Services, Public Management and Uneven Development

For many years it was assumed that the now independent states were too small to achieve independence and that colonial administration was necessary and adequate. When the tide of independence swept through, starting in the 1960s, many SIDS were unprepared. Although government services have tended to shrink in this century, they provide most key services. Access to health, education, energy and clean water is central to livelihoods and the SDGs. Health and education have faced human resource challenges, but growth in access to less expensive solar energy and to the internet has benefited rural areas, reducing the domestic energy and digital divides. Sanitation, waste management and recycling pose emerging problems, especially in atoll states, where land is scarce. Crime and violence are increasing, requiring new resource focus to support adequate police services and effective legal and prison systems, especially as local and international drug flows have become problems. Issues of management, access and equity reflect urban bias, notably transport access, in the archipelagic states.