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AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic represented one of the most significant wicked policy problems in modern history. Global policy efforts to combat the pandemic reflect a diverse set of approaches, with varying underlying goals and values driving the policy choices. This article studies the pandemic response of two small island developing states, Mauritius and Seychelles, to better understand the policy landscape in this understudied African region. Evidence from these two island nations provides important insights into the opportunities and constraints faced by island developing states. Using in‐depth qualitative interviews with policy actors and reviews of official policy documents, this article studies the policy landscape of these two small island developing states. Findings from this research offer insights for scholars and practitioners interested in the intersection of wicked problems and policy.Related ArticlesOnyango, Gedion, and Japheth Otieno Ondiek. 2022. "Open Innovation during the COVID‐19 Pandemic Policy Responses in South Africa and Kenya." Politics & Policy 50(5): 1008–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12490.Vince, Joanna. 2023. "A Creeping Crisis When an Urgent Crisis Arises: The Reprioritization of Plastic Pollution Issues during COVID‐19." Politics & Policy 51(1): 26–40. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12512.Kinyondo, Abel, and Riccardo Pelizzo. 2013. "Strengthening Legislatures: Some Lessons from the Pacific Region." Politics & Policy 41(3): 420–46. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12020.

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to analyse the characteristics of women entrepreneurs operating in the informal sector in Mauritius and to investigate the impact of women entrepreneurship on their own livelihoods and that of their families.Design/methodology/approach– Using survey data on 158 women entrepreneurs operating in the informal sector, the authors analyse whether there has been an improvement in the standard of living of women entrepreneurs as a result of their informal entrepreneurial activities.Findings– Findings reveal that the informal sector has provided a self-employment outlet for unemployed and retrenched women in Mauritius. Even if for a majority, their earnings remain low, their informal activity has indeed helped to contribute to their livelihood and household earnings.Research limitations/implications– Research on informal sector businesses is fraught with limitations, given that these firms operate on the fringes of legality and data are thus a major issue. Hence interviewing owners of informal sector businesses to get relevant data is quite challenging.Practical implications– The results indicate that informal entrepreneurial activities contribute positively to women's livelihoods, hence policy should be aimed at encouraging women agency even if it is in the informal sector.Social implications– The study helps to shed light as to whether entrepreneurship even if it exists in the informal sector helps to improve the living of these women and their families.Originality/value– This study is innovative as it investigates the livelihood of a vulnerable section of the population, in this case, women entrepreneurs operating in the informal sector. The authors find that the informal sector provides women with higher income when they are married and are more formally educated.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the socio-economic characteristics of workers engaged in vulnerable jobs in Mauritius. The study has a particular focus on the gender and youth dimensions of vulnerable employment. The study also provides a pre-crisis and post-crisis analysis of vulnerable employment.


Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses several waves of the continuous multi-purpose household survey, which is a high-quality individual-level data set, to study vulnerable employment. Several definitions of vulnerable employment are used to identify the workers employed in vulnerable jobs. These include "own-account" workers and "contributing family workers".


Findings
The results obtained suggest that women and young workers have a lower probability of being in vulnerable employment. Marital status, age and education are also important variables influencing the probability of being in vulnerable employment.


Research limitations/implications
The paper has important policy implications regarding welfare and education policies. Appropriate mechanisms need to be put in place for the social protection and training of workers so that they do not end up in vulnerable jobs.


Originality/value
This paper studies Mauritius as it is a small island economy vulnerable to external shocks. Vulnerable unemployment has often been understudied as the focus of many studies has been solely on employment, and the quality of employment has often not been considered.

Preface -- Introduction / Sanjeev K. Sobhee -- The macroeconomics of household indebtedness / Harshana Kasseeah -- Household indebtedness in mauritius : the broad picture / Harshana Kasseeah -- Survey methods and profile of respondents / Ruben Thoplan -- An assessment of the financial vulnerability of indebted households / Verena Tandrayen-Ragoobur -- Econometric analysis and findings / Verena Tandrayen-Ragoobur -- Recommendations and conclusion / Sanjeev K. Sobhee -- About the authors -- References -- Index

"Speaking of Mauritius as an economic miracle has become a cliché, and with good reason: Its development since Independence in 1968 can easily be narrated as a rags-to-riches story. In addition, it is a stable democracy capable of containing the conflict potential inherent in its complex ethnic and religious demography. This book brings together some of the finest scholarship, domestic as well as foreign, on contemporary Mauritius, offering perspectives from constitutional law, cultural studies, sociology, archaeology, economics, social anthropology and more. While celebrating the indisputable, and impressive, achievements of the Mauritian nation on its fiftieth birthday, this book is far from toothless. Looking back inevitably implies looking ahead, and in order to do so, critical self-scrutiny is essential, to be able to learn from the mistakes of the past. The contributors raise fundamental questions concerning a broad range of issues, from the dilemmas of multiculturalism to the marginal role of women in public life, from the question of constitutional reform and the continued problem of corruption to the slow destruction of Mauritius' joy and pride, namely the beauty and purity of its natural scenery. Taking stock of the first fifty years, this book also looks ahead to the next fifty years, giving some cues as to where Mauritius can and should aim in the next decades." From book cover.