Development and the garment industry

This chapter aims to examine the effects of colonisation, development and globalisation in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (MFA), with specific focus on the garment industry. However, beginning in 2005, a sharp decline in garment production has occurred in the Marianas, coinciding with the final phase-out of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement. The MFA, enforced from 1974 to 2004, imposed quota limits on apparel and textile goods. The chapter addresses the economic implications of this decline as seen through garment factory closures, lost revenue and a shift in guest worker populations on the Marianas. Investment in women&s;s training and skill development will provide new human capital investment that could yield positive results for the country&s;s economy and social environment by expanding product manufacturing potentials and new industry segues into technology and communication hubs. Such examples of development in a small island nation can be seen through the development of Mauritius.