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Its legitimacy as a rigorous conceptual category continues to be debated; even as small states assume a strident visibility on the world stage because of climate change negotiations. This paper reviews the scepticism that hovers around the small state concept, and invites a largely social constructivist discussion that looks at a syndrome of behavioural issues which are more likely to occur with decreasing polity size.  \nEducation remains a key policy battleground for small states, as the latter balance human resource needs with the trans-territorial aspirations of their brightest and ablest (and often wealthiest). In spite of spectacular advances in information and communication technologies, the personality of the small state has not essentially changed; and this remains characterised by rootedness and mobility.  \nIntroduction: Does Size Really Matter Anyway?  \nAsk civil or mechanical engineers about whether size is a significant variable in their work. Most are likely to agree: large animals are not merely scaled up versions of smaller ones; large and heavy land-based mammals, for instance, need to distribute their considerable weight on four legs, rather than just two. There is also a whole sub-field of technical inquiry that explores the possibilities proffered by very small size: nanotechnology.  \nAsk biologists whether size and scale have a bearing on environmental survivability. Most are likely to agree: smaller fauna have a larger surface area with respect to their body mass, and so their bodies lose heat much quicker; this makes them more susceptible to hypothermia.  \nAsk physicians whether there are any special concerns with the diagnosis and treatment of small patients. For most, this is a no-brainer. Why else would there be a long-standing specialization in paediatrics?  \nWhen it comes to matters social, economic or political, however, the self-evident nature of the case disappears. There is no general agreement that small states (however defined) have any particular ‘ecology’ of their own (e.g. Commonwealth Secretariat, 1985, p. 6); even though, as is argued further below, there is considerable evidence that a ‘small scale syndrome’ does exist.  \nPurpose  \nThis paper is deliberately polemic; it reviews the scepticism and fuzziness that hovers around the small state concept, but also invites a social constructivist discussion that looks at a package of behavioural issues which are more likely to occur with decreasing polity size. In this context, and in spite of the recent revolutionary changes in information and communication technologies, education remains a key policy battleground for small states, as the latter seek to balance local human resource needs with the trans-territorial aspirations of their brightest and ablest (and often wealthiest) citizens.  \nIt is only an enlightened few who–occasionally in the course of their work–single out small states as a ‘special case’ for and worth studying. Even those who would profess a serious interest in, and  \n© 2012 Current Issues in Comparative Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Current Issues in Comparative Education 15(1): 14-25.  \nMeeting the Tests of Time  \nbelief in the validity of, that category, must do so while competing with so many other claims to their time, resources and energies.“Academia has paid little attention to small states”(The Round Table, 2012, p. 202). This widespread reticence and incredulity is the result of a confluence of various factors, and a review of the literature suggests that the following four explanations stand out:  \nFirst, small states are above all states, and this is how they wish to see and project themselves. They have nothing less, or more, than other states in terms of the","cbCaiqVM160eVLCE","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqVM160eVLCE","pdf",280055,12,"English","# Introduction: Does Size Really Matter Anyway?\n## Purpose\n## Four explanations for limited academic attention","[{\"question\":\"Why is the concept of “small states” considered problematic in the 21st century?\",\"answer\":\"The paper states that the legitimacy of “small states” as a rigorous conceptual category remains debated, with skepticism about whether such a concept has a distinct “ecology.”\"},{\"question\":\"How does the paper link decreasing polity size to behavioural issues?\",\"answer\":\"It invites a social constructivist discussion suggesting behavioural issues are more likely to occur as polity size decreases, forming a “small scale syndrome.”\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the paper emphasize education as a key policy battleground for small states?\",\"answer\":\"It explains that small states must balance local human resource needs with the trans-territorial aspirations of their brightest and ablest (often wealthiest) citizens, even amid technological change.\"}]","Meeting the Tests of Time - Small States in the 21st Century | PDF",1792089084]