I have recently started a long-term book project meant to put forward the strategy, methodology, and justification for the sustainable socioeconomic development efforts my team and I have been working so diligently on for the last few years.
Although it's still a work in progress, I'm happy to share the prologue of the book here.
Honduras Próspera - Prologue
The nation of Honduras currently finds itself at a crossroads.
Down the first path is a continuation of Honduras as it has always been in the 20th century. Honduras continues to struggle against the tidal forces of history, momentum, and complacency. It continues to fight, and fight valiantly, to restore past glories and chart a course to prosperity, only to continue to perpetuate the same institutions and ideas that have slowed progress for so many years. For every one step forward, two are taken backward. Each step of progress is a titanic struggle, long sought-after and hard-won by the sheer determination of the Honduran people to improve against all odds. The brilliance of Honduran ingenuity and creativity fights to shine through the cloud of corrupt institutions and adverse circumstances, only occasionally making it through the heavy clouds which suppress and dim that brilliant light.
Down the other path lies a radically different future. No more do the hardy Honduran people find themselves struggling against the oppressive weight of negative circumstances and institutions. The powerful yearning of the Honduran spirit to be free to maximize its potential and truly flourish is finally met with the circumstances to make that yearning a reality. Prosperity finds a new home in Honduras. Honduras catapults from last-ranked in Central America to a world leader in innovation and socioeconomic development. Honduras becomes an example to emulate, not a lesson to avoid. This is the path to prosperity.
I have partnered with a dedicated group of individuals to ensure that this is the path down which Honduras travels and, in so doing, creates an example for the rest of the developing world to follow.
Honduras has an enormous amount of untapped potential waiting to be let loose if only given the tools and conditions with which to do so. Fortunately, thanks to a few prescient visionaries, the tools to catalyze Honduras down the path to prosperity lie ready to be put to use.
These tools enable the creation of hubs of prosperity in Honduras which contain the conditions needed for all people of all abilities and circumstances to flourish. We will create Prosperity Hubs with world-class governance, institutions, and partners, creating a network of economic engines which will drive the nation forward.
This program of economic development is called Honduras Próspera.
In this book, I will lay out the vision for how to utilize the unique legal and policy tools Honduran visionaries have created which enable the Honduras Próspera program to exist. I will explain not just the vision, but the strategy for how these tools can be leveraged for the benefit of all Hondurans, setting an example for the rest of the world to follow. I will show how the strategy of Honduras Próspera is predicated upon lessons drawn from the disparate fields of economic development, social impact, economics, political science, and law, to create a holistic strategy for socio-economic development.
This vision and strategy will serve as a lesson and a template from which the rest of the world can learn how to catalyze prosperity for underprivileged and developing nations and peoples around the world.
Chapter one will explain why Honduras is uniquely positioned for such a transformation. I will explain how Honduran history, heritage, and culture show that the current circumstances in which Hondurans find themselves are not destiny, but are a mere temporary setback along the path to prosperity. I will show that Honduras has a massive amount of untapped potential waiting for the right circumstances to unleash it. Finally, I will highlight how Honduras is already rapidly improving, and explain how these improving conditions have created the “perfect storm” for the implementation of Prosperity Hubs.
Chapter two will explain the mechanisms of the Honduras Próspera program. I will illustrate the historical examples and proven best practices upon which Honduras Próspera draws to maximize the positive impact of the program. I will draw from the academic and empirical literature to lay the intellectual foundations underpinning the program as well as their real-world, pragmatic applications within Honduras Próspera.
Chapter three will highlight what this program looks like in its first five years of operation. It will explain the strategy for implementation of Honduras Próspera in a responsible and scalable way that sets the program up for long-term success.
Chapter four will explore the maturation of Honduras Próspera into a fully-fledged ecosystem of Prosperity Hubs across Honduras. It will paint the picture of what such a system will look like and the profound impact it will have on the Honduran people.
Chapter five will explore the long-term implications for Honduras Próspera, illustrating what a prosperous and vibrant nation Honduras will become by 2050.
Chapter six will explore how this model, once proven successful, can be adapted by other nations around the world to catalyze a new era of rapid economic growth and prosperity across the developing world. In this chapter, I will discuss how the Honduras Próspera model fits into the broader strategic framework which my company, NeWay Capital, seeks to implement to catalyze economic development in a replicable and scalable way.
As a Venezuelan who had to leave his homeland in order to pursue my full potential, I have become acutely aware of just how critical general conditions are in enabling or limiting individuals to succeed and flourish. As a result, I have long dreamt of a day in which all individuals are born into circumstances compatible with each having the ability to reach their full potential.
Honduras Próspera and the socioeconomic development model it embodies is the first step toward the realization of that dream.
Ultimately, this book seeks to lay the vision for the journey toward maximum generalized prosperity that we’ve embarked upon, both to transparently share it in hopes to get constructive feedback, and to invite all who share in that dream to join! I’m personally honored to be part of this effort and invite all be part of creating a future worthy of our children and grandchildren; a future to be proud of, and where underdevelopment and lack of opportunities is indeed a bad dream of the past!