A regional arrangement that does not include both the United States and China is more likely to disrupt than to contribute to regional trade and prosperity. The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement aims to be a high quality, 21st Century economic agreement that furthers economic integration in the Asia Pacific. In late 2011 it remains unclear...

This paper considers the driving geopolitical, economic and strategic forces behind Russia’s current strategic fixation with the Asia – Pacific – Indian Ocean region and provides some key recommendations for Australian policymakers. In mid-November 2011, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard held talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Honolulu during the 2011 Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation...

On-going debate of a Pacific Islands currency union has rekindled the argument on whether Pacific Island Countries (PICs) demonstrate symmetric behavior in their business cycles as a precondition for a union according to the OCA theory. Unfortunately for the PICs, there are no empirical studies undertaken involving the analysis of business cycle synchronization. This paper...

This report suggests that with rising Chinese influence in the region, the US appears to doubt that Australia can deliver on South Pacific issues. The Pacific Island members of the United Nations now meet under the rubric of the Pacific Small Islands Developing States that excludes Australia. The Melanesian Spearhead Group has backed fellow member...

Measuring poverty in the Pacific is important to keep poor people on the policy agenda, to design effective policies and programs and to carry out rigorous evaluation so that we know what works and why. There are various definitions of poverty, ranging from a narrow focus on adequate calorie consumption through to broader concepts of...