2009/04/01 by Godfrey Baldacchino, Geoffrey Bertram · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration #Economic Zones and Regional Development #Island Studies and Pacific Affairs
paper · doi:10.1080/00358530902757867
crossref issued 2009/04/01 · crossref published 2009/04/01 · crossref published-print 2009/04/01 · openalex publication_date 2009/04/01 · crossref published-online 2009/04/14 · crossref created 2009/04/14 · crossref deposited 2025/02/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Many scholarly analyses of small economies over the past two decades have been premised on the implicit understanding that a state's small population size, compounded by such factors as islandness and remoteness from markets, is to blame for an inherent and unavoidable economic vulnerability. The article critiques the core features of this approach, and proposes in turn to discuss and profile the development trajectories of small economies from the vantage point of the strategic flexibility used by small states (at multiple levels as individuals, household units, corporate entities and complete jurisdictions) in seeking to exploit opportunities and maximize economic gains in a turbulent and dynamic external environment with which they must engage. Keeping alive a portfolio of skills and revenue streams enables these actors to migrate inter-sectorally as well as trans-nationally.