Everything Everywhere Daily · Thursday, September 3, 2026
The island of Hispaniola, divided into Haiti and the Dominican Republic, showcases a stark contrast in development due to centuries of differing colonial histories, economic policies, and political structures. While Haiti struggles as a failed state plagued by gang violence and institutional collapse, the Dominican Republic has achieved upper-middle-income status with a representative democracy, highlighting the profound impact of their divergent paths since the colonial era.
“Today, many international observers classify Haiti as a failed state. Over the past decade, severe gang violence and institutional collapse have paralyzed the country. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic enjoys high levels of development and is now an upper-middle-income economy with a representative democracy, ranked between Brazil and Albania.”
“On a personal note, several years ago, I crossed the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The difference in the levels of development on either side was stunningly obvious the moment you crossed over.”
“Haiti and the Dominican Republic are forever linked by geography, but they have followed very different paths. And today, they find themselves in very different places.”