Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
rediscovered their dependency on fossil fuels with the recent price hikes in these
resources. Autarchy is hardly a policy option, and so some measure of trade dependence
is a characteristic of contemporary jurisdictions. It is the responsiveness to threats - not
the existence of threats per se - that deserves kudos and analysis. The capacity to
get up and move on in the face of various disasters deserves being celebrated and
researched. Nor should such successes be simply dismissed as 'special cases' (as
the Seychelles, described in Kaplinsky
1983
) or 'paradoxes' (as is the 'Singapore
Contradiction' in Briguglio
2002
) that fly in the face of all-too-obvious vulnerabilities:
they deserve critical recognition and serious scrutiny on their own terms.
The time may thus be right for a research exercise that analyses the behaviour of
small - or, better, smaller - 'developed' (mainly island) states, and its historical
emergence, against a series of hypotheses. A series of patterns and conditions for
development may emerge from a scrutiny of what are understood to be smaller
developed states and territories today. Some of these characteristics will be peculiar
and idiosyncratic to specific jurisdictions, of course; but others may lend them-
selves to some useful, policy relevant, comparative inquiry.
This exploratory paper proposes to trigger this discussion. It proposes to do so
mainly by moving away from the vulnerability-resilience continuum that grips
much of the debate on the economic viability of smaller (often island) states and
territories today, replacing it with an alternative but similarly bimodal conversation:
one between economic (high-density) and ecological (low-density) criteria of
development. In so doing, one invites a reconsideration of the impact of physical
and social geography on development, as well as the changing relationship between
'nature' and 'human culture'.
Basket Cases of Success
Which smaller countries in the world today are considered 'successful', and not just
in orthodox economic terms? At least three sub-sets can be identified here:
1. Many would agree with the choice of the Bahamas, Barbados, Cyprus, Iceland,
(in spite of the 2008 fiscal crisis) Malta and Mauritius. One could add New Zealand
and Singapore as well - if we go beyond the threshold of a population of 1.5 mil-
lion, and up to just over 4 million. These are all stable, prosperous,
sovereign and
democratic island states
; and all except Iceland are former British colonies.
2. Then there are the
continental European micro-states
(Andorra, Liechtenstein,
Luxembourg, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican) - which have fine-tuned beneficial
relations with larger European states (Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France) and/or
with the European Union.
3. Finally, and raising pertinent questions about the meaning of sovereignty in an
increasingly globalised and inter-dependent world, are such
sub-national juris-
dictions
as Åland, Bermuda, Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man … again, all are
islands, and most are associated with the British Crown/United Kingdom.
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