Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies (APPS) Working Paper Series 04/2013 October 2013
This research is part of the Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies (APPS) Working Paper Series 04/ published October 2013. The Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies is a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal that targets research in policy studies in Asia and the Pacific. The Journal aims to break down barriers across disciplines and generate policy impact. Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies has funding support from the aid agency of the Australian Government’s development assistance agency, AusAID, and commissions research in areas of particular interest to the Journal's editors and AusAID.
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
This paper presents the findings from the first comprehensive study of pooling initiatives in the Pacific. It draws on a review of the literature pertaining to all 20 pooling initiatives identified in the region, and on interviews of stakeholders involved in many of those initiatives. The study finds that experience with pooling among Pacific SIDS has not met the optimistic expectations of advocates, including development partners. This is the result of the challenges inherent in voluntary regionalism, which are exacerbated by the diversity of Pacific island states, political economy factors, and issues of accountability and legitimacy. The analysis suggests that expansion of regional service provision in the Pacific will be slow, although prospects at the sub-regional level are more positive.
Regional Service Delivery among Small Island Developing States of the Pacific: An Assessment