November 1998: The Economics of Status
Tools to assess the political options for PR
On December 13, 1998, Puerto Ricans held a plebiscite to decide on the political options of statehood, commonwealth, associate republic, and independence. The majority voted for “none of the above.” Thus, the issue remains unresolved. Since politics is intertwined with economics, informed decisions on status must start by asking how each option affects federal aid programs, taxes, investment, employment, and the size of the local government. Find out what the convergence theory means and how other factors, besides status, allowed PR to grow faster than the US for a while. Finally, the article challenges the reader to decide on the best option.