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The small Pacific Island Countries (PICs) face unique constraints which pose public financing challenges beyond those faced by other small island developing states. The PICs also face frequent natural disasters and climate-related impacts which have destructive effects on livelihoods and the capital stock. Further compounding these challenges, the process of accessing finance from development partners after a disaster can be lengthy, difficult, and uncertain, the resulting allocation of resources across projects and sectors may not be optimal, and the overall envelope of available finance is often insufficient to return the physical capital stock to its pre-disaster level. This paper provides a quantitative assessment of the outlook for government finances in the PICs over the next 25 years. Section one gives introduction. Section two assesses current public expenditure and revenue trends in the PICs and presents a range of scenarios for the evolution of government finances through to 2040. Section three examines longer-term prospects for meeting these financing needs, including via official development assistance, trust fund flows, and debt. Section four considers how the PICs' capacity to meet their financing needs will be affected by the extent to which they take advantage of the revenue- and growth-enhancing opportunities described in the other Pacific possible background papers. Section five examines whether there is scope to improve the modalities, terms, and timing of aid delivery, including in response to natural disaster. Development assistance currently plays a key role in supporting public service delivery in the Pacific, and this role is likely to remain important over the next 25 years: working together to ensure that aid is provided as efficiently as possible is therefore of paramount importance. Due to the region's high and increasing exposure to external shocks, the development of more effective financial risk management instruments will also be critical. This paper examines each of these areas of financial collaboration.

In this fascinating and exciting overview, Donald B. Freeman explores the role of the Pacific Ocean in human history.Covering over one third of the globe, the Pacific Ocean plays a vital role in the lives and fortunes of more than two billion people who live on its rim-lands and islands. It has played a crucial part in shaping the histories of the different Pacific cultures, towards which it has appeared in a variety of different guises. Exploring the ocean's place in human history, this wide ranging book draws together the long and varied physical, economic, cultural and poli

Intro -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Foreword -- Tables and figures -- Acknowledgements -- Glossary -- Introduction: Australia as a Pacific power? -- Part 1 Australia's evolving strategic interests in the Pacific Islands -- 1 From colonial concerns to benign neglect -- 2 From constructive commitment to partnership and engagement -- Part 2 The levers of Australian influence -- 3 Military intervention -- 4 Defence assistance -- 5 State-building assistance -- 6 Economic tools -- 7 Diplomacy -- Part 3 The limits on Australian influence -- 8 The geopolitical landscape -- 9 The evolving regional order -- Conclusion: Pacific partner in an 'arc of opportunity' -- Appendix: List of interviews -- Bibliography -- Index

Lawson reviews PACIFIC TAPA by Roger Neich and Mick Pendergrast.

AbstractIn 2013, the Rudd Labor Government introduced a new version of the 'Pacific Solution' to Australia's 'problem' with increasing numbers of asylum‐seekers arriving by boat. The new version not only included the transfer of asylum‐seekers to Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, it crucially involved the resettlement in these Pacific Island countries of those found to be refugees and introduces long‐term detention for those who are not successful and who do not decide to return to their original countries. Following the 2013 election, the Abbott Coalition Government fully embraced the new 'Pacific Solution'. This deeper level of incorporation of Papua New Guinea and Nauru in Australia's asylum‐seeker policy raises a range of issues not only for these two Pacific Island countries but also for the broader Pacific islands region whose name is invoked in the 'Pacific Solution'.

Starting with the 16th century trade of Latin American silver and Chinese silk, leading researchers trace the economic, environmental and social history of the Pacific region. Chapters examine the trade of diverse commodities within the Pacific and analyse the ecological and social impacts of this increasing economic activity. The strong Chinese marketplace emerges as crucial to early Pacific development, and is compared with Japan's central role in the region's modern economy