Book
Understanding Small-Island Developing States

Fragility and External Shocks

Small island developing states (SIDS) are characterised by high economic, geographical and social vulnerability. These states are perceived as economically vulnerable, exhibiting poor economic performance, and embedding low levels of achieved well-being on most criteria. SIDS, which occupy very large parts of the world, face idiosyncratic development challenges largely owing to their susceptibility to external shocks. Still, these countries are all too often overlooked in the development research literature. Arising from a UNU-WIDER research project, this book provides in-depth research on the international dimensions of SIDS development experiences. Using a wealth of data, as well as case studies, the main topics examined comprise: aid, policies and growth; the costs of neglect, in terms of losses owing to a country falling into the fragile states group, of that country and those in its region; the composition of trade and the impact of external shocks, and the impact of remittances. The studies jointly provide valuable insights for small islands and other developing countries in the pursuit of sustainable growth and development. This book was published as a special issue of the Journal of Development Studies.

Table of contents
  1. 1. Vulnerability, Trade, Financial Flows and State Failure in Small Island Developing States
    Mark McGillivray, Wim Naudé, Amelia U. Santos-Paulino
  2. 2. Assessing the Economic Vulnerability of Small Island Developing States and the Least Developed Countries
    Patrick Guillaumont
    More Working Paper | Assessing the Economic Vulnerability of Small Island Developing States and the Least Developed Countries
  3. 3. Terms of Trade Shocks and the Current Account in Small Island Developing States
    Amelia U. Santos-Paulino
    More Working Paper | Terms of Trade Shocks and the Current Account in Small Island States
  4. 4. The Short-Run Macroeconomic Impact of Foreign Aid to Small States: An Agnostic Time Series Analysis
    Henrik Hansen, Derek Headey
    More Working Paper | The Short-Run Macroeconomic Impact of Foreign Aid to Small States
  5. 5. Aid and Growth in Small Island Developing States
    Simon Feeny, Mark McGillivray
    More Working Paper | Aid and Growth in Fragile States
  6. 6. Aid and Dutch Disease in the South Pacific and in Other Small Island States
    David Fielding
    More Working Paper | Aid and Dutch Disease in the South Pacific
  7. 7. Remittances in Small Island Developing States
    Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes, Susan Pozo, Carlos Vargas-Silva
    More Working Paper | Remittances and the Macroeconomy
  8. 8. Paradise Lost: The Costs of State Failure in the Pacific
    Lisa Chauvet, Paul Collier, Anke Hoeffler
    More Working Paper | Paradise Lost
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