This year marks two important anniversaries in the history of Anguilla relating to the life and work of the island’s revolutionary leader, James Ronald Webster. One is the 25th Anniversary of Social Security which he founded and the other is the 40th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution which he led.

Mr. Ronald Webster

The Social Security Board, with the concurrence of the Minister, the Hon. Victor Banks, has now approved a study entitled: “Ronald Webster, the Man and His Legacy – The impact of his life and work on the quality of life in Anguilla.” The study will be financed from the Social Security Development Fund.

Preliminary work has already been commenced by Vance Janus, PhD, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School for Graduate Studies and Research, Mona School of Business, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. The study will be based on the history and impact of Social Security on living standards in Anguilla against the backdrop of the Anguilla Revolution.

The release from the Social Security Office continues: “The study has arisen out of many discussions held since the First National Development Conference in 2003 sponsored by the Social Security Board, when Dr. Vance Janus, a distinguished Caribbean Economist and Senior Lecturer, was one of the main presenters. It seeks to fill a vacuum in the knowledge of the economic transformation of Anguilla since the 1967 Revolution.

The Social Security System, which was founded by Mr. Ronald Webster, has played a significant role in that transformation, and the study will allow the institution to, as it were, ‘take a bow” after 25 years of great achievements and service to the Anguillian people.

“The general objective of this research project is to document and assess the (comparative) impact of Ronald Webster on the quality of life in Anguilla against the background of the goals of the Anguilla Revolution. The Social Security Board (SSB) is being approached to finance the project as it celebrates its 25th Anniversary in 2007, which is also the 40th Anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution. It is therefore very timely. It also involves research on the quality of life in Anguilla which is critical to the delivery of the Board’s Strategic Plan for 2007-2011 as it seeks to assess and measure the impact of the Social Security System on the quality of life in Anguilla. This element of the proposed project has also been committed to by the Board.

“There are three major subsidiary objectives:

*To document and assess the comparative impact of Ronald Webster on the quest for self-determination of the Anguillian people, taking into account the impact of other significant players;

• To document and assess the comparative impact of Ronald Webster and the 1967 Anguilla Revolution on the economic development of Anguilla, taking into account the impact of other significant players; and

• To provide a baseline assessment of the significance of the Social Security system introduced by Ronald Webster on the development and quality of life in Anguilla, historical, current and projected against which other studies of the impact of social security can be conducted.

“The project will contribute a baseline record for the 25th Anniversary Celebrations of the establishment of the SSB in 2007. For the purpose of assessing the impact of Webster, the project will also provide a comparative analysis of the standard of living and related impact of the Social Security System in Anguilla relative to other CARICOM countries to see what contributions to living standards might be properly assigned to the Webster effect and the related lessons learned.”

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