COMPETITIVENESS STRATEGIES FOR
SMALL STATES
Edited by: Lino Briguglio and Gordon Cordina
Published in 2004 by the Islands and Small States Institute of the University of Malta
in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat. ISBN 9909-49-20-4.
This 360 page book contains 20 chapters, with an
introduction by the editors and contributions by
various authors. It also contains a subject and an
author index.
This book is very much inspired by the notion that
competitiveness has a significant role to play in the
development of small states, particularly in the
current wave of globalisation. In a globalised free
trade context, competitiveness is the means for firms
as well as for countries to survive and thrive. This is
because the alternative to competitiveness, namely
protection from competition, has time and again
resulted in inefficiencies and poor returns. It is only
through enhanced competitiveness that living
standards can be maintained and upgraded over
time. At the same time, however, competitiveness
should be fair and on a level playing field. In the
case of small states, this consideration is important
due to their inherent weaknesses and vulnerabilities, which may hamper them from
effectively participating in the international trade arena.”
In his foreword Professor Victor Ayeni, Director of the Governance and Institutional
Development Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat states “This volume is a welcome
addition to the literature on competitiveness, which is growing at a fast pace, and which
brings to the fore the need for long-term policies, as against short term demand
management options. The authors are all experts in their fields, and they bring national and
regional insights into the competitiveness issue, which, through the WTO, the World Bank,
and other organisations, has assumed an international dimension. I wish to congratulate
Lino Briguglio and Gordon Cordina for their work in assembling together such a wide
collection of papers, authored by experts from all regions of the world. The Governance and
Institutional Development Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat is particularly proud to
be associated with this project which gave rise to this book. We are pleased to include this
book in our portfolio of publications and hope that it serves to improve knowledge on
competitiveness, to encourage good practice in small states and to disseminate information
about the special circumstance of these states.”
Further information about this book is available from the Islands and Small States Institute,
Guze Cassar Pullicino Building, University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta: Tel: +(356)
23402117; Fax: +(356) 21344879; email: islands @um.edu.mt.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD. Professor Victor Ayeni
Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION. Lino Briguglio and Gordon Cordina and RM Endeley
Chapter 2. TRENDS IN SINGAPORE’S COMPETITIVENESS. Manu Bhaskaran
Chapter 3. PRODUCTIVITY MEASUREMENT IN BARBADOS: ENTERPRISE AND NATIONAL INITIATIVES. Andrew S
Downes
Chapter 4. MALTA’S COMPTITIVNESS STANDING AND THE EU LISBON AGENDA. Lino Briguglio and Gordon
Cordina
Chapter 5. DETERMINANTS OF INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS: THE CASE OF SLOVENIA AND OTHER CEE
CONOMIES. Art Kovačič and Peter Stanovnik
Chapter 6. COMPETITIVENESS STRATEGIES IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES. T. K. Jayaraman
Chapter 7. ENHANCING COMPETITIVENESS OF FIJI’S ECONOMY. Mahendra Reddy
Chapter 8. JAMAICA IN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION. Alvin G. Wint
Chapter 9. OKINAWA’S COMPETITIVENESS CHALLENGES FOR SELF-RELIANT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Hiroshi
Kakazu
Chapter 10. COMPETITIVENESS IN SMALL, OPEN MINERAL-BASED ECONOMIES: THE CASE OF TRINIDAD AND
TOBAGO ECONOMY. Dennis Pantin and Roger Hosein
Chapter 11. COMPETITIVENESS AND LONG TERM GROWTH IN THE SURINAME ECONOMY. Pitou van DijcK
Chapter 12. COMPETITIVENESS AND PRODUCTIVITY IN MAURITIUS. Nikhil Treebhoohun
Chapter 13. PROSPECTS FOR ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS IN LESOTHO. Ramoshebi Moletsane and Sekone
Masia
Chapter 14. SMEs AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPMENT IN BAHRAIN. Hashim Suliman Hussein and Raman
Jaggi
Chapter 15. THE GAMBIA - TRIALS OF A SMALL OPEN ECONOMY. Baba-Mustafa Marong
Chapter 16. PARADIGMS, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS AND COMPETITIVENESS: A CASE STUDY OF BELIZE. David
Gomez
Chapter 17. COMPETITIVENESS – A PRIMARY REQUISITE FOR CYPRUS. Chris Mavris
Chapter 18. SOCIAL CONSENSUS AND COMPETITIVENESS STRATEGIES: THE CASE OF DOMINICA. Rhoda Letang
Chapter 19. SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES AND AGRICULTURAL TRADE LIBERALIZATION. Luca MongeRoffarello, Michael Swidinsky and David Vanzetti
Chapter 20. A CASE FOR SPECIAL TREATMENT OF SMALL STATES. Assad Bhuglah
SUBJECT INDEX
AUTHOR INDEX