Work

All the world is a stage: global governance, human resources, and the ‘problem’ of smallness

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: The involvement of small island states (SISs) in a growing number of international organisations (IOs) has placed increased pressure on domestic bureaucracies and political systems. Rapid turnover among SIS leaders, combined with generational change and decreased local support, has amplified disadvantages. Growing complexity has therefore further exposed the long-standing vulnerabilities of SISs. They can play a creative role at the margins, and on certain issues in certain IOs, but in general asymmetries prevail. The lesson is that national sovereignty does not always equal control, and what might superficially appear to be equal access is constrained by the availability of technical expertise to the detriment of SISs.

Source: The Pacific Review

DOI: 10.1080/09512748.2015.1011214

Authors: Jack Corbett, John Connell

Institutions: Australian National University, The University of Sydney

Language: English

Topic: Island Studies and Pacific Affairs

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: green

Funders: International Atomic Energy Agency, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, International Fund for Agricultural Development