Anna Kasafi Perkins is the Dean of Studies/Lecturer at St. Michael’s Theological College, an institute of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kingston which is affiliated to the University of the West Indies, Mona, and the first lay person to hold this position. In 2004 she completed doctoral studies in the area of Theological Ethics at Boston College; her dissertation explored the theory of justice (“justice as equality”) grounding the political thought and action of Jamaica’s Michael Manley in light of the Catholic Social Teaching tradition. She is also the editor for the College journal, Groundings, which is published twice yearly.

Why I joined the project
I was attracted by the multidisciplinary nature of the project and the sense that such a project was both timely and necessary. I was intrigued and excited that the presence of a theologian was seen as worthwhile for a project that intended to undertake careful empirical analysis of the Jamaican economy. Furthermore, the chance to exchange ideas with a variety of intellectuals, persons of political influence and policy makers had a definite appeal. It was important for me that the project aimed at, among other things, establishing that Jamaicans did have a measure of control over the direction of their economic lives and should be convinced of that.uestions that have remained outside of the purview of traditional analyses of Jamaica’s performance since Independence.