Jake Hamstra is co-founder of Pacific Economics, a strategic advisory firm focused on economic policy, finance, investment, and governance in the Pacific Islands. His work examines political economy, public finance, and regional strategy, including how economic pressures affect state capacity and external influence. He has spent two decades covering the Pacific Islands for the Economist Intelligence Unit and working on Pacific policy and governance issues for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade as well as the East-West Center in Honolulu. He is based in Hawai’i. Connect on LinkedIn.