Research On Governance In Weak States In Melanesia

Abstract

Concerns about government capacity in Papua New Guinea seem to be confirmed by a deterioration in law and order, and a reaction against the system of provincial government introduced at the time of independence. However, academic research shows that order is not simply a function of government capacity. There are multiple forms of order, including the order that emerges from market transactions, and the order achieved through shared norms (Williamson and Ouchi 1981; Campbell, Hollingsworth and Lindberg 1991; Kooiman and Van Vliet 1993; Young 1994).The government is not necessarily central to processes of achieving order, or 'governance'.