Dennis A. Minott | Memoriam: Cynthia Elaine Lewis PhD

A Clarified Map of “Billioneering” – A short Economic Planning and Diagnostic Tool

Dennis Minott

Precisely three years and two days ago, my colleague, business partner, finest thought-clarifier, and most erudite friend, Dr Cynthia Elaine Lewis, passed over into Glory Land. She died suddenly on December 31, 2022.

Jamaica, the wider Caribbean, and our group, ENERPLAN Verde Siempre, lost a summa cum laude biochemist, bio-energist, and animal nutritionist of rare depth. Cynthia was also a luminous listener. It was not unusual for C.E.L.—her handle within our group—to pause a discussion and gently ask for a clearer explanation of one’s thinking. She demanded precision not to dominate conversation, but to honour truth.

Toward the end of 2022, shortly before her passing, I coined the syllogism billioneering. Cynthia asked me—quietly but insistently—to define it rigorously. At the time, I did my best. It was not enough.

Dr Cynthia Elaine Lewis, PhD.

What follows is a clarified, teachable comparative map—designed to be quotable, writable-on, and difficult to misrepresent.

I dedicate it to her memory.

A Comparative Map: Billioneering vs. Entrepreneurship vs. Development Capitalism

© Dennis A. Minott, PhD.

All rights reserved.

This analytical framework, including the term “Billioneering,” the comparative structure, and diagnostic prompts, may not be reproduced, adapted, or repurposed without attribution and written permission.

ID	Dimension	Billioneering	Entrepreneurship	Development Capitalism
α (alpha)	Core motive	Private enrichment at billionaire scale via state leverage	Value creation through innovation and risk	Broad-based national development, with profit as a means, not the end
β (beta)	Relationship to the state	Captures the state; bends policy, law, and procurement	Operates within rules; lobbies transparently	Partners with a strong, accountable state
γ (gamma)	Source of profit	Concessions, monopolies, exemptions, crisis arbitrage	Products, services, efficiency, creativity	Productive investment, learning spillovers, scale
δ (delta)	Risk bearing	Socialised: public absorbs debt, loss, and environmental cost	Privatised: entrepreneur bears failure	Shared, explicit, and regulated
ε (epsilon)	Use of crisis	Exploits emergencies to fast-track deals	Adapts creatively to constraints	Mobilises crisis to build resilience
ζ (zeta)	Treatment of regulation	Seeks carve-outs and waivers	Seeks clarity and fairness	Uses regulation as developmental scaffolding
η (eta)	Impact on inequality	Deepens inequality; concentrates wealth	Can increase or reduce inequality	Intentionally reduces inequality
θ (theta)	Time horizon	Short- to medium-term extraction	Medium- to long-term growth	Long-term nation-building
ι (iota)	Narrative justification	“No alternative,” “investor confidence,” “too big to fail”	“Build, test, improve”	“Shared prosperity,” “productive capacity”
κ (kappa)	Democratic effect	Corrosive; hollows out trust	Neutral to positive	Strengthening; legitimacy through results
λ (lambda)	Moral character	Predatory, technocratically disguised	Creative, disciplined	Stewardship-driven