Jamaica is one of the newly independent states which emerged after the collapse of colonial empires. However, regardless of numerous hopes for a better future and successful economic development, the country became at the edge of survival, and multiple critical issues emerged. The fact is that the developing economies of the Third world face pressure from rich and developed nations. It results in the destruction of their economies and their transformation into the source of cheap labor for the Western world. It can be viewed as the result of neocolonial policies and the influence of global institutions controlling international finances.
For instance, the loans provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were expected to support Jamaica as one of the developing nations and provide it with resources vital for its survival. Unfortunately, instead of the fast evolution, numerous adverse effects were observed. To a greater degree, it was linked to the neocolonial policies applied to the developing nations. The conditions offered by IMF were not beneficial for Jamaica; instead, the necessity to adapt to the current demands resulted in the critical deterioration of the economy and the destruction of the local market and producers. For this reason, the revitalization of the economy failed, and the state generated a significant debt.
The practice of free zones can also be viewed as a postcolonial policy. Jamaican workers had to work in subhuman conditions with no social protection to assemble goods arriving from other countries. It did not help to improve the state of local households, and people still lived in poverty as they were used as a cheap labor force. Under these conditions, Jamaica and its problems in the economy are the result of the colonial past and neocolonial policies that are still used today.