The Conch Paradox

Why do the very adaptations that ensure an island's survival also guarantee its long-term fragility? The Conch Paradox explores the hidden mechanics of resilience in small island economies, drawing on complexity science and the lived reality of the Dutch Caribbean. It traces how path dependency, institutional lock-in, and classification politics shape what small islands can and cannot become. Part economic analysis, part philosophical inquiry, the book challenges the assumption that resilience is simply about bouncing back. For readers interested in economics, sustainability, island life, and the politics of development.

Rendell de Kort is an economist and PhD candidate at the University of Aruba and VU Amsterdam. He is principal of Cornerstone Economics and a World Bank consultant specializing in disaster risk finance and food security. His research focuses on economic resilience and adaptive capacity, using small islands as case studies for universal principles.