Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

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Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies
key commodity-based enterprises. Since the restoration of
elected government, the dismantling of the army, and subsequent
progress in the democratic political process, the state's
image as predator and bully is changing. State monopolies and
franchises have disappeared or are in the process of being
restructured. The oppressive section chief system that epitomized
the state as bully no longer exists (see Aristide Presidency,
February 7, 1991-September 30, 1991, ch. 6, and Role
of the Army in Law Enforcement Prior to 1995, ch. 10)
The government's income tax agency (Departement
General des Impots—DGI) has become the object of reform
efforts and has been restructured as part of an overall effort to
collect taxes equitably from all citizens (wealthy Haitians have
generally paid little, if any, government taxes) . The government's
relationship with other institutions in the society, particularly
NGOs, is in flux as public policies now advocate a lead
role for government in the provision of citizen services. In this
regard, some elected and public officials, recollecting the cozy
relationship that existed between certain NGOs and the Haitian
army, have also vocalized their desire to dismantle the
"Republic of NGOs."
Haitians held high expectations that government would
quickly demonstrate an improved capacity to serve its citizens
following the end of de facto military rule. The renewed flow
of bilateral and multilateral funding following the 1994 intervention
heightened those expectations. Thus far, however,
stated policies and initial efforts to decentralize governmental
structure and function have not been widely matched by a flow
of government resources from Port-au-Prince, an improved
capacity of public officials to collect and manage public revenues,
or an improved standard of life for ordinary citizens.
While mayors, other local officials, and citizens struggle to find
resources to sponsor or support local development activities,
they see an inept and struggling national government that continues
both to be the country's principal employer and to
spend most of its resources on itself. Although government is
no longer necessarily perceived as a repressive and extractive
entity, many have taken to viewing it as a grand mangeur (big
eater) that uses public resources to feed only itself.
Urban Dominance, Rural Exclusion: Confronting Entrenched
Patterns
First-time visitors to the country are often told that Haiti is
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