abstract: Small island developing states (SIDS) are on the very frontlines of climate change (UNDP, 2017). Increasing attention on the unique social, economic, and environmental vulnerabilities SIDS face has led to the discussion of the overall resilience of this population. Specifically, post-disaster studies of resilience carried out on SIDS have pointed to social resilience and education as two primary indicators of the overall resilience of these vulnerable communities (Aldrich, 2012; Muttarak & Lutz, 2014); yet social aspects of resilience related to SIDS have been underexplored, in comparison to ecological and economic themes (Berkes & Ross, 2013). Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the personal and professional lived-natural disaster experiences of SIDS residents who are educators in order to understand their role in building social resilience within their community. In-depth interviews were conducted with educators employed at public and private schools in the United States Virgin Islands. The findings indicate that residents who are educators conceptualized resilience according to the following themes and sub-themes: (1) Social Process which involves Social Recovery and Community Alliances to ‘bounce back’ to an undefined level of normalcy and (2) Embodied Identity which was described in terms of Community Personifications of resilience as a trait in general citizens and educators. Participants identified internal and external resources as influential in how residents responded to natural disasters, by so doing, significantly contributing to positive post-disaster outcomes; these resources are referred to in the literature as protective factors (Rutter, 1985). The findings also demonstrate that educators had both a personal and professional responsibility to help their community contend with disasters, and this outcome is best explicated through the concept of protective factors. The research findings are significant because they: (1) contribute to the limited body of literature on social resilience in small island developing states, (2) demonstrate the importance of subjective perspectives in the development of disaster preparedness and management strategies for climate-vulnerable island populations, and (3) indicate a need for future research to use terminology which acknowledges the many ways in which disaster-prone communities have historically demonstrated and/or embodied resilience. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Community Resources and Development 2020

Seagrass meadows, like coral reefs, are in decline globally but are often neglected in marine policy and conservation despite their equally critical ecosystem services. Both habitats can be heavily impacted by wave surges, rainfall-induced earth movement and flooding, changes to water temperature, salinity, and acidity, and increased levels of turbidity—all occurring at increased rates due to a changing global climate. We demonstrate that multispectral satellite imagery, geospatial tools, and classification techniques can be used to inform management by identifying and quantifying changes in seagrass distribution and the presence of sediment-related threats. Results from Dominica indicate near-shore seagrass habitat area increased by 195.7 hectares between 2016 and 2019, suggesting a continued expansion of Halophila stipulacea. Further analysis showed 22.4 hectares of accreted coastal sediment and 1362.2 hectares of suspended sediment captured, placing 424.4 hectares of sensitive reef area at risk of experiencing tissue abrasion or reduced photosynthetic activity. Our methods can be used by marine resource managers and policy makers to inform decisions relating to fisheries production, emissions trading, disaster risk mitigation, and invasive species monitoring, facilitating sustainable growth in the blue economy.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face a unique set of challenges when it comes to the field of Planning. In 1992, the United Nations Earth Summit brought international attention to SIDS; the combination of geographic isolation, small size, and limited resources were listed as a few of the unique environmental and economic disadvantages facing these islands. The island of St.Lucia, located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean, is classified by the United Nations as one of the vulnerable SIDS in the Caribbean region. Since the 1992 Earth Summit, the literature on planning strategies for SIDS has shifted away from an economic based mass tourism strategies toward a culturally and environmentally focused sustainable tourism strategies; such as eco-tourism and community-based tourism. Mass tourism, through the form of cruise ship tourism, is currently the largest sector of the Caribbean tourism market. Based on the cruise tourism trends over the past 30 years, the Caribbean cruise tourism industry is expected to continue to grow at a rapid pace. The continual growth in this form of mass tourism contradicts the current planning policy trends toward sustainable tourism strategies. In order to better understand ways of connecting cruise tourism to small island sustainable tourism, this thesis examines aspects of the mass cruise tourism-sustainable tourism contradiction. This thesis evaluates the various types of tourism development strategies for SIDS, as well as, examines St.Lucia’s current tourism development policies. Interviews with local onshore business owners were then conducted in order to understand the relationship between local cruise-dependant businesses and the cruise ship industry. Finally, recommendations are given on ways to incorporate cruise tourism into St.Lucia’s existing community-based tourism goals.

Yes / This chapter is an output from the PMI2 Project funded by the UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) for the benefit of the Malaysian Higher Education Sector and the UK Higher Education Sector. Any views expressed are not necessarily those of BIS, nor British Council.

The drastic growth in the tourism industry is continuously raising questions for destinations regarding competitiveness in today's global market share. For small island destinations, destination management in the terms of marketing is a crucial factor that defines the competitiveness and success of smaller islands in order to remain competitive and economically benefit in the fast growing tourism industry. The purpose of this study was to uncover specific marketing strategies that needed to be incorporated within small island tourism destinations. To fill in the knowledge gap within the marketing of small island tourism, a case study was conducted by examining the challenges and opportunities in two small islands, Öland and Gotland, located in Sweden. The findings of the case study revealed the significance of cultural tourism and its role in the marketing of the destinations. The cultural attributes include the importance of heritage and nature; by providing unique travel attributes that step out of the typical 3S (sea, sun, sand). The findings were looked upon from local residents, businesses, and local tourism organizations which both concluded that cultural attributes are important factors to consider to solve the seasonality challenges with a clear market segmentation in order to continually remain competitive.

It is the argument of this dissertation that states become tax havens as a conscious economic development strategy. These states – more properly referred to as "jurisdictions" because some lack the sovereignty of the traditional Westphalian state – do not have the natural resources or the population to pursue more traditional economic development strategies, but they do have the ability to write or implement laws that create a virtual resource: banking secrecy. These jurisdictions are able to carry out this strategy because they tend to be well-governed, stable, and relatively wealthy, making them attractive partners for the international banking, legal, and accounting firms that drive offshore finance, and then for their customers – both individual and corporate – as well. The qualities tax havens possess also enable them to calculate that the benefits they reap from pursuing this strategy outweigh any penalties assessed by anti-tax haven international collective action activities, such as the naming and shaming campaigns of 2000.

Small developing states can use proper regulatory frameworks in policy and sector development to implement efficiency and consumer safeguards to the sector. However, sufficient research on the impact of telecommunications regulatory institutions on micro economies has not been conducted. Capture theory was used as the theoretical lens for this thesis. In doing so, a quantitative analysis was done using, cross-sectional pooled time series to determine how an independent telecommunications regulator impacted the telecommunications sector in the English-speaking Caribbean. All the data acquired for analysis were secondary yearly data collected from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) from 1993 to 2012. Specifically, this study examined how prices, investment, infrastructure, and competition in the telecoms sector are affected by the type of regulatory regime (independent or non independent ) for fixed line and mobile services. Results indicate that the type of regulatory regime has a statistically significant impact on fixed line services and price of the telecommunications sector (p < .0001). However, this regulation was absent in other areas such as cellular services, broadband usage, telecoms investment and competition. The potential for positive social change is tied to recommendations specific to developing countries to ensure their regulators have autonomy in making decisions regarding the volume, quality and costs of telecommunications services. Legislation must minimize any overlap in the roles of policy makers, legislators, administrators and regulators to ensure that the regulatory framework addresses the particulars conditions of the country in which it operates.

This report is aimed at exploring what a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) would need to do in order to strategically use the Mauritius Strategy (MSI) to move their country towards sustainability as defined by the four principles of sustainability. Interviews were conducted with users and experts on the MSI representing various sectors such as governments, intergovernmental organisations and non-governmental organisations. These interviews were combined with document content analysis of key texts in order to identify strengths and necessary improvements of the MSI. A potential "ideal use" of the MSI was created by combining its current strengths and the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development. This was then compared with the current reality of MSI usage, and gaps between the two were identified. Recommendations were given based on these gaps and on the improvements pointed out in the interviews in order to form a process through which a SIDS government could use the MSI to reach full sustainability.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the discursive use of first person plural pronoun we through a discourse analysis of the variety of arguments by leaders of Pacific Island States in political debates, specifically within a climate change context. The research question is “How do political leaders of Pacific Island states make discursive use of the first person plural pronoun we in political debates in a climate change context?” By using a textual discourse analysis to study statements made by Pacific Island leaders at the UN Conference of the Parties, the investigation finds a wide variety of argumentation styles and pronominal choices. The main finding is how the word we is used in several ways, all of which carry political meaning, and the pronominal choice is found to depend on social context as well as the intention of the speaker. Political leaders utilize the pronoun we as a tool for political rhetoric, to argue both that the international community as a whole will face the negative consequences of climate change while also emphasizing the specific victim status of the islands. Several of the arguments found in the statements that were studied are centered on the vulnerable status of the SIDS (Small Island Developing States), emphasizing how they are severely affected by climate change. The essay demonstrates that the pronominal choices also have actual implications on the dynamics of the political arena. Primarily, the exclusive we isused to create a sense of division between groups, which encourages political mobilization. In addition, leaders are shown to make claims of a leadership role by using an exclusive we to create an image of the own nation as responsible, and opt for an inclusive we to create a feeling of shared responsibility globally.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第23481号 / 工博第4893号 / 新制||工||1764(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科社会基盤工学専攻 / (主査)教授 森 信人, 教授 立川 康人, 准教授 志村 智也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM