JERRY HAAR, PH.D.

Guyana 2023, Factors Shaping a Path to Prosperity
December 28, 2022 | Latin Trade
Countries do not survive or thrive on macroeconomics and politics alone. Those factors are most important; however, there are structural and institutional forces and factors at play that occupy an even larger role in how a nation fares domestically, regionally and globally. The Caribbean-South American nation of Guyana would be prudent to be mindful of such forces and factors... more

The Challenges to Entrepreneurship in Post-Conflict Environments
December 5, 2022 | The National Interest
The war between Russia and Ukraine has diverted the public’s attention from the many other conflicts across the globe---from Afghanistan, the Sahel and Haiti, to Sudan and Myanmar. Ongoing violence and instability are enacting huge social and economic costs on populations in developing nations. The costs include destroyed capital, technological regress, and a massive shortfall in income... more

Positioning Guyana Educationally for Economic Growth
November 21, 2022 | OilNOW
With two more oil discoveries in October 2022 and an expected record growth rate of approximately 58% according to International Monetary Fund (IMF), Guyana a nation of less than a million, is facing tremendous challenges surrounding human capital. This new oil nation has little experience in the oil and gas sector to satisfy the increased demand in this newly developing industry, nor the large technical and specialised workforce required... more

Can Guyana Avoid the “Oil Curse”?
November 2, 2022 | The National Interest
If you were to ask a class of college freshman to indicate where Guyana is on a map, I suspect less than one-third would be able to do so. The only English-speaking nation in South America, this country, like the United States, is multicultural, multiracial and multiethnic. But whereas the expected GDP of the U.S. in 2023 will be 1.6%, according to the World Bank, the growth rate for Guyana will top 34.1%... more

The Incendiary Power of Words
October 27, 2022 | The Hill
The legendary 19th century American author Edgar Allan Poe, a fellow Baltimorean, claimed: "Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality."

In our current milieu, socially and politically dysfunctional at all levels of government and society, words can be no less lethal than weaponized drones... more

The Role of Nearshoring in Shoring Up Supply Chains
Fall 2022 | The Wilson Quarterly
.Both the United States and global supply chains are still in the throes of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. What began as a severe shortage of personal protective equipment and health supplies metastasized into a full-blown crisis of shortages of both consumer and industrial products, resulting in major disruptions of many industries. An excessive reliance on sourcing from Asia (mainly China) and insufficient buffer stocks were the principal culprits in this supply chain crisis. To avoid such a calamity in the future—and to overcome current sourcing challenges—many industries have turned to nearshoring... more

What can gas reserves do for agribusiness in Guyana?
September 20, 2022 | Oil Now
The Guyanese economy has been known for quite a long time for a traditional economic system, in which most of the population was engaged in agricultural activities. As late as 1991, about 32% of the labour force was employed in agriculture, according to the World Bank... more

Competing in the 21st Century: Is Geography No Longer Destiny?
September 7, 2022 | The National Interest
According to 14th century Tunisian sociologist Ibn Khalud and 21st century British archaeologist Ian Morris, “Geography is destiny.” However, others such as American political commentator Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, would firmly disagree. Yet in today’s techno-driven and globalizing world, the truth is that both opinions are correct... more

The Folly of Investing in Cuba
August 1, 2022 | The Hill
The Cuban government’s recent announcement that it intends to permit foreign private investment in the nation is fueling the hopes and dreams of those in the business community whose naivete, avarice or moral agnosticism actually believe that their financial investment in the island economy will turn out to be manageable, profitable and sustainable... more

Towards a More Competitive North America: Build on the Existing Foundation
July 2022 | Wilson Center
The second decade of the 21st century increasingly mirrors the world’s political and economic environment of a century before when nationalism, protectionism and isolationism occupied center stage in the global political economy. The key drivers of economic growth and development—neoliberal economic policies and free market-oriented institutional reforms—have fallen out of favor or been rejected to a great extent by a number of governments and large segments of their citizenry the world over. .. more

Long-term Investment Considerations for Guyana
July 27, 2022 | Oil Now
It was British philosopher Francis Bacon who stated that one man’s folly is the fortune of another. In the case of Guyana, it is not one man but an entire nation blessed with exquisite timing in light of its oil developments vis-à-vis the current economic and political state of the world. The 2019 pandemic followed by the war in Ukraine and the sky-rocketing oil and gas prices are bringing home the bacon (no pun intended) for this country of 786,000—a number only slightly larger than the population of Seattle... more

Sink or Swim: How Companies Are Surviving Supply Chain Disruptions
July 21, 2022 | The National Interest
If you had asked people two and a half years ago what their thoughts were regarding “supply chains,” most would have stated that they were not sure what supply chains were, did not know or did not fully understand, had no opinion or did not care. .. more

Women’s Leadership in Florida: A Mixed Progress Report
July 12, 2022 | Miami Today
One of the most important, far-reaching, and gratifying developments in business during the past two decades has been the growth of women leaders among private, public and non-profit enterprises. Well-recognized beacons of female leadership such as Sheryl Sandberg of Meta (formerly Facebook), Mary Barra of General Motors, and Indra Nooyi, formerly of PepsiCo have set the stage for the next generation of women who will ascend to the highest ranks of their respective organizations... more

To Form or Not to Form: Guyana’s Dilemma in Establishing a National Oil Company (NOC)
June 29, 2022 | Oil Now
Since its oil discoveries in 2015, Guyana has been contemplating the formation of a national oil company. Its dilemma “to form or not to form” (to borrow from Hamlet's soliloquy) must be resolved by September, and the pressure to decide is increasing... more

Can Companies Satisfy Both Shareholders and Stakeholders
June 25, 2022 | The National Interest
“What should be the role of the corporation in society?”
Discussion and debate on this issue have been ongoing since time immemorial. Most recently, the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 unleashed a huge wave of hostility towards multinational firms and financial institutions and even greater animosity among those on the political left who do not believe that profit-making should be the sole purpose of the corporation... more

Why Did the Summit Plummet?
June 21, 2022 | Latin Trade
The recent gathering of Hemisphere leaders in Los Angeles was doomed from the start with poor attendance and the absence of one-third of the heads of state. It was only a question of how many potholes travelers would encounter on the road downhill... more

Nearshoring---A “Third Way” for Global Commerce
April 12, 2022 | The National Interest
By opting for nearshoring, firms may locate all or part of their business operations closer to home or where its products are sold. While nearshoring is not new, per se, the global pandemic has elevated it to a priority for many companies. Nearshoring is most prevalent in traditional industries including IT, call centers, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electronics, aerospace and automotive. More recently, there has been growth, especially in Mexico, in office furniture, plastics, textiles and wire and cable harnessing... more

Technology Entrepreneurship---Where the U.S. and Ukraine Can Help One Another
April 2, 2022 | The Hill
The unspeakable tragedy of Russia’s unprovoked, barbaric invasion of Ukraine is producing massive impacts socially, economically and politically both within and outside that valiant nation.

The impact of the economic devastation to date will be with Ukraine for the foreseeable future. A diversified economy (agriculture, industry, and services), Ukraine is the breadbasket of Europe and Ukraine is one of the world’s top 10 producers of cereals1. With the heavy damage inflicted on its agricultural sector, we can expect inflation in food prices to skyrocket... more

Free Trade Under Assault
March 19, 2022 | The Hill
Free trade is under assault and has been since NAFTA was passed nearly three decades ago. However, it was not until Donald Trump assumed the presidency that trade agreements found themselves in the gunsights of vociferous nationalists, protectionists, and isolationists--on both the left and the right. As Trump proudly declared in 2018: “I am a tariff man!”... more

What Role Do Renewables Have a Role in Guyana’s Energy Landscape?
February 23, 2022 | Latin Trade
There is no doubt that Guyana is poised to become the Saudi Arabia of South America. As reported in OilNow late last year, ExxonMobil—the largest oil company operating in Guyana—announced that since 2015 the firm has found an average of 1.7 billion barrels of oil per year offshore. The company recently increased its estimate of the discovered resources at the prolific Stabroek Block to 10 billion barrels of oil equivalent; and recently senior management predicted that these volumes can easily double offshore.... more

Latin America’s Startup Juggernaut
February 11, 2022 | Latin Trade
Regardless of sector and industry, size of firm, nationality, age of enterprise and capitalization, COVID-19 has been an equal opportunity destroyer. Businesses have downsized or closed altogether; employees have been dismissed, furloughed or seen their hours reduced; and the financial and emotional toll on workers—white collar and blue collar alike—has been devastating.... more

Services, The Sweet Spot of American Trade Competitiveness
January 23, 2022 | The Hill
The impact of the coronavirus has been worldwide, deep and devastating. No sector, industry or company has been spared the wrath of COVID-19. With lost economic output of nearly $3 trillion, different regions fared differently. Median middle-income countries experienced a GDP growth decline of 8.7%, wealthier countries 6.4%, and low-income countries 5.2%.... more

Competitive Challenges are Not Just Among Nations, but Cities, Too
January 12, 2022 | Miami Today
In Michael Porter’s seminal work “The Competitive Advantage of Nations”, the author asserts that a nation’s competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade. Whether by choice or necessity—the latter due to pressure resulting from globalization—sectors, industries and companies (from advanced economies in particular) are responding with improved and efficiently-produced products and services for a growing and more demanding marketplace.... more