Introduction : governance complexities in small states

Abstract

This introductory chapter summarises the main arguments put forward in the book Governance in Small States, published by Routledge, which is organized in four parts, relating to political, economic, social and environmental governance respectively. Different definitions of governance are given in the chapters, but most of them associate governance with the setting and implementation of policies aimed at managing a country or territory, and with the related institutional structures and interventions by political actors. Generally, good governance is associated with concepts such as policy effectiveness, accountability, transparency, control of corruption, encouragement of citizens’ voice and gender equality—factors which are, in turn, linked with democracy. The authors argue that what emerges from the book is that the societies of small states are being re-shaped by various forces outside their control, including the globalization process and climate change, rendering their governance ever more complex. These problems are not solely faced by small states but small country size tends to lead to a higher degree of exposure to external factors. However, the authors argue that, in many global databases, including those produced by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, a number of small states receive relatively high world rankings, indicating that small states can succeed in spite of their disadvantages. This volume confirms this reality in that in most chapters, it emerges that the governance performance of the small states under consideration is mixed, with, at one extreme, some states being described as failed ones, while at the other, a number are characterized by a high degree of good governance.