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.