Description: How does one transform small size and relative isolation into a powerful combination for sustainable growth and prosperity? Some islands and rural regions have already done so. Winning tools and strategies deployed by these middle-level governance structures include: 'scaling up' of municipal units; developing tourist and computer-driven industries; engaging strategically with their diaspora; branding niche products and services; facilitating 'boutique', small-scale manufacturing; limiting local firm rivalry; and, overall, deploying a creative 'resourcefulness of jurisdiction'.
The papers in this collection flesh out these tools and strategies. They do so by unpacking and challenging received wisdom; charting out the parameters of effective government; teasing in the critical role of empowered local communities and the engagement of civil society with the multiple levels of decision-making of the state. The book's message emphasizes a proactive, creative, and assertive approach to governance; one that aims to instill a sense of efficacy to achieve remote control.Brief description:
Godfrey Baldacchino is Professor of Sociology, University of Malta, Malta, and Island Studies Teaching Fellow, University of Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Review Quotes:
"Remote Control is an interesting compendium of current research on topics related to governance for small, insular and remote regions. Those who spend a career studying these matters... will find much here to stimulate their thoughts on the subject."