ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thought on the concepts concerned in this preceding chapter of this book. The book presents that Godfrey Baldacchino emphasized the inherently limited domestic markets of small islands; in South Island, people suffered from limited supply of material to rebuild after the earthquakes; shortages led to price increases. It exposes an even greater variety of models and discusses that the triple keys to success: (i) turning the dependence of seaborne transportation into an economic asset; (ii) focusing on place-based branding and high-quality production instead of scale economies; and (iii) making creative use of the economic opportunities that the island's special political status entails. Once upon a time, islands survived with subsistence-based farming and fishing coupled with mining or monoplantation agriculture. But the time has come for a new and more constructive and optimistic paradigm of island economies, with biosciences, finance, software, and niche tourism at least as important as the more traditional and historical practices.
