Tradition, society and development: social capital in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Time and time again, comments on the status of social and economic development in Papua New Guinea have sounded the same concern: despite the great potential given by the existence of vast stocks of natural resources, Papua New Guinea has never managed to transform its riches into improvements in the standard of living for the majority of the population. Explanations given for these shortfalls include inefficiency and ineffectiveness of the public sector, lack of adequate infrastructure, difficulties in communication, and increasing corruption and rent-seeking. This paper contributes to the debate by discussing recent interest around the concept of social capital in development theory and policy, arguing that some of the constraints to Papua New Guinea?s development stem from the problematic transition from a traditional social structure to a more modern one.