their proximity to the Haitian Vodou structural delivers a repeated source of hostility, as the relationship between the Dominican Republic and the economically weaker neighboring republic has always made highly problematic. In particular, members of the privileged set negative layers, based on the cultural, religious and ideological levels in Europe and the United States. Even among the practitioners themselves, there are sometimes conflicts of faith and mission under great pressure to convert to a Pentecostal church.

Economic and financial limitations

Real GDP is rising at a brisk pace, driven mainly by manufacturing, telecommunications and commerce. The economy is now operating near capacity and the risks of overheating are rising. Increased spending has pushed up the public debt. A process of fiscal consolidation began in mid 2010. The Dominican Republic is performing better than most other countries in the region but the pace is still slower than expected due to delays in structural reforms.

Criminal elements in the Dominican Republic also perpetuate the existence of an ...