Caribbean Small Island Developing States Research Articles

Financial Inclusion and Climate Resilience: The Role for an AI-Enhanced Digital Wallet in Caribbean SIDS

Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are highly vulnerable to extreme weather events and climate change. Caribbean SIDS climate vulnerability is worsened by their high level of financial exclusion. Many people do not have bank accounts and access to electronic fund transfer (EFT). As such, they cannot electronically receive funds before or after a natural disaster to cope with the effects. The financial exclusion problem can be addressed through a digital wallet. A digital wallet is a financial transaction application that securely stores a user’s banking and payment information on a cloud interface and allows the user to perform a transaction while hiding their banking information from a vendor. The biggest concern of users with regards to the use of digital wallets are its convenience and security. While digital wallets offer outstanding convenience of purchasing goods and services, data privacy and fraud risks deter people from adopting mobile payment. Potential fraud risk to digital wallets can be identified with anomaly detection techniques. The research problem investigated in this study is how the implementation of an artificial intelligence (AI) enhanced digital wallet can facilitate financial inclusion in the Caribbean, particularly in the context of disaster preparedness and recovery. Since security is an important aspect of a digital wallet, a sub-objective of this study is to derive an appropriate model for anomaly detection in financial transactions in a digital wallet. This study modifies Liu et al. [1] Gated Transformer Networks (GTN) architecture to allow for univariate time series classification. The corresponding new model is referred to as the Univariate Gated Transformer Network (UGTN). The UGTN is used for anomaly detection in financial data from a digital wallet. This study also provides policy recommendations for the implementation of a digital wallet to facilitate financial inclusion and climate resilience in Caribbean SIDS.

The human dimension of plastic pollution in the Caribbean SIDS of Trinidad and Tobago

The development of effective interventions tackling plastic pollution should consider the human dimension behind the issue. To ensure that solutions are tailored to the Global South, specifically the realities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), we recommend assessing location-specific behavioural drivers. This study (i) assesses the current behaviours of Trinbagonians related to their use and disposal of plastics, (ii) explores the drivers of behaviour (plastic usage and disposal), policy support and behavioural intentions to reduce plastic consumption and, (iii) makes suggestions in order to foster evidence-based interventions. A co-created online questionnaire designed to collect information from Trinbagonians relating to plastics was conducted over 15 weeks (May to August 2022). We find that the frequency of single-use plastic use was driven by individual and systemic factors, with the latter limiting recycling behaviours. Participants were supportive of policies to reduce plastic pollution and somewhat intended to reduce their own consumption. A complex pattern of socio-psychological, systemic and perception-based factors predicted participants’ behaviour, behavioural intentions and policy support. The present study demonstrates that community perceptions can inform policy-making at two entry points: the consumption and the disposal of plastics. Based on our findings, we also point towards a suite of policy instruments that can be utilized in order foster more sustainable consumption patterns, reduce single-use plastics and promote recycling to reduce recyclables in landfills. Understanding the human dimension of environmental issues is crucial for designing targeted and effective interventions that resonate with specific local realities.

CARICOM as the Coordination Mechanism for Caribbean Small Island Developing States Participating in the Global Plastics Treaty Negotiations

Abstract The specific processes involved in the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) role as a coordination mechanism for its Member States, composed of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), participating in multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) negotiations are sparsely documented within academic literature. CARICOM Member States have increasingly suffered from the transboundary movement and deposition of plastic litter on their coastlines. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) convened in November 2022 to develop an international legally binding instrument to manage plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Known as the global plastics treaty, Caribbean SIDS face inequities in their ability to adequately prepare and participate in this negotiation forum. CARICOM’s history of addressing environmental issues, notably through its participation in MEAs, has positioned CARICOM as a significant negotiating bloc in MEA meetings. This study classifies CARICOM’s systematic coordination processes for preparing its Member States for MEA negotiations and assesses opportunities, challenges and limitations for CARICOM to serve as the coordination mechanism for preparing its Member States for the ongoing global plastics treaty negotiations.

Assessing and improving the walkability of Caribbean SIDS: a case study

ABSTRACT The high incidence of crime, gender-based violence, and flood disasters in the urban and suburban landscape, coupled with limited land and minimal urban planning budgets in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have created an environment with inadequate implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). Given these shortcomings, this study analyzed walkability in a Caribbean SIDS environment in order to improve the human- and spatial environment-centric urban space embodied in many of the UNSDG. A questionnaire qualitatively assessed five components of walkability: security from criminal activity, protection from moving vehicles, thermal comfort, a physical walkable infrastructure, and accessibility for the differently abled persons. Of these five walkability criteria, respondents rated security from criminal activity, and accessibility for the differently abled as the least satisfactory. Through this walkability assessment, this research identified a gap between walkability principles applied globally in walkability studies and their feasibility in SIDS.

The Practice of the Caribbean SIDS on the Consent Regime for Marine Scientific Research Under UNCLOS: Trends, Gaps, and Recommendations

This article examines the practice of the Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) regarding the consent regime for marine scientific research (MSR), identifying trends in the interpretation and application of international law, and implementation gaps. The state practice analyzed is derived from domestic laws, regulations, and policy instruments, and from responses to questionnaires by state officials responsible for interpreting and applying the MSR consent regime. It concludes that the framework is fit for purpose and that states share a common interest of furthering marine research, while proposing recommendations for future-proofing the consent regime and advancing the scientific and technological capacity of the Caribbean SIDS.

“I think they should give primary health care a little more priority”. The primary health care in Caribbean SIDS: what can be said about adaptation to the changing climate? The case of Dominica— a qualitative study

BackgroundAdaptation to climate change (CC) is a priority for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean, as these countries and territories are particularly vulnerable to climate-related events. Primary health care (PHC) is an important contributor to CC adaptation. However, knowledge on how PHC is prepared for CC in Caribbean SIDS is very limited. The aim of this paper is to discuss health system adaptation to climate change, with a focus on PHC.MethodsWe explored the perspectives of PHC professionals in Dominica on PHC adaptation to climate change. Focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in each of the seven health districts in Dominica, a Caribbean SIDS, between November 2021 and January 2022. The semi-structured interview guide was based on the Essential Public Health Functions: assessment, access to health care services, policy development and resource allocation. Data coding was organized accordingly.ResultsFindings suggest that health care providers perceive climate change as contributing to an increase in NCDs and mental health problems. Climate-related events create barriers to care and exacerbate the chronic deficiencies within the health system, especially in the absence of high-level policy support. Healthcare providers need to take a holistic view of health and act accordingly in terms of disease prevention and health promotion, epidemiological surveillance, and ensuring the widest possible access to healthcare, with a particular focus on the environmental and social determinants of vulnerability.ConclusionThe primary health care system is a key stakeholder in the design and operationalization of adaptation and transformative resilience. The Essential Public Health Functions should integrate social and climate and other environmental determinants of health to guide primary care activities to protect the health of communities. This study highlights the need for improved research on the linkages between climate events and health outcomes, surveillance, and development of plans informed by contextual knowledge in the SIDS.

Water resource sustainability: Challenges, opportunities and research gaps in the English-speaking Caribbean Small Island Developing States

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face multiple developmental challenges including the adverse impacts of climate change. Among these complex challenges is the critical issue of devising strategies and plans to achieve water resource sustainability. The combined effects of hydro-climatic hazards such as droughts, rising sea levels, floods and increasing socio-economic pressures have already begun to adversely impact on SIDS water resources. This review article examined studies on ten English-speaking Caribbean SIDS to explore challenges and opportunities for enhancing water resource sustainability in the Caribbean and to identify emerging research gaps. A desk review and synthesis of existing data and available literature including reports, policy documents, peer-reviewed journal articles and books published over the last ten years were conducted to highlight research gaps in water resource sustainability. The conclusion presents a way forward for SIDS to cope with the consequences of climate change on their vital water resources. The findings from this paper can inform regional polices, strategies and plan and direct research to critical areas where information is needed to support evidenced-based decision making. The review is useful for academics, policymakers and practitioners.

Patterns of hurricane induced displacement in The Bahamas: Building equitable resilience in small island developing states

The extent and severity of disaster displacement in small island developing states (SIDS) often go unreported or underreported in global assessments due to the total number of affected people falling below established thresholds. Additionally, post-disaster assessments prepared by various international relief agencies often present conflicting evidence, and largely do not offer substantial insights into national and subnational spatial and temporal patterns of displacement, particularly with respect to the disproportionate risk that certain localities, communities and populations face over time. This article is a case study of hurricane induced displacement in a Caribbean SIDS – The Bahamas. It triangulates data from a publicly-available global disaster database, weather and post-disaster reports from national government departments and agencies, and newspaper articles. Its qualitative-dominant synthesis represents the best available evidence of hurricane risk across the archipelago between 2004 and 2019, organized according to hazard (winds, storm surge, flooding), exposure (people, livelihoods, assets etc. adversely affected), and vulnerability (the propensity or predisposition for adverse impacts). It finds that 11 hurricanes across three periods caused displacement in one or more of the 17 major islands. In identifying the emerging spatial and temporal patterns, it proposes two alternative core-periphery models for The Bahamas. These models not only provide a more accurate account of the islands’ exposure and sensitivity to hurricanes, but also highlight the geographical factors that should be considered as the basis for future plans, actions, strategies or policies that seek to build equitable resilience to these and other climate-amplified hydrometeorological events in SIDS.

Organizational Resilience in Public Sector Organizations: Destination Management Organizations

This qualitative exploratory study examined the effectiveness of organizational resilience processes adopted by Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) during a global crisis. Study results showed that the DMOs’ organizational resilience engaged strategies fostered within a positive work climate (PWC) where dynamic processes of resilience capabilities emerged for Caribbean SIDS. These organizational resilience processes are complex and dynamic, with an interplay of both internal and external influences. The study offers practical and theoretical implications for public organizations in the service sector, where an integrated framework for engaging resilience strategies and capabilities processes emerges.

Integrating wastewater reuse into water management schemes of Caribbean SIDS: A Trinidad and Tobago case study

Abstract Integrating Wastewater Reuse (WWRU) into national Water Management Schemes (WMS) is crucial as Small Island Developing States (SIDS) attempt to cope with water resource constraints in a changing climate. In 2022, the Global Environment Facility Caribbean Regional Fund (GEF CReW+) on Wastewater Management, the Ministry of Public Utilities (MPU), Trinidad and Tobago and the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS) spearheaded the development of a national voluntary standard for treated wastewater reuse focused on agricultural and landscaping uses. During the process, the MPU conducted a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) and Willingness to Pay (WTP) assessment to inform the standard and subsequent implementation. Results indicated `good' knowledge on wastewater and WWRU (59.3%), however attitudes and practices were considered `poor'. Inferential Statistics performed on numerically coded survey response data revealed no statistically significant relation with the demographic factors assessed; 84.1% of respondents were willing to use treated wastewater with health concerns identified as the main barrier; 27.3% of respondents were willing to pay the same price as conventional water, while 31.2% were willing to pay 25 -50% less. This assessment can inform the implementation and pricing process and provide valuable insights to increase the uptake of WWRU in the region.

Balancing climate resilience and adaptation for Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Building institutional capacity.

Although the Caribbean's Small Island Developing States (SIDS) minimally contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, they face disproportionate climate risks and are particularly susceptible to systemic economic threats posed by climate change and subsequent increases in climate variability. Historically, strategic programs and investments have sought to develop more robust and adaptive engineered systems to absorb climate threats. However, such initiatives are limited and under-resourced in the SIDS' context. This article reviews existing climate strategies in the Caribbean and then critically examines current gaps and barriers relating to climate impact knowledge, needs, and implementation. This examination can assist Caribbean SIDS leadership to identify opportunities to transition from a vulnerability-reducing mindset to one of resilience and transformative adaptation to improve long-term economic outlooks, social welfare, and environmental stewardship despite recurring and escalating climate risks. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:1237-1255. © 2023 SETAC.

Understanding the links between human health, ecosystem health, and food systems in Small Island Developing States using stakeholder-informed causal loop diagrams.

Globalized food systems are a major driver of climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation, and the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in society. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are particularly sensitive to the negative effects of rapid environmental change, with many also exhibiting a heavy reliance on food imports and high burdens of nutrition-related disease, resulting in calls to (re)localize their food systems. Such a transition represents a complex challenge, with adaptation interventions in one part of the food system contingent on the success of interventions in other parts. To help address this challenge, we used group model-building techniques from the science of system dynamics to engage food system stakeholders in Caribbean and Pacific SIDS. Our aim was to understand the drivers of unhealthy and unsustainable food systems in SIDS, and the potential role that increased local food production could play in transformative adaptation. We present two causal loop diagrams (CLDs) considered helpful in designing resilience-enhancing interventions in local food systems. These CLDs represent 'dynamic hypotheses' and provide starting points that can be adapted to local contexts for identifying food system factors, understanding the interactions between them, and co-creating and implementing adaptation interventions, particularly in SIDS. The results can help guide understanding of complexity, assist in the co-creation of interventions, and reduce the risk of maladaptive consequences.

Implementing nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement: An assessment of ocean-based climate action in Caribbean Small Island Developing States

This paper investigates the integration of ocean-based ambitions and actions into the climate commitments of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in achieving their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the 2015 Paris Agreement together with the climate financing needs to meet these targets. The paper examined whether the Caribbean acknowledges ocean-based activities as important ways to address mitigation and adaptation as well as the role of international and domestic finance, private sector finance, and fiscal policy reform with respect to ocean-based activities within their NDCs. The methodology adopted was a content analysis of Caribbean countries’ NDCs and updated NDCs. The data used for the content analysis were obtained from initial and updated NDCs for sixteen Caribbean SIDS. The paper found that the Caribbean views ocean-based activity as important for mitigation and adaptation with significant potential to increase blue climate ambition and action. The region is however dependent on international climate finance which is not sufficient to reach its ocean-based NDCs, while there is lack of public finance and an absence of private sector finance as well as innovative domestic private and public finance and fiscal incentives to achieve these goals.

Parametric Insurance: A Mechanism to Finance Disaster Resilience and Transitioning to a Low Carbon Economy in the Caribbean

Caribbean small island developing states (SIDS) are being disproportionately affected by climate change. While no country wants to accept legal liability for their emissions, the Caribbean region faces an urgent need to mobilize financing to address loss and damage. This study proposed a voluntary insurance to address the loss and damage from climate change. Voluntary insurance can be used to pool risk across countries and make a payout to cover the loss from extreme weather events. The insurance payout could be parametric, which can eliminate the trouble assessing of losses in indemnity insurance. The key features affecting the trigger for the payout could be the occurrence of the named peril, and meteorological data such as precipitation. The size of the payout would be determined by estimating the loss and damage of Caribbean SIDS from extreme weather events. The premium could be based on solidarity and thus can be the average cost of the total payout per annum. Wavelet coherence could be used to measure the dependence between the precipitation and loss and damage estimate rather than correlation. Payouts to governments provide crucial financial resources for rebuilding infrastructure more sustainably.

Does Climate Finance Support Institutional Adaptive Capacity in Caribbean Small Island and Developing States? An Analysis of the Green Climate Fund Readiness Grants

Adaptation is crucial for addressing current and future climate change challenges in Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and climate finance instruments, such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) can play a key role in increasing their adaptive capacity and supporting the integration of adaptation into policy and programmes. Few studies have analysed the linkages between climate finance, adaptation mainstreaming, and institutional adaptive capacity; however, assessments of the impacts of climate finance on adaptation and adaptive capacity, particularly at the institutional level, are still limited. This research assesses how climate finance may promote institutional change through the mainstreaming of adaptation policies at the national level, and may contribute to more institutional adaptive capacity. Through reviewing the documentation of approved Green Climate Fund Readiness Preparatory Support Grants, and through semi-structured interviews focusing on three Caribbean SIDS (Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, and Haiti), this paper shows that the grants had a positive impact on several processes, though sometimes limited by the strength and role of the institutions in place. These results demonstrate that access to climate finance can create a window of opportunity for countries to accelerate institutional change and adaptation integration. However, further studies are needed to examine the complementary influence of the different climate finance flows (multilateral or bilateral), and their interplay with national institutional mechanisms.

Enterprise and entrepreneurship in peripheral contexts: experiences and prospects from the caribbean small island developing states

The transformative effect of entrepreneurship has been well-documented. Indeed, entrepreneurship has been linked to the growth and prosperity of nations, contributing to the sustainable development of various sectors. Developments globally have seen growing attention to the transformational effect of entrepreneurship and its potential in developing and emerging contexts. However, while many experiences have been covered, those of some developing and emerging contexts have received far less attention. Among these under-covered contexts is that of Caribbean Small Island Developing states (SIDS). It is important to note that the development of entrepreneurship as a field can benefit from a broader understanding of more contexts. This special issue is an opportunity to advance understanding of and the dimensions of entrepreneurship in a largely grey area in the literature, the Caribbean Region. This maiden paper plays a strategic role in situating the papers which follow in a larger body of research and practice relating to entrepreneurship with a focus on the Commonwealth Caribbean SIDS. Perhaps more importantly, the approach is not simply to introduce the papers but more strategically to provide rich contextual material on the quality of entrepreneurship in the region, which then forms the backdrop for the remaining papers. A comprehensive over-view of entrepreneurship is offered, alongside a discussion of some of the historical and contemporary developments, while highlighting the specific character of entrepreneurship in a region that is largely shaped by forces which have in many ways rendered it peripheral to development. Even so, the approach is not pessimistic. As such the paper ends with a demonstration of how an understanding of entrepreneurship in the Caribbean can contribute to and inform the development of practice and theorising, more generally, including advancing an understanding of developments not just in entrepreneurship but in the broader field of International Business. Indeed, the experiences of under[1]covered regions such as these are useful in that they offer novel testing ground for emerging theories and assumptions and can make relevant contributions to the development of entrepreneurship as a still emerging field of research.

Identifying opportunities for harmonized microplastics and mesoplastics monitoring for Caribbean Small Island Developing States using a spatiotemporal assessment of beaches in South Eleuthera, The Bahamas

Increasing quantities of microplastics and mesoplastics in the marine environment underscore the need for marine microplastics to be included in the global Plastics Treaty to end plastic pollution. Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) lack harmonized microplastics monitoring protocols, leaving them data deficient at the science-policy interface required for treaty negotiations. This baseline study assessed spatial and seasonal abundance and distribution of microplastic (1–5 mm) and mesoplastic (5–25 mm) on 16 beaches with three coastal exposures (Atlantic Ocean, Exuma Sound, Bahama Bank) in South Eleuthera, The Bahamas and its implications for Caribbean SIDS. Microplastics were the dominant debris type sampled (74 %) across all beaches, with significant spatial (p = 0.0005) and seasonal (p = 0.0363) differences in abundance and distribution across study sites. This baseline study identifies opportunities required for developing harmonized microplastics and mesoplastics monitoring by Caribbean SIDS to collect data to help support global plastics treaty negotiations.

The Impact of Tropical Storms on International Trade: Evidence from Eastern Caribbean Small Island Developing States.

Eastern Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have a high dependence on international trade for income, employment, and poverty reduction given their extreme openness, small market size, narrow range of resources, and productive capabilities and specialized economic structures. These features make them vulnerable to external shocks, the most frequent being tropical storms. The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of tropical storms on international trade for 8 Eastern Caribbean SIDS over the period 2000-2019, as well as the mediating role of the Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER). The paper uses panel regression techniques along with mediation analysis applied to monthly export, import, and exchange rate data taken from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank combined with a measure of hurricane destruction that accounts for ex-ante economic exposure to damage. The results indicate that hurricanes reduce exports of goods by 20 percent in the month of a strike and up to three months thereafter. The impact on imports is more immediateand less severe, reducing imports of goods by 11 per cent only in the month of a strike. The mediation analysis suggests that the REER plays no mediation role in explaining the impact of tropical storm damage on exports and imports in the region.

Financing needs to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement in Caribbean Small Island Developing States.

Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Given high mitigation and adaptation costs and constrained domestic finances, they seek international funding to meet their climate objectives. This paper investigates Caribbean SIDS perspectives on the role of international climate finance in addressing climate change and its effectiveness in meeting climate goals. The paper first explored the climate financing needs of sixteen Caribbean SIDS through a content analysis of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It then compares the climate finance needs of the region with international climate finance commitments received by examining climate finance trends using data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee's (DAC) Creditor Reporting System (CRS). The study revealed large gaps in estimating the climate finance needs of the region, as well as important patterns in the way climate finance is being distributed across mitigation, adaptation and overlap activity; principal versus significant climate objective; recipient country; sector; and source and type of funding. These findings are useful to help countries make decisions about how international climate finance should be used, and how its impacts should be evaluated and a basis for climate finance negotiations and dialogue with bilateral development partners and multilateral climate funds, and to assess whether available funds are being put to good use and identify problems that need to be addressed.

Tourism and tax revenue: evidence from stay-over tourists in the Eastern Caribbean

ABSTRACT This paper investigated the impact of international stay-over arrivals on tax revenue for tourism-dependent Small Island Developing States (SIDS). To this end, we constructed a unique monthly panel data set of stay-over arrivals and tax revenue and its various components for the period 2002–2018 for Eastern Caribbean SIDS. A Bartik-type instrumental variables estimator exploiting differences in the exposure to and the extent of shocks in the origin markets was used to quantify the impact of stay-over arrivals on tax revenue and its different sources. Our results showed a large cumulative positive elasticity to tourism arrivals of 26.98% for total revenue, 26.86% for goods and services revenue, 23.62% for international trade and transactions revenue, 20.5% for income and profits revenue and 5.54% for property revenue. The findings demonstrate the region’s strong dependence on tourism for government income.