Baha Mar Capacity

The Bahamas

This 2017 Article IV Consultation highlights the continued weak economic activity in The Bahamas in 2016. Hurricane Matthew, which hit The Bahamas in October 2016, significantly impacted tourism activity in 2016 and early 2017. However, completion of the megaresort Baha Mar and posthurricane reconstruction activity gave a boost to job creation: the unemployment rate declined to 9.9 percent in May 2017. Real GDP growth is projected to pick up to 1.75 percent in 2017 and to 2.5 in 2018, driven by a stronger US economy, the phased opening of Baha Mar, and related construction activity. However, medium-term growth would remain low, reflecting significant structural bottlenecks.

Our Prisoners

This publication, a collaboration between the Inter-American Development Bank and the University of The Bahamas, presents the findings of a study of sentenced inmates at the prison in The Bahamas known at the Department of Correctional Services Facility, Fox Hill. The materials provide invaluable insight into public policy to further support the transformation of citizen security in The Bahamas. Robust and reliable information is needed to effectively diagnose, plan, carry out, and monitor correctional policies. The data generated by this publication and its underlying research are key inputs for the IDB’s Citizen Security and Justice Knowledge Strategy, which aims to better inform the public debate and decision makers about institutional performance of the criminal justice sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Information Services Latin America