The Political Economy of Colonialism in Puerto Rico

Abstract

This article is a rebuttal to the argument that Puerto Rico cannot be considered a colony of the United States because the people of the island have rejected independence. The position presented here is that the democratic process through which Puerto Ricans have seemingly rejected independence. The underlying theme of this article is that the Puerto Rican and U.S. ruling elites have not allowed the Puerto Rican masses to choose among all the possible status alternatives. By not adopting policies to develop the endogenous productive capacity of the insular economy, the elites have elimated economically viable independence as a status option.