Graduating from least developed country to middle income country status: A trap for small island developing states?

SIDS tends to perform particularly well with regards to their socio-economic achievements and development endeavours. As a result, several SIDS graduate from their Least Development Country status to Middle-Income Country status. This graduation implies that SIDS are much better-off economically and can do without the special treatments and benefits in terms of Overseas Development Assistance that they were receiving as an LDC. However, and this is the thrust of the argument in this paper, this is not the case at all. The support was and is crucial to SIDS. After all, it was the catalyst which helped them progress and graduate in the first place. Without the financial assistance, post-graduation, many SIDS struggle to sustain these achievements. Essentially, finding themselves trapped