Today Allen Ruff hits a subject barely broached in discussions U.S. policy abroad and its effects on its neighbors: contemporary colonialism and dependency.

Lara Merling and Kevin Cashman, two of the authors of the recent critical study from the Center for Economic & Policy Research, “Life After Debt in Puerto Rico: How Many More Lost Decades,” join the show.

Lara Merling is a researcher at the CEPR. She holds an M.S. in Economic Policy. Her research interests are centered on promoting economic ideas and policies that directly address inequality and advocate for better labor practices. Lara previously worked at La Voz del Valle de Hudson and the Worker Justice Center of New York.

Kevin Cashman is a Program Associate at the Center for Economic and Polic y Research. He’s worked on various economic and social justice projects dealing with environmental protection, organizing, and progressive political advocacy, and the expansion of social insurance and healthcare programs.