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Romer had imagined this idea of "charter city" a few years ago, inspired by the Hong Kong case, become a magnet for impoverished Chinese migrants while still under British rule, and China's 'special economic zones', the most notable Shenzhen, a small community of 30,000 people in 1980, at the time of the establishment of Shenzhen SEZ, has become the city of 13 million people who inspires respect today. The cities campaign of the Romer Charter has attracted a lot of attention, including an admiring profile in the pages of L & # 39; Atlanticbut the recurring question was whether there was a government that was bold enough or desperate enough to fully embrace this concept.
For a brief moment, it seemed that Honduras could do the trick. His government asked Romer to help him establish a "special region of Dessarrollo" or RED. Unlike a conventional free trade area, this RED would enjoy a great deal of autonomy and, ideally, a partnership with a consortium of governments with a solid reputation for integrity and transparency. Romer was very anxious to obtain the cooperation of the Government of Canada, to whom he and his frequent collaborator Brandon Fuller addressed a 2012 captivating reportand he managed to convince the Mauritian Supreme Court to perform a similar function in the RED. In the end, the Honduran initiative fizzled, especially because its then president, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, was a polarizing figure that many thought was illegitimate. It became clear to Romer that the Honduran government was a unreliable partnerhe has abandoned the relationship, perhaps out of fear that his continued involvement will give legitimacy to a business he now considers seriously compromised.
Honduras has continued to explore the idea of "areas of employment and economic development", albeit on a much less ambitious scale. As L & # 39; economist reported last August, the purpose of these ZEDEs aims to attract international investment capital (multinational companies looking for a labor-intensive clothing manufacturing site near lucrative markets in North America) that can generate profitable jobs . "Rather than fleeing to the United States, Hondurans threatened by the country's ubiquitous gangs could find safety and livelihoods in their country. ZEDEs. However, these ambitions are far from being realized. In simple terms, Honduran politics is so Byzantine and corrupt that foreign investors have been reluctant to engage too deeply in society. These are the problems that Romer hoped to solve with a powerful and independent Transparency Commission, which never really took off.
It is tempting to wonder what could have happened if Romer's vision had come true. Imagine that Honduras is willing to join a consortium of governments known for their sensitivity to citizenship and the quality of their administration (Canada and Mauritius as well as Chile, Estonia and Botswana). governance issues) and to welcome migrants not only elsewhere in Honduras, but throughout the region. Romer and Fuller concluded their appeal to the Canadian government in 2012 on a touching note: "Our world in urbanization does not need more help; it needs … more rules, standards and know-how leading to good governance, economic dynamism and the rule of law. Canada now has the opportunity to partner with Honduras to directly tackle the main obstacle to growth and development around the world: dysfunctional rules and enforcement systems that impede individuals to reach their true potential. How long will it take for us to consider their bugle call?
In the current state of affairs, the debate on migration in market democracies goes both ways: either we open ourselves to all candidates for emigration who seek a better life, which would amount to to override the broad and deep political consensus opposed to the drastic increase in the flow of immigrants, or we resign ourselves to the fact that billions of people around the world are living under dysfunctional governments that spoil the opportunity. Charter cities offer a third way …one we badly need.
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