Beyond the Blue Economy

This book argues for a broader approach to sustainable growth in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Small island states such as those in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and South Pacific face significant and growing threats from climate change, increasing political and social volatility, and rapidly evolving global trends in technology and tourism. Based on ten years of research, this book looks beyond the Blue Economy of tourism and fisheries and provides a model of how creative industries, innovation networks, creative clusters and digital transformation can give SIDS the foundation for a strong sustainable future. The book provides not only insights into how these emerging digital-creative sectors can drive developing economies but also actionable tools for policy makers, entrepreneurs and academics to deliver increased performance on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and, ultimately, growth and sustainability.

This book will be of great interest to scholars and practitioners of economic geography, sustainable development, development studies and the creative industries.

Peter Rudge is an award-winning creative entrepreneur, speaker, academic, writer and film and television producer. In 2018 he was named in the Creative England CE50 top 50 leaders and innovators in the digital-creative industries and is Founder and Chair of the Platform Moving Image Cluster in the UK. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network, part of the United Nations Expert Group on Creative Economies and a UK representative to the World Business Angels Forum, where he sits on the Global Startup Committee.