Suchergebnisse

Linked as it is to the rest of Canada, Prince Edward Island (PEl) and its population are strongly impacted by nationwide population dynamics; yet, the province can also introduce specific measures that can influence its demographics. Ironically, while Canada as a whole is a very attractive destination for immigrants, with some 250,000 entries annually, less than 2% of these trickle to the Maritimes or specifically to PEL Moreover, an exodus of young Islanders has been leaving the province in search of work and adventure in the rest of the country. And so, the decline in fertility levels and the increase in life expectancy that is affecting many developed economies (including the Canadian born population), would have serious impacts on the population of PEl, which is currently stable at around 138,000. Even with such a high immigrant influx, various job vacancies persist in the currently booming Canadian economy: in a nation- wide survey conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), "between 250,000 and 3°0,000 positions (approximately 47% of jobs in the small business sector) were vacant due to a shortage of qualified labour" (Maxwell, 2001). This suggests that the skill mix of immigrants entering the country may not be matched by the demand for jobs being created in the economy. Meanwhile, PEl is one of some 110 sub-national island jurisdictions (SNIJs) that exist globally (www.islandstudies.ca/Jurisdiction-Project; Baldacchino, 2006a: 853)' Although it is not a sovereign state, as a province PEl has significant powers over many jurisdictional areas. T his report is a comparative examination of the policies regarding the free movement of persons in PEl, and how these may benefit from a discussion that explores comparable practices from other selected SNIJs. ; peer-reviewed

Starting with Iceland in 1944, the emergence of many small sovereign island states has generated interest in the economic and political viability and vulnerability of small jurisdictions. This seemingly irresistible march to sovereignty proceeded for several decades after the Second World War, before waning considerably in recent years. Instead, many island jurisdictions today choose to operate as relatively autonomous units within a larger 'federal' framework encompassing larger states. Hence, recent island scholarship has taken a natural turn towards sub-national or non-sovereign jurisdictional powers and arrangements. The case studies selected for this comparative study of sub-national island jurisdictions (SNlJs), the Galapagos Islands and San Andres and Old Providence (SAOP), are in many respects typical of islands around the world. Their respective economies, for example, are dominated by the primary and tertiary sector activities of fishing and tourism. ; peer-reviewed

"Jurisdiction" is not a neutral, passive or static term. It does not simply suggest a space, a place or territoriality. It signifies a legitimate and constitutionally engrained political autonomy that is thus recognized and respected by other players. It suggests a repository of powers that political actors are entitled to use, and which they may misuse, abuse, or not use at all. It proffers a series of levers, drivers or tools that allow policy makers to tweak and craft the development trajectory of their land and its citizens in specific directions. In other words, jurisdiction is a resource. In recognizing PEl as a jurisdiction in this very active and strategic sense, the emphasis is not on being a small province, but on being a Province. ; peer-reviewed

Thinking about islands in a global context offers a perspective that underlines the interconnectedness and flows in new ways that facilitate our understanding of the differences and disparities that are produced and even enforced through long-standing and ongoing global processes. Looking at social, cultural and economic processes in the contemporary clustering of islands that comprise sub-national island jurisdictions underlines the ways in which the intense circulation of commodities, people and ideas, connections and flows are now accentuated in an era of globalization. Gupta and Ferguson (1992: 16) suggest that globalization "differentiates the world as it connects it" and it is from this vantage point that sub-national island jurisdictions may provide an effective lens through which disparities can be viewed. Global economic processes shape and reshape islands in complex and complicated ways, and islanders have long been engaging, accommodating, resisting, embracing and initiating such changes. T he framework and analyses of the diverse experiences of sub-national island jurisdictions highlights the agency of islanders and their political machinery in ways that counter representations of island jurisdictions as dependent, spatially peripheralized and fiscally constrained. It is instructive to examine the experience of a range of islands with the same set of governance issues and structures as PEI. ; peer-reviewed

Beyond the houses of assembly, media, political hustings and the law courts, how is life on a small, subnational island jurisdiction played out? This paper is an attempt to explore and explain how islanders feel to be governed 'on the ground'. It suggests that individuals and households seek to exploit global and local offerings and opportunities in a flexibly strategic combination, as well as out of sheer necessity. SNIJ residents will suffer the achievements and failures of the various layers of political officers, at home and abroad, while typically hedging their bets. Securing double residencies, undergoing multiple stints overseas for work and education, tolerating complex transportation routes and itineraries, becomes the order of the day, every day, for those who have the resources and capabilities of doing so; and the dreams and desires of those who cannot. ; peer-reviewed