Handbook of Small States ― Economic, Social and Environmental Issues

One major issue is the definition of small states. As this volume demonstrates, generally speaking, population is used to measure country size in the literature. However, it clearly emerges that there is no real consensus as to the population cut-off point that distinguishes small states from large ones. While the approaches taken by the authors vary, in all cases the chapters draw practical policy implications for small states. The book can therefore be considered as a wide-ranging depositary of information on small states with the aim of deriving policy prescriptions, and thus as an excellent resource for academics, students and policymakers.

Lino Briguglio is an Economics Professor at the University of Malta and also directs the Islands and Small States Institute of the same University. He possesses a PhD in Economics from the University of Exeter, UK. He was formerly Head of the Economics Department and of the Banking and Finance Department of the University of Malta, as well as Director of the University Gozo Campus. He is former Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for International Studies of the University of Malta. His main area of interest is islands and small states studies, in particular economic aspects, and he has authored many publications on this subject. He is known internationally for his seminal work on the ‘vulnerability index’ which led to a worldwide interest in and to many quantitative studies on Economic and Environmental Vulnerability. He has also pioneered studies on economic resilience.