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Surfers of the ocean waves: Change management, intersectoral migration and the economic development of small island states
Author(s) -
Baldacchino Godfrey
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
asia pacific viewpoint
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.571
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1467-8373
pISSN - 1360-7456
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8373.2011.01456.x
Subject(s) - exploit , scope (computer science) , flexibility (engineering) , coping (psychology) , business , economic geography , economic system , economic growth , economics , management , computer science , computer security , programming language , psychology , psychiatry
This paper argues that there is a need to better acknowledge and problematise the manner in which individuals, households, organisations and governments in small island jurisdictions develop mechanisms that allow them to exploit the benefits, and/or minimise the losses, of episodic economic lurches. A ‘strategic flexibility’ approach is proposed to explain how actors practise intersectoral migration: cleverly shifting focus, interest and scope, not just out of necessity (reactively) but in ‘smelling’ promising opportunities (proactively). In a scenario where change is taken as a given, managing and coping with such change become the hallmarks of economic survival: just like surfers handling the ocean swell.