Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2021. 456 pp. US$200.00, cloth. ISBN 9780367183998.
Handbook of Governance in Small States presents case studies from academic perspectives as well as practitioners of diverse disciplinary perspectives, which provide a broad basis for answering key questions about governance in smalls states. The editors collected and organized the authors’ contributions into four parts, which overlap and reinforce one another, along with an introduction, author index, and index. These parts are “Political Governance” (part 1), “Environmental Governance” (part 2), “Social Governance” (part 3), and “Economic Governance” (part 4). Aside from the four thematic sections there is no further attempt to interweave the various theoretical perspectives. Even so, the concise chapters provide the reader with key concepts and approaches, theoretical frameworks, and references. While this is not a standalone volume that can be an authoritative source in any one discipline, it nevertheless carves out a niche for those working in small island states to consider issues from a variety of perspectives that more narrowly-scoped and disciplinary-defined collections would miss.
The multidisciplinary approach is one of the strengths of this edited volume as it provides a diversity of perspectives. The authors write from a variety of academic and applied perspectives, including: accounting, anthropology, business, demography, economics, engineering, environmental studies, finance, international relations, Pacific Island studies, planning, political science, public administration, public health, public policy, statistics, sociology, and sustainability. The primary disciplines represented are economics and political science, making this text particularly valuable for those economists and political scientists working with governance issues in small states. The chapters vary in their scope and scale from discussions of specific case studies in each country to country-level comparative analysis of large datasets.
While the volume does not focus exclusively on the Pacific, there are several chapters which highlight case studies from the region. These case studies are located in all four parts of the volume: part 1 on political governance includes one Pacific-specific chapter and in chapter 2, Veenendaal and Corbett explain the seemingly unlikely continuance of democratic governance in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Veenendaal and Corbett found “that extreme ethnic, linguistic, and religious fragmentation is both a blessing and a curse for these two Melanesian small states … ensuring that no group or individual has been able to dominate the political arena, which in turn means that institutions like the judiciary and the media have been relatively free from political interference or pressure” (34).
Part 2 on environmental governance includes two Pacific-specific chapters. In chapter 10, Simonelli contrasts the climate change rhetoric of Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands in relation to their environmental policies and governance. Chapter 11 written by Savage, Huber, and Bambrick employs systems-based analysis of Vanuatu’s climate change adaptation governance arrangements. The authors of this chapter conclude that Vanuatu is an example for other small island developing states as it, “has made significant efforts towards a comprehensive approach” (163).
Part 3 on social governance includes one Pacific-specific chapter by Cangiano and Torre, while chapter 16 focuses on intraregional migration in the Pacific with emphasis on the case studies of Fiji and Vanuatu. Cangiano and Torre note that intraregional migration can enhance Pacific regionalism and allow for exchange of skills and technology. They conclude by stressing the importance of an “integrated approach to regional mobility and disaster and climate change governance” as it can foster “dynamic, mobile, and adaptive Pacific societies” (244).
Part 4 on economic governance contains two Pacific-specific chapters: Duncan’s chapter 24 and Fairbairn’s chapter 25. Duncan highlights concerns regarding the high levels of remittances to Pacific Island countries as they impact long-term economic growth. Duncan concludes by noting: “The lack of evidence of a positive relationship between the earning of remittances and economic growth in developing countries is very disappointing” (374). Fairbairn stresses the importance of good governance in order for Pacific Island countries to achieve their development goals.
In addition to these Pacific-specific chapters the volume contains a number of additional chapters that incorporate Pacific case studies into their analysis. Chapters which focus exclusively on case studies from outside of the Pacific may also be of some value to Pacific scholars in terms of general governance lessons learned. Further, the case studies from disparate geographic areas help to situate the challenges experienced by small island states in the Pacific in a global context. Overall, The Handbook of Governance in Small States is a useful primer in terms of how governance is related to the current state of the economy and environment, particularly climate change, in Pacific countries.
David Fazzino
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg