Citizenship is traditionally granted by right – on the basis of birthplace or parentage – or acquired through naturalisation – on the basis of sustained residency and allegiance to the state. Yet, many small countries are increasingly “selling sovereignty” through Citizenship by Investment (CBI) or Residence by Investment (RBI) schemes. These “golden passports” and “golden visas” generate sizeable revenues for many small island developing states (SIDS), but they have also come under scrutiny from powerful states and international organisations, especially the European Union.

In this episode of Small Islands Big Picture, Emily and Matt explore the proliferation of these schemes, asking, ‘If all states – including the very wealthiest – have them, why do smaller states seem to be under the greatest surveillance?’. They discuss the long-term sustainability of these schemes, where the money they generate is going, examples of good practice, and how the international community can support SIDS to ensure they continue to profit from CBI/RBI schemes while also strengthening their governance.

In “Island Voices”, we hear from CEO of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Tina Urso. In the “Explainer”, Matt and Emily discuss the different kinds of CBI/RBI schemes that exist around the world. Dr Dan Hammett and Dr Owen Parker join “The Big Picture” to discuss why the CBI and RBI industry is booming, and why Brussels is increasingly uneasy about it. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions”, Matt and Emily ask, “If CBI and RBI schemes are so problematic, why does the international community not simply ban them?”.

Featuring:

• Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow at ODI
• Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
• Tina Urso | CEO, The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Malta
• Dan Hammett | Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Sheffield
• Owen Parker | Senior Lecturer in European Politics, University of Sheffield

Resources:

• Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
• Investigative Journalism from Malta | The Daphne Project
• Dan and Owen's SIDS Future Forum paper | Sovereignty sales, economic revitalisation and inclusive development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
• Dan Presenting on CBI Schemes | Session 1 (Resilient Economies) at SIDS Future Forum

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Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are, by definition, highly dependent on shipping and other forms of connectivity. As geographically small land masses, SIDS have a high propensity to import things, and as islands, all imports, exports and travel must be done by sea (or air). However, SIDS are at the mercy of the global shipping industry, over which they have little control – an industry prone to shocks, spikes in prices and rapid technological change.

In this episode of "Small Islands, Big Picture", Emily and Matt discuss: why SIDS are so dependent on shipping; how these small states are experiencing recent transformations in inter-island and international maritime industries; and whether changing patterns of ownership and control, multilateral governance of the high seas, or technological innovation – for example, through Artificial Intelligence – represent positive or concerning developments for SIDS.

In “Island Voices”, Viliame Kasanawaqa talks about the importance of sea connectivity to Pacific nations. In the “Explainer” section, Professor Liam Campling, co-author of the prize-winning book Capitalism and the Sea, discusses why SIDS are so vulnerable to corporate concentration in the global shipping industry. In “The Big Picture”, Captain Orlando Allard tells us how small states have done much to shape global maritime governance. Finally, in “No Stupid Questions” Matt and Emily answer “Why don’t SIDS just set up their own shipping lines to reduce dependence on the global shipping lines?".

Featuring:

• Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow at ODI
• Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
• Viliame Kasanawaqa | RESI Affiliate and Director of ShipWrecked Lab, Fiji
• Liam Campling | Professor of International Business, Queen Mary University of London
• Captain Orlando Allard | Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Universidad Santa Maria La Antigua, Panama and Former Panamanian Ambassador to the International Maritime Organization

Resources:

• Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
• SIDS Future Forum | Recordings of Future Forum sessions at Island Innovation
• Liam’s Book | Capitalism and the Sea (Verso, 2021, co-authored with Alejandro Colás)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Each decade since the mid-1990s, the United Nations has convened a high-level international summit – bringing together small-island governments, large-state donor partners, international organisations and representatives from civil society – to agree the next ten-year agenda for Small Island Developing States’ (SIDS) development diplomacy. The fourth of these conferences (SIDS4) will take place in Antigua-Barbuda in May 2024, under the theme ‘Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity’.

SIDS4 is the most important of these decennial conferences so far, taking place at a critical juncture in the global context and at an especially challenging time for small island states. Consequently, Emily and Matt devote the entirety of this episode to a roundtable discussion with three key protagonists in the SIDS4 process:

1. Tumasie Blair, Antigua-Barbuda’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN
2. Ambassador Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa'olelei Luteru of Samoa, Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and Permanent Representative of Samoa (the 2014 host state)
3. Dr Simona Marinescu, Senior Advisor on SIDS at the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

The episode explores what will happen at SIDS4, how the agenda has been developed, and in which policy areas SIDS will make the biggest demands of the international community. Looking ahead to the new 10-year agenda that will replace The SAMOA Pathway, Emily and Matt ask 'What can we expect from the Antigua-Barbuda Accord for SIDS (ABAS) 2024-34?' and, crucially, 'How will it deliver genuinely “resilient prosperity"?'.

Featuring:

• Emily Wilkinson (host) | RESI Director and Senior Research Fellow at ODI
• Matthew Bishop (host) | RESI Director and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
• Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Dr Pa'olelei Luteru | AOSIS Chair and Permanent Representative of Samoa to the UN
• Tumasie Blair | Deputy Permanent Representative of Antigua-Barbuda to the UN
• Simona Marinescu | Senior Advisor on SIDS, UNOPS

Resources:

• Programme page | Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI)
• RESI policy brief | A Global Bargain for Resilient Prosperity in SIDS
• SIDS4 website | 4th International Conference on Small Island Developing States
• RESI summary on SIDS4 preparatory process | Preparatory meetings for the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States: participation, priorities and outcomes
• SIDS Future Forum information | ODI webpage
• Register to attend the SIDS Future Forum | Island Innovation’s website

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.