The influence of culture on economic development in Solomon Islands: a political-economy perspective

Abstract

"In this paper, I present a political-economy critique of culturally based explanations for uneven development progress in Solomon Islands. I argue that the behaviours frequently blamed for slowing economic development and social progress are primarily driven by perverse material incentives prevailing under existing policy and institutional settings. While various cultural factors doubtlessly influence behaviour, the behaviours that commentators and development practitioners are most concerned about are entirely consistent with traditional economic models emphasising the tendency of individuals to act in their material self-interest. Understanding poor outcomes in Solomon Islands as the result of perverse material incentives facing individuals, rather than a result of the local culture, is more useful from a policy perspective and avoids the unjustified problematising of Solomon Islands culture. By applying this framework, I identify a range of practical policy priorities to ameliorate existing perverse material incentives and accelerate development progress. The paper focuses on the causes of three key development problems facing Solomon Islands: weak political and policy cohesion, poor public administration, and limited private sector development ..." - page 1