Pacific Economies and Politics

The Pacific island region is unique in many ways, and this is reflected in the economies in the region. The geographical disadvantages and governance weaknesses of the region interact with each other and combine to make development a daunting task. While some Pacific islands have become high-income countries, most have not. For none of them is a conventional path to development a likely prospect. This course will expose students to the economic issues facing the Pacific island region, including Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. It will also relate economic performance to underlying political features and challenges. It will explore both the distinctive features of the various Pacific island economies and some of the common challenges they face and strategies they can adopt in relation to migration and aid. Models and topics covered will include the resource curse; aid dependency; migration and development; the economics of remoteness and isolation; clientelism, governance and political determinants of development; and institutional theories of development.