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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

International and Area Studies

University at Albany, State University of New York

Series

Hurricane Maria

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Hurricane Maria's Aftermath: Redefining Puerto Rico's Colonial Status, Pedro Caban Feb 2019

Hurricane Maria's Aftermath: Redefining Puerto Rico's Colonial Status, Pedro Caban

Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies Faculty Scholarship

The devastation wrought by a historic storm posed the damage already inflicted by decades of economic policies that have treated the island like a second-class territory.


Promesa, Puerto Rico And The American Empire, Pedro Caban May 2018

Promesa, Puerto Rico And The American Empire, Pedro Caban

Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies Faculty Scholarship

As the United States ascended to hyper-power status during the late 1970s, it changed colonial policy in Puerto Rico. The change, which included the elimination of favorable tax legislation and demilitarization, devastated Puerto Rico’s economy. Puerto Rico borrowed heavily in a failed effort to offset the dramatic decline in capital inflows. The federal government enacted PROMESA after Puerto Rico announced it could not repay the debt. The law was designed to restore Puerto Rico to financial solvency by imposing oppressive austerity measures. PROMESA was a watershed event because it stripped Puerto Rico of the limited sovereignty the federal government had …