Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Dominican Republic: Government and Politics
contradictory consequences regarding the development of civil
society. Urbanization, education, economic growth, the growth
of middle-sector groups, some return migration, and support
from international aid and nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs) have all helped the development of civil society. At the
same time, economic crisis and wrenching economic changes
have helped weaken labor and popular-sector organizations,
and large-scale migration has also involved a significant "brain
drain" of many talented Dominicans.
Overall, this sector remains quite weak, with business and
middle-sector groups overrepresented. Yet, during the past several
decades, more interest groups and a more self-consciously
identified civil society have emerged. This civil society has
played an important role in seeking to strengthen Dominican
democracy, both in terms of political rights and a greater
respect for institutionality and the rule of law. Its influence has
been apparent in efforts to generate national agendas for
reform and in more specific areas such as electoral reform
(including the pursuit of gender equality through measures
such as quotas for women on electoral lists) , electoral observation,
and judicial reform. At the same time, the role of two traditionally
powerful actors, the Roman Catholic Church and the
armed forces, has also evolved during the past several decades.
The church has moderated its position and seen some of its
influence wane in the face of the growth of Protestantism and
secularization, and the role of the military in domestic affairs
has declined although institutionalized, democratic, civilian
control over the military yet remains to be achieved.
Economic Elites
The Dominican Republic's economy has undergone a major
transformation, especially in the period since the mid-1980s.
Until the 1970s, the country's economy was fundamentally
based on the export of selected agricultural crops such as
sugar, tobacco, coffee, and cocoa, and of minerals such as ferronickel.
A set of industrialists who produced goods for a
heavily protected domestic market also existed. However, during
the 1980s, as sugar exports declined drastically, dramatic
growth occurred in light industry for export in free-trade zones
and in tourism. As a consequence, the once important Association
of Landowners and Agriculturists (Asociacion de
Hacendados y Agricultores) was gradually overshadowed in
importance by associations related to industry, finance, real
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