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Dominican Republic Economic Elites
If the Roman Catholic Church had been gradually losing
political strength, the power of the economic elites had
been
steadily growing. Most Dominicans considered a strong
economy
essential to the successful development efforts of any
government
in power; only the country's economic entrepreneurs had
the
wherewithal and the expertise to promote economic growth.
Therefore, economic importance also implied political
importance.
By the 1980s, the Dominican Republic's economy was no
longer
almost exclusively agrarian. Trade, tourism, commerce,
industry,
banking, real estate, and services had also become
important
sectors of the economy. These economic changes also meant
that
the Association of Landowners and Agriculturists
(Asociación de
Hacendados y Agricultores), once the preeminent political
interest group, had relinquished some of its influence to
the
Chamber of Commerce, the associations of industry and of
exporters, various professional associations, and other
economic
groups. The enormous economic power of these groups
allowed them
to wield political power as well.
Although many observers considered the armed forces to
be the
ultimate arbiter of Dominican national affairs, on an
everyday
basis the economic elites wielded far more power. They
constituted the primary source of cabinet and other
high-level
government appointees--regardless of which government was
in
power. They often enjoyed direct access to government
decision
making and decision makers. They were the people who knew
how to
get things done at home and abroad for the country, and
the
government depended on them for advice and often for
financing.
Under these circumstances, the economic elites were
indispensable
to the effective functioning, not just of the economy, but
of the
country.
Data as of December 1989
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