Rafael Paz, former competitiveness director of the Dominican Republic, stated on August 4 that economic growth must focus on creating opportunities for ordinary families. He argued that national development only acquires real meaning when it enables citizens to progress, accumulate assets, and live with greater dignity.
( FUENTE EXTERNA )
Writing in Santo Domingo, the governance and public management specialist noted that traditional economic discussions have focused heavily on GDP growth, foreign investment, exports, tax pressure, and major infrastructure projects. While acknowledging those factors as fundamental, Paz stressed that economic expansion alone is insufficient if individual citizens cannot build better lives through talent and personal effort.
According to Paz, many Dominicans face systemic obstacles that prevent their hard work from yielding results. He explained that even university graduates and holders of master's degrees frequently find that their education fails to produce higher income or broader career opportunities.
Barriers to Daily Progress
Paz outlined several financial and social hurdles that erode family stability across the country. He noted that a sudden family illness can wipe out years of accumulated savings in months, while aspiring entrepreneurs encounter lengthy, expensive, and uncertain bureaucratic processes to secure basic permits, licenses, or land-use authorizations.
Furthermore, formal credit options remain largely out of reach for small business owners, driving many toward informal lenders with high interest rates. Paz added that resources are further diverted away from the productive economy by the proliferation of betting shops, while alcohol abuse harms workforce productivity and social harmony. He also pointed out that buying a home has become an extraordinary event rather than a standard milestone, depriving families of basic financial security and legacy.
Policy Reforms and Global Models
To overcome these challenges, Paz called for unlocking the nation's productive forces by supporting small-scale entrepreneurs, including corner store owners, female farmers needing credit, nurses planning clinics, young technology founders, and mothers operating home businesses. He emphasized that national prosperity must be created by prioritizing merit over personal connections, establishing clear legal rules, and transforming state institutions into facilitators rather than managers of bureaucratic obstacles.
Paz proposed an agenda focused on quality education, accessible healthcare, expanded financing, digital administrative services, and strong legal security. Reflecting on a recent tour of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, he observed that Dominican emigrants succeed in those US states because they find simpler regulations and broader credit access, demonstrating that institutional environments dictate success.
Citing historical development models implemented by Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore and Deng Xiaoping in China, as well as economic theories from Michael Porter, Paz urged Dominican policymakers to redesign public measures around the daily needs of ordinary citizens. He concluded that when public policy properly supports individual talent, workers progress, businesses invest, and national development translates into human dignity.
