Strategies for Development in Islands: Assessing the Need for a Paradigm Shift

This paper reviews development strategies in small island jurisdictions with particular attention paid to the case of Prince Edward Island on Canada's east coast. Old models of development have failed to deliver on their promises and have in fact exacerbated developmental difficulties. A paradigm shift may needed to achieve the developmental results that are desired in many island jurisdictions, including Prince Edward Island. Islands have the advantage of scale and size that permit a deep understanding of local systems and their relationship to other systems. Ecological Economics and Transdisciplinarity are tools that facilitate understanding and can help build appropriate development methods.