Mark P. Hampton

Backpacker tourism and economic development

Abstract International tourism is often perceived by LDC (Less Developed Country) government tourism planners as an engine of economic growth, but the focus is commonly upon mass tourism while ignoring the subsector of backpacker tourism. The case study of Gili Trawangan island in Lombok, eastern Indonesia, indicates that the encouragement of backpacker tourism may alleviate some of the excesses of international mass tourism. Backpacker tourism is compared with conventional mass tourism, discussing the leakage of foreign exchange earnings, issues of local control, ownership and participation, and the political economy of who gains or loses from tourism in less developed countries.

Offshore Pariahs? Small Island Economies, Tax Havens, and the Re-configuration of Global Finance

The stock of wealth held offshore is estimated at US

The role of accountancy firms in tax avoidance: Some evidence and issues

6 trillion. Many small island economies (SIEs) host offshore finance centers, and some SIEs are highly dependent upon offshore finance. Extreme examples have over 90% of government revenues derived from finance sector activities. Since 1998 a series of international initiatives have been launched to combat harmful tax practices, money laundering, and inadequate financial regulation. These initiatives will transform the economies of many SIEs. This paper explores the dependence of many SIEs upon offshore finance and the barriers to diversification arising from their smallness and unique political economies.

The Offshore Interface. Tax Havens in the Global Economy

Abstract As entrepreneurial businesses, accountancy firms have supplemented their traditional trade of selling accounting and auditing services by diversifying into a variety of other products and services. They have developed organisational structures and strategies to sell tax avoidance schemes to corporations and wealthy individuals. The sale of such services shifts tax burdens to less mobile capital and less well-off citizens. It also erodes the tax base and brings the firms into direct conflict with the state. This paper provides some evidence of the strategies and tactics used by accountancy firms to sell schemes that enable their clients to avoid corporate, sales and payroll taxes. Such strategies stimulate reflections upon the possible trajectories in the development of accountancy firms and social consequences of their trade.

Entry points for Local Tourism in Developing Countries: evidence from Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

This book opens up the secret world of tax havens and offshore finance centres (OFCs), a vast offshore business valued at over one trillion US dollars. It is a timely and original analysis of the role of OFCs in the emerging global economy. The book discusses who uses OFCs, how OFCs work and what drives their development. Extensive use of case study material from Jersey illustrates the growth of a successful OFC and its impact upon a small island. Contents: How Tax Havens and Offshore Finance Centres Operate: Taxation and Secrecy - Offshore Finance in London, Regulation and Eurocurrencies - The Relationship between the Onshore State and Offshore Territories - Area Study: Caribbean Island OFCs and Onshore States - Location, Technology and the Development of OFCs - Jersey Case Study: Part 1 - Jersey Case Study: Part 2 - The Outlook for OFCs - Notes - Appendices - Bibliography - Glossary

Treasure islands or fool's gold: Can and should small island economies copy Jersey?

Abstract International tourism is an increasingly important source of income and employment for many developing countries with over 690 million annual international arrivals (World Tourism Organisation data). This paper considers the impact of tourism in the city of Yogyakarta, in Java, Indonesia, and asks whether one subsector of international tourism, namely backpacker tourism, provides a way for local people to enter this globalised industry. The paper examines the emergence of small‐scale, bottom‐ up tourism and its transformatory effect upon a previously poor kampung (urban village). It is suggested that the nature of small‐scale, locally owned tourism businesses, particularly their minimal capital requirements, may be seen as a form of ‘pro‐poor tourism’ and may provide a useful component of local economic development strategies for poor communities. Further, smallscale tourism development may also be seen as an effective local response to some of the effects of globalisation, specifically increasing flows of international tourists to developing countries.

Resilience and Non-Linear Change in Island Tourism

Abstract The Jersey island Offshore Finance Center (OFC) model may be used for other small island economies (SIEs) wishing to exploit offshore finance as a development option. Although the Jersey model can not be copied precisely by other SIEs, the key factors of political stability, minimal regulation, secrecy, low tax, proximity to a large developed economy and basic communication links could allow certain islands to host OFCs. The benefits of hosting an OFC outweigh the costs, and the increasing global offshore market indicates potential income generation for some OFCs located near the emerging supraregional blocs.

A Legislature for Hire: The Capture of the State in Jersey’s Offshore Finance Centre

Abstract Perhentian Kecil, located off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, is predominantly a small-scale tourism destination, specifically for backpackers and independent travellers. Against the context of an aggressive drive by the state government to remove small-scale tourism development in favour of formal and high-end resorts, this paper examines the local responses to the exogenous factors that had threatened the equilibrium, and hence sustainability, of the tourism systems on the island. The paper draws upon a longitudinal study with multiple visits over an extended period since the mid-1990s. Using insights from Resilience Theory, the paper argues that this island destination is an example of non-linear change rather than conventional resort evolution. The paper also discusses how the authors – as researchers – had to realign their research framework and approach to take into consideration the growing complexities of tourism development in small island destinations.

Treasure Island revisited. Jersey's offshore finance centre crisis: implications for other small island economies

Over the past thirty years a large number of micro-states2 and small island economies (SIEs) around the world have attracted offshore finance and tax haven activity. Their low levels of effective taxation, minimal regulatory regimes and bank secrecy made these offshore finance centres (OFCs) highly attractive to global financial capitalism. The uneven nature of the relationship between the transnational financial institutions operating offshore and their SIE hosts results in the latter competing to accommodate their fiscal and regulatory structures to the interests of financial capital.

The political economy of precarious work in the tourism industry in small island developing states

Jersey appears to be a successful offshore finance centre (OFC) with high levels of gross domestic product per capita. The OFC is the largest contributor to Jerseys tax revenue, and accounts for about 20% of local employment. Jersey has become a major OFC in a global industry and is a conduit for sizeable capital flows. However, an unparalleled crisis in 1996 generated international media interest. The crisis involved three separate but related issues: a US