Pacific Microstates Research Articles

Asian Impact on the Pacific Island States as the External Motivation for Regionalism

After the Second World War, the Pacific Rim powers started to penetrate Oceania in order to maintain or develop their political and economic influences. The Asian states had used the reluctance and fatigue of the Pacific island countries with the American bilateral cooperation. The Asian tigers therefore introduced the new politics directed to the Pacific region, called “the new regional order” being a response to Washington’s proposition entitled “the new world order”. Diplomatic struggles between Japan, China and Russia in fact made the Pacific microstates to look for cooperation inside their own region, with neighbours at the same level of economic development, (post) colonial struggles and shared values. Since two waves of decolonization in the Pacific, the newly established island states have been constantly tempted by the Asian governments to collaborate with them. Such humanitarian and financial aid is very often understood as the consent to interfere in the Pacific islands’ affairs and their natural resources. Hence, since the turn of 20th and 21st century, Asian influence has become one of the most important motivators for Pacific regionalisation. Establishment of most, not to say all, the regional institutions and organizations were driven by the fear of external imposition of law and policy.

Regional integration in the South Pacific: challenges for public governance

Abstract: Purpose of this article is to present and analyse regional integration in the South Pacific region, as well as to enumerate the potential challenges for public governance. The article is divided therefore into 5 sections, starting from introduction, where the author presents the idea of the research, gives definitions; second part deals with the South Pacific integration as an example of regionalisation, where it is necessary to present the characteristic features of the region, as well as its complex regional model of cooperation; third part enumerates obstacles for public governance gathered into categories of legal and extrajudicial challenges; forth part brings about some reason, why the Pacific microstates can be called as weak democracies; finally, fifth part forms the conclusion where the author summaries the whole research. The used methodology is the legal analysis, where the legal acts, as well as political declarations have been taken into account. Overall, regional integration in the South Pacific is weak because of a multitude of challenges for public governance. On the other hand, though, those challenges might become a motivation for the small island states to improve the level of regional governance.

Implementation of legal mechanisms of environmental protection by the South Pacific regional organizations

Objective of the article is to present a multitude of the South Pacific regional organizations, whose one of the most vital issue is to implement legal mechanisms of environmental protection. As the Pacific countries and territories are the most affected by the climate change effects, the goal of the politicians, diplomats, representatives of private sector and civil society organizations is to protect their islands. The islanders have been trying to achieve that through multilateral gathering, seminars and other so-called soft law instruments, but also, recently, through hard law mechanism, which can be de iure executed. There are however many obstacles which come from both structural and social barriers of the South Pacific nations. The methodology, which has been used to write this article, is the legal analysis of the documents made on both national and transnational lever, mainly by the regional intergovernmental organizations, as well as non-binding communiques after summits and further political declarations. The value author wishes to bring is first of all publicising the Pacific region, as it is not anymore isolated or dependent on the bigger global actors. Secondly, environmental protection made by the grass roots initiatives, being de facto the regional organizations, can shed new light on this matter. Conclusion shall, nonetheless, present still a long way before the South Pacific microstates on their way to achieving both better regional cooperation, as well as mechanisms of more effective implementation of the regional norms.

MODELS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC DEPENDENCE OF PACIFIC MICROSTATES: A CRITICAL REVIEW WITH IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICIES AND RELATIONS

Most (but not all) Pacific island communities achieved self-government in the last half of the 20th century. However, they still remain highly dependent economically on larger and wealthier patron-nations. Drawing on the available literature, this paper critically examines competing models of their dependence and its governance implications. In doing so, it gives particular attention to the MIRAB model. The MIRAB model of Pacific island micro-economies was developed in the mid-1980s by the New Zealand academics, Bertram and Watters, and dominated the literature on the economics of small island nations and economies until alternative models were proposed two decades later. Nevertheless, it is still an influential theory. MIRAB is an acronym for migration (MI), remittance (R) and foreign aid (A) and the public bureaucracy (B); the components of the MIRAB model. The nature of this model is explained and the importance of distinguishing between the two processes involved in it (one based on foreign aid and the other on overseas remittance) is emphasized. Evidence is given of the importance of migration and overseas remittance for the functioning of some Pacific island microstates, such as Tonga. Yet, it is argued that no single model adequately typifies the economic situations of Pacific microstates and micro-economies because of their diversity. Even economies that have been classified as MIRAB economies can be very different. The newer TOURAB, SITE and PROFIT models have similar limitations. In order to understand adequately the economic situation of Pacific island microstates (including their economic vulnerability, their sustainability, and political susceptibilities), it is necessary to adopt a more holistic approach which takes account of historical, cultural and environmental factors. This is illustrated by the case of Nauru. It is shown that the international economic dependence of Pacific island microstates and their environmental vulnerabilities have made them susceptible to political influence by patron nations. This has important implications for international affairs. Furthermore, new patron nations, such as China, are emerging, as traditional donors reduce their aid to Pacific island nations. This concerns their traditional donor countries. Reasons for relevant changes in international relations in the Pacific are suggested, and the impact of political independence on the economic fortunes of microstates is considered. Despite the limitations of existing models of the external economic and political dependence of microstates, it is found that they are useful starting points for selectively assessing external economic relations and changes in these.

Customising Freedom of Information Law Reform in South Pacific Micro-States

This article highlights the importance of adopting a pluralist approach to developing freedom of information (FOI) schemes within specific states in an age of ‘adopter intensification’. The limitations of imposing universal ‘off the shelf’ schemes without addressing multifaceted and unique state requirements are highlighted. The South Pacific Region is utilised as an example that demonstrates adoption is merely the initial and simplest step in an ongoing process of adaption and implementation. Comprehension of the ongoing commitment required in implementing effective FOI schemes should exist prior to legislative conception. Draft schemes must consider not only the supply and demand element of FOI within specific states, but also their broader macro- and micro-level intricacies. Vanuatu and Tonga are used as examples to demonstrate that even where a pluralist and staged approach is undertaken progress can still be slow and problematic.

Security, profit or shadow of the past? Explaining the security strategies of microstates

Which factors determine the security strategies of microstates? Many microstates are either secluded island states or have very close political, economic and cultural ties to a larger neighbouring ‘protector state’. They have had, therefore, little use for more traditional alliance arrangements. However, the patterns of security cooperation between states have shifted as the significance of flexible ad-hoc coalition-building as a means to coordinate international interventions has increased. Consequently, the strategic security challenges and opportunities for microstates have been transformed. Focusing on the Operation Iraqi Freedom coalition, this article explores some of these challenges and opportunities. Three hypotheses regarding the decisions made by the respective microstates to join international ad-hoc coalitions are studied: (1) participation provides increased security, (2) participation provides economic gains, and (3) participation reflects the lessons of past security challenges. The explanatory powers of each hypothesis are examined using a comparative case study of 11 Pacific microstates.

Diversity Reportage in Metropolitan Oceania: The Mantra and the Reality

Aotearoa/New Zealand has the largest Polynesian population in Oceania. Three Pacific microstates now have more than 70 per cent of their population living in New Zealand. Projected demographics by Statistics New Zealand indicate that the Pacific and indigenous Māori populations could grow by 59 and 29 per cent respectively by 2026. The Asian population will increase even more dramatically over that period, by almost doubling. Māori, Pasifika and ethnic media in New Zealand are also steadily expanding, with major implications for the ‘mainstream’ media industry and journalism educators. For more than two decades, diversity has been a growing mantra for the Aotearoa/New Zealand media. Initially, the concept of biculturalism — partnership with the indigenous tangata whenua— was pre-eminent in the debate but, as the nation's Māori, Pasifika and ethnic media have flourished and matured, and demographics have rapidly changed, multiculturalism and multicultural media strategies have become increasingly important. This paper examines the regional trends in Oceania, the growth of the indigenous and ethnic media, and their impact on the mainstream in New Zealand as an outpost of globalised media. It also looks at the evolving initiatives to address the challenges.

Pacific Island Microstates: Pawns or Players in Pacific Rim Diplomacy?

Microstates are unique participants in the international arena. Many of the world's microstates are located in the Pacific basin and are characterized by limited natural and human resources. Because they are so small and isolated, the Pacific microstates are frequently overlooked diplomatically in the larger, international system. Conversely, diplomacy is often their only effective instrument of statecraft for making an impact within the international system on issues critical to their national interests. In contrast to the belief that the microstates are mere pawns in international relations, this text will view the Pacific microstates as active participants in diplomacy by exploring their involvement in two broad strands of Pacific Rim diplomacy: • The political struggle between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan for influence in the Pacific region, diplomatic recognition, and support in the United Nations and other international agencies. • Fishing issues between Japan, the microstates, and other regional powers as illustrated within the International Whaling Commission. The article will show that reciprocity is the key concept and mechanism governing their diplomatic arrangements with Taiwan and Japan. The conclusion suggests two ideas for these microstates in dealing with their larger neighbors on the above issues, and summarizes their active, rather than passive, diplomatic role in Pacific Rim international relations.

Exporting new public management: performance agreements in a Pacific microstate

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to explore the export of new public management (NPM) to developing countries and to describe and evaluate the introduction of these initiatives in very different environments from their origins.Design/methodology/approachThe article traces the introduction of performance agreements into the public service of Vanuatu. Performance agreements are identified as an initiative typically promoted by NPM. The Vanuatu case is set within a review of the origin, use and record of performance agreements in countries such as Australia, the UK and the USA.FindingsThe adoption of performance agreements has been slow and has enjoyed limited success. Among the difficulties encountered are suspicion, lack of incentives, an unreceptive environment, and possible identification as being donor‐driven. It is difficult to see performance agreements in their current form making an impact on performance improvement in the Vanuatu public service.Practical implicationsNPM initiatives must be carefully considered before being transferred to other countries. They may offer benefits but what has worked in one environment will often need considerable modification, certain preconditions and lengthy lead‐in time to be effective in another environment.Originality/valueThere are few case studies of attempts to transfer NPM‐style reforms to developing countries and none on performance agreements, yet many countries in the Pacific and elsewhere are becoming interested in this mode of performance management. This case study helps to fill this gap through description and analysis of the Vanuatu experience and provides practical lessons for others considering policy transfer of NPM initiatives such as performance agreements.

A Nation in Decline? Migration and Emigration from the Cook Islands

The Cook Islands is the largest of several Pacific island microstates experiencing absolute population decline, raising questions over national viability. Since its peak of 21,300 in 1971 the population has almost halved, mainly through depopulation of the twelve outer islands. The population of the main island, Rarotonga, has remained constant. Decline has been particularly rapid following economic problems and restructuring in the mid-1990s, while return migration has been slight. Skilled migrants, especially health workers, have been most prone to migration, for educational, economic and social reasons, facilitated by unimpeded entry into Australia and New Zealand. Workers increasingly join the health system with the intention of subsequent migration. Both the education and health system are short of skilled workers, and service delivery is worsening. Economic growth through tourism may slow migration, but will not prevent it, and further overall population decline seems probable.

Theories of governance and Pacific microstates: The cautionary tale of Tuvalu

Abstract: This paper questions the popularity of governance frameworks in explaining development failures and proposing new models of development for Pacific states. Such popularity is attributed to how problems are selected and framed (the doomsday scenario of demographic and environmental collapse, weakening of the state, and an upsurge in corruption) but also, and most importantly, to the recent hegemony of neo-liberal theory in political economy. Taking the MIRAB microstate of Tuvalu as a counterexample, each of those pillars of governance theory is seen to be lacking or to require a more nuanced form of understanding. A brief analysis of how the dominant Protestant church fits into traditional and modern systems of administration illustrates the complexity of local issues. The essay concludes with a discussion of how the neo-liberal governance orthodoxy lacks the critical insight into power and agency afforded by Foucault's concept of governmentality.

The organization of ideological diversity in discourse: Modern and neotraditional visions of the Tongan state

ABSTRACTIn current cultural anthropology, under the influence of postmodernism, considerable attention is given to the multiplicity of interpretive perspectives with which people contend in making sense of their daily experiences. In this article I examine diverse representations of the nation‐state in Tonga and other Pacific microstates. My focus is on the configuration of ideological diversity in the Tongan Magistrate's Courts compared with configurations of traditional and modern nationalist ideologies in other Tongan political domains and in other Pacific nations. Some contemporary anthropological accounts represent ideological diversity as plural, fluid, and rapidly changing. Other accounts of ideological diversity emphasize the oppositional structuring of ideas and the power struggle for ideological domination. I argue that it is useful to think of an ecology of ideas, in which multiple ideas move across discourse domains, becoming implanted in hospitable discourse environments, much as plants move into new environments.

Mutiny on the bandwidth: the semiotics of statehood in the internet domain name registries of Pitcairn Island and Niue

The internet has evolved to have a complex top-level domain name system, in which generic top-level domains such as .com and .org coexist with country-code top-level domains such as .UK and .JP. In this article, the history and significance of this hybrid naming system is examined, with specific attention directed to the manner in which it simultaneously reproduces claims to globalism, state sovereignty, and the presumption of United States hegemony. It is found that the domain name system affirms the centrality of the sovereign state while concurrently challenging its underlying basis in an idealized nexus of nation, government, and territory. These themes are explored through case studies of two Pacific island microstate domains: .PN (Pitcairn Island) and .NU (Niue).

Democratic Standard and Performance in Twelve Pacific Micro-States

At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were 55 sovereign polities in the world, none of which enjoyed competitive multiparty politics. By 1950, the number of sovereign polities had risen to 80 and 22 of these states were considered to be democratic. Finally, by the end of the twentieth century the number of sovereign states more than doubled to 192 in the year of 1999; of these 192 independent polities no less than 120 were so-called electoral democracies.' This shift in the number and nature

Chiefs and Impossible States

The challenges of different forms of ethnonationalism and the simultaneous legitimation crisis of the politics of existing nation-states have revealed the difficulties the social sciences face in rethinking some of their basic concepts. With the accelerating globalisation of the economy, there has been a basic change in the state - society relationship and the role the state plays in controlling people's lives. The Pacific micro-states provide illuminating examples of the different ways this relationship has unfolded and the consequences of the variations for the lives of the people. The persistence and re-emergence of traditional political institutions, like chieftainship, is discussed from the perspective of the local - global relationship and its mediation.

A Model of Aid Impact in Some South Pacific Microstates

This paper investigates the impact of foreign aid on the economic structure of the recipient economy using a two-sector general equilibrium model. Underlying assumptions are designed to mirror a number of stylized facts about a group of South Pacific microstates known as MIRAB countries. Two variants of the model are constructed to reflect these countries' unequal access to overseas labor markets. Qualitative results reveal the likelihood of a structural transformation of the economy akin to that known as Dutch Disease, namely the relative contraction of the tradables sector. Quantitative results confirm the plausibility of this outcome.

Economic marginalism and the microstate, the impact of donor conditionality requirements in international aid programmes on a SHRM training project in the Cook Islands

Donor conditionality involves the formal terms and commitments under which major international aid agencies, such as the World Bank and the IMF grant aid or arrange loans for developing countries. In doing so, said agencies have tended to emulate, as a matter of policy, private-sector market reforms based on the contemporary neoclassical model. As a consequence, donor conditionality tends to place formalized and regular stress on inflationary control, privatization of publicly owned equity and the deregulation of public-sector employment. In turn, the functional utility of strategic human resource management as a vehicle able to obtain major change-related outcomes has tended to give it an important role in the implementation process. This paper reports on events that took place in the Cook Islands, a central Pacific microstate, during a university-based training course for public service managers in which the government imposed on a virtual exercise the full weight of real decisionmaking process. It will attempt to place this action in a larger context by, first, critically examining the tendency for SHRM initiatives to be distorted - a situation that arises when the requirements of donor conditionality do not fit the economic, social and cultural conditions in which they are to be applied. It will conclude by reviewing some of the issues to be debated should the tendency to use a single model of reform be replaced by a more country-friendly programme of requirements.

The Battle for the Tourist: Lessons From the Pacific Region

ABSTRACT Tourism activity in the Pacific region has been the subject of many assessments in recent years. In many of those assessments reference is made to the generality of ‘Tropicana Exotica’ as the basic tourism resource. The assumed ubiquity of this resource is of advantage to the high profile destinations in the region, but presents problems for the lesser known destinations. The fact that this generalization is far from true is of little advantage to the destinations with lower profiles. Various strategies are being effected across the region to redefine the diversity of tourism product, and to provide the lesser known destinations and microstates with a niche tourism product. This paper discusses the basic components of ‘Tropicana Exotica’, and then uses a diversity of published, Internet and travel industry sources in order to reveal how the Pacific island microstates are conducting the preliminary rounds in the battle for the tourist, before offering a prognosis for the future performance of the Pacific microstates with lessons which may be transferred to other tourism regions of the world.

An uncertain future for tourism in microstates; the case of Nauru

The small Pacific microstate of Nauru faces an uncertain future as the phosphate deposits on which it has depended for its wealth for most of the twentieth century become exhausted. Recent global conferences on sustainable development have encouraged small island states faced with the impending loss of their principal economic support to consider tourism as a feasible development option. This paper reviews the capacity of Nauru to engage seriously in the option of tourism development.

Travel Distribution Technologies and Sustainable Tourism Development: The Case of South Pacific Microstates

The island microstates of the South Pacific face the major challenge of fine tuning tourism products and marketing strategies to meet the changing needs of the traveller, while at the same time creating a more sustainable industry. This paper examines how new travel distribution technologies can influence attempts to meet this challenge.The discussion begins with a review of the literature on the growth of 'new' tourism in small island states- focusing on the key role ascribed to evolving distribution technologies, especially computer reservations systems (CRS). The growth of CRS is then examined, with an emphasis on the rising levels of ownership concentration that characterise this segment of the tourism industry. Data on the role that CRS technologies can play in influencing tourism flows within the South Pacific are then presented. Access to CRS is shown to be extremely limited for many smaller destinations and locally owned companies, placing them at a competitive disadvantage vis-a-vis their larger counterparts. The broader implications of the findings for sustainable development processes are explored and a number of recommendations are made as to how Pacific microstates may improve their ability to take advantage of emerging travel distribution technologies.