Mauritius: A Successful Small Island Developing State

The economic upturn and performance of Mauritius is a far cry from predictions made in the 1960s. The island’s remarkable economic performance since the 1980s can been attributed to a multitude of factors instrumental to the success of the economy, including structural reforms, outward looking export orientated strategies, diversification in the manufacturing, tourism and financial services sectors amongst others, sound economic governance and institutions, and significant investment in human capital.

This book attempts to provide a detailed analysis of the various key ingredients which have helped to propel Mauritius to its current status. The various chapters provide important readings for both academics and policymakers, with the final chapter providing key policy strategies which the government needs to implement to help Mauritius graduate to the next level of development: namely to that of a high-income economy and, in moving out of the middle-income trap, laying the foundations for future growth and shared prosperity in the light of both domestic challenges and global constraints.

Dr Boopen Seetanah is an Associate Professor at the University of Mauritius (UoM) with research interest in tourism and transport, international trade and finance and development economics. He is currently the Co Chair of the WTO Chair (UoM) and the Director of Research at the International Centre for Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality (ICSTH) at the UoM. Boopen is an editorial board member and a reviewer for numerous high rated journals. He has been consulting with the government and also numerous international organizations including the UNEP, UNDP, UNCTAD, World Bank, ADB, ILO and RMCE amongst others.

Dr Raja Vinesh Sannassee R.V is a Professor of the Department of Finance at the University of Mauritius. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Reading, UK and currently lectures International Business both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Dr Sannassee served as Dean of the Faculty of Law and Management (4000 students) between 2014 and 2017. In addition, Dr Sannassee has several publications in the areas of finance, economics and trade. He is also the Director of Programme for the MSc in Social Protection Financing, a joint initiative by the UoM and the ILO, funded by the IDRC. In addition, Dr Sannassee is also a Co-Chair of the WTO Chairs Programme, an initiative by the WTO. Finally, Dr Sannassee has also acted as a consultant for various international organizations which include the World Bank, the UNDP, UNCTAD, UNECA and the AfDB amongst others.

Dr Robin Nunkoo is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law and Management at the University of Mauritius; a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Management at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa; an Adjunct Professor at Griffith Institute for Tourism, Griffith University, Australia. He holds a PhD from the University of Waterloo, Canada, a Master of Philosophy in Tourism, a Master's degree in Tourism Management, a Master's degree in Development Administration, both from the University of Westminster, UK, and a degree in Economics from the University of Mumbai, India. He is the Associate Editor for Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, and Tourism Review. He has published widely in leading journals such as International Journal of Information Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Tourism Management, Journal of Travel Research, European Business Review, and Government Information Quarterly and has edited books on research methods and tourism planning. He is an editorial board member of several leading journals. Robin has research interests in quantitative methods, public trust, sociology of knowledge, and sustainable tourism. In 2015 Dr Nunkoo received the Emerging Scholar of Distinction Award from the International Academy for the Study of Tourism.