Governing the Outer Islands: Decentralisation in Kiribati and Tuvalu

Abstract

For over a decade the governments of Kiribati and Tuvalu have adopted decentralisation policies to strengthen the role of local-level authorities in development. This can be seen as a response to both domestic policy drivers and global trends. However, while Kiribati and Tuvalu share a common past and many of the same development issues, the decentralisation process has taken distinct paths in the two countries. This paper takes stock of the Kiribati and Tuvalu experience, drawing on research, country-specific project evaluations and practitioner perspectives. It focuses on local governance at the outer island level and examines three dimensions of the decentralisation process: policy drivers; central-local relations; and integration of traditional and modern institutions of governance.

Politics of Rising Tides

“…Another important influence on attitudes to rising sea levels and consequent actions is the politics of local decision-making which may mean that women and younger men (under the age of 50) are excluded from active participation in local decision-making (Paton and Fairbairn-Dunlop 2010). Island Councils may be subordinated to higher-level authorities (Nunn et al 2014), regardless of the legal status of this council of elders (Richardson 2009). This assertion cannot be generalized across the island states, nor even within a given state as the customs surrounding traditional leaders and their power differ from state to state, and also may vary from island to island within a country (Nunn et al 2014).…”

Principles for Local Government Legislation

“…Also, donors are reported to have expressed frustration at the absence of local government authorities or a workable decision-making structure through which they could disburse relief funds following the 2008 tsunami in Solomon Islands Western Province. Richardson (2009) provides an overview of the decentralisation experience in the small island states of Kiribati and Tuvalu. In both cases decentralisation policies have sought to tackle the difficult task of improving governance and service delivery on small and widely dispersed outer islands.…”

Strengthening Legislatures: Some Lessons from the Pacific Region

“…Put together, the total aid from these IOs translates into an annual figure of more than $220 per capita, making the Pacific region the highest aid per capita recipient in the World (Mellor and Jabes 2004). Despite such a huge amount of aid that is provided in the Pacific countries, the region has consistently exhibited negative economic growth and development, something that is strongly associated with the weak state of parliaments in the region (Alasia 1997;Boege et al 2008;Chand and Duncan 2004;Mellor and Jabes 2004;Morgan 2004;Powell 2007;Richardson 2009). The same authors nevertheless agree on the fact that, if strengthened more effectively, Pacific parliaments could more ably perform their constitutionally mandated functions; that is, promote good governance, fight corruption, improve the quality of democracy, and hence help the region to attain desired economic growth and development levels.…”