ABSTRACT
There are twenty politically-independent island microstates in the developing world-that is states with populations of less than a million (Table 7.1). This chapter seeks to examine development trends in these states, to reflect on the meaning of independence, and to compare and contrast the experience of these states with dependent and often neighbouring territories and colonies. It particularly focuses on the extent to which the structure of economic change is conducive to longterm development. Definitions of development have been legion, mainly revolving around issues such as basic needs, equity, self-reliance and power. More than twenty years ago the economist Dudley Seers suggested, ‘The questions to ask about a country’s development are What has been happening to poverty? What has been happening to unemployment? What has been happening to inequality?’ (Seers 1969:3). This perspective subsequently expanded into the concept of ‘redistribution and growth’ (Chenery et al. 1974). Seers expanded his perspective to embrace ‘greater independence with redistribution and growth’ (Seers 1977:5) and much debate surrounded the definition and utilization of various concepts of basic needs (Connell 1980) few of which concluded anything other than that development was complex, multifaceted and relative. Wallman concluded that development was ‘a progression towards the (better?) meeting of basic needs, and it is a progression towards (greater?) autonomy and authenticity of self and/or nationhood’ (Wallman 1977:12). It is in the context of these diffuse perspectives on development that this chapter is situated.
