Nordic and Arctic Affairs

Iceland's National Security Policy: Latest Progres

Adult education in small states : the case of Malta

A small state faces several challenges with regard to adult continuing education and training. The paper discusses some of these challenges with specific reference to the Mediterranean small island state of Malta. It starts with a general discussion of some of the issues affecting adult education in a small state such as Malta that paves the way for the more focused analyses in the second and third sections. These sections focus on a selection of just two topics from among the many that affect adult education in Malta, namely those of adult education and work and adult education for sustainable development. These analyses are tackled from the perspective of the small state condition.peer-reviewe

Small State, Giant Tax Credits: Hawaii’s Leap into High Technology Development

In 2001, the State of Hawaii established a 100 percent tax credit to promote investment in several targeted high technology industries. We chronicle the evolution of Hawaii’s high technology tax credits, describe their provisions, and catalog a host of problems associated with determining whether or not the tax credits have achieved results desired by lawmakers. We conclude that it was a mistake to initiate a generous tax credit program without adequate monitoring by public agencies or disclosure of how public funds are being used by recipients of tax credits.tax credit, Hawaii, Act 221, qualified high technology business

Europeanisation of health systems : a qualitative study of domestic actors in a small state

Background: Health systems are not considered to be significantly influenced by European Union (EU) policies given the subsidiarity principle. Yet, recent developments including the patients’ rights and cross-border directive (2011/24 EU), as well as measures taken following the financial crisis, appear to be increasing the EU’s influence on health systems. The aim of this study is to explore how health system Europeanisation is perceived by domestic stakeholders within a small state. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in the Maltese health system using 33 semi-structured interviews. Inductive analysis was carried out with codes and themes being generated from the data. Results: EU membership brought significant public health reforms, transformation in the regulation of medicines and development of specialised training for doctors. Health services financing and delivery were primarily unaffected. Stakeholders positively perceived improvements to the policy-making process, networking opportunities and capacity building as important benefits. However, the administrative burden and the EU’s tendency to adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach posed considerable challenges. The lack of power and visibility for health policy at the EU level is a major disappointment. A strong desire exists for the EU to exercise a more effective role in ensuring access to affordable medicines and preventing non-communicable diseases. However, the EU’s interference with core health system values is strongly resisted. Conclusions: Overall domestic stakeholders have a positive outlook regarding their health system Europeanisation experience. Whilst welcoming further policy developments at the EU level, they believe that improved consideration must be given to the specificities of small health systems.peer-reviewe

Small state diplomacy and global competitiveness

Competitiveness is not only an economic matter; it is also a foreign policy issue. It requires the coordinated action of the state, business community and civil society. Global economic institutions now confront a new challenge to design strategies and roadmaps for reform that will build on the achievements of the past, and cope with an increasingly new set of ripples that poses risks to the orthodox practice of development and ignite a search for a new kind of diplomacy. A global dialogue on competitiveness and economic development is in the making, and small economies have a vested interest to be part of that dialogue. While small states have fewer resources to devote to the tasks of diplomacy and effective interaction with other states, this shortcoming can be reduced by alliances and networks, given the large number of small states with common interests. Small states in Europe are strategically placed to recalibrate that continent’s approach to regional and international diplomacy in its quest to promote competitiveness, and sustain growth and equity in its development goals. As such, it can bring important lessons to the attention of other small states in the world and add considerably to the expectations of this exercise in global analytical leadership.peer-reviewe

A journey through small state governance

The structures, behaviours and problems of governance in small states have always fascinated me. I attribute this fascination to the fact that I began my career of teaching and research in public administration in Tasmania, Australia's island state with its population of around half a million, and then had many opportunities to compare and contrast the Tasmanian system with those of other small and many much larger jurisdictions. Continuing that career in the Australian Capital Territory, a ‘quasi-state’ even smaller in population terms, provided other such opportunities and challenges. Drawing on this research experience, this paper looks first at the relationship between statehood and size. It then considers how a number of governance issues mostly related to structuring and operating the executive and legislative branches of government have been affected over the years by the smallness factor. The illustrations come mostly from jurisdictions that would loosely be regarded as belonging to the family of Westminster-style governments, however much that style has been adapted to accommodate the factor of smallness.peer-reviewe

Small State Regional Cooperation, South-South and South-North Migration, and International Trade

This paper provides a different basis than previous analyses for regional bloc formation and regional migration. Due to low bargaining power and fixed costs, small states face a severe disadvantage in negotiations with the rest of the world and might benefit by forming a regional bloc. The study a) presents a general equilibrium model where bargaining power, international (IC) and regional (RC) negotiation costs, number of issues negotiated (N), and accession rule to the bloc determine its size and welfare impact, and b) examines the impact of international migration as well as the migration-trade relationship. The main findings are: i) the likelihood of regional bloc formation, its size and welfare impact increases with IC, N and decreases with RC; ii) bloc size is optimal (below the optimum) if an accession fee is (is not) charged; iii) South-South migration raises bloc size and welfare; iv) South-South migration and trade are complements under market access negotiations and are substitutes under negotiations for unilateral transfers as well as under migrant remittances; and vi) South-North migration and bloc formation, and South-North and South-South migration, are substitutes for the states that benefit from membership in the bloc.small states, regional cooperation, South-South migration, South-North migration, trade