Thursday Sep 09

Governance

We believe that in order to bring about better governance, there first needs to be a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms and relationships of the state and society. In particular it is essential to recognise the social, cultural and political context within which governance systems are to operate.
 
Our focus on governance attempts to provide insight into these dynamics and engages political, government and civil society stakeholders. 
 

Drivers of change 

Drivers of Change is a tool used by development agencies to identify and study the linkages between a country’s political framework and the factors that support or block development. It considers the interaction between economic, social and cultural systems and the goals, behaviours and actions of the development actors (including individuals and organisations). The Drivers of Change report The Unfinished State, Drivers of Change in Vanuatu (Marcus Cox et al, 2007) examined the socio- economic drivers of change in Vanuatu together with the state’s capacity to manage this change.
 
PiPP has prepared a series of summary papers to provided an overview of the key issues raised and examined by the Drivers of Change authors, and to stimulate further discussion and debate on the issues arising from the report, including:

• Social change in Vanuatu

• Participation in economic growth 


• Political dynamics in Vanuatu 


• Institutional capacity: policy making & service delivery 


• The rural-urban divide 


• The aid relationship. 


PiPP has recently been engaged to undertake an extensive communications programme to widely disseminate the key messages arisign from the Vanuatu Drivers of Change study. This will include a series of radio programmes, information seminars and publications targetting key audiences (including urban and rural communitites, researchers, development practitioners, and government officials).
 
The Vanuatu Drivers of Change study team included: Marcus Cox, Hannington Alatoa, Linda Kenni, Anna Naupa, Dr. Gregory Rawlings, Nikunj Soni and Charles Vatu, with senior advisors George Sokomanu, Vincent Bulekone. The report was commissioned by AusAID. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of AusAID, the Australian Government or the Pacific Institute of Public Policy.
 
 

Vanuatu political parties and groupings  

The first edition of the booklet Political Parties and Groupings of Vanuatu  was launched in the lead up to the Vanuatu national general elections held on 2 September, 2008. The publication is a collaborative project between Australian Labor’s International Projects Unit, the Pacific Institute of Public Policy and the political parties of Vanuatu.  It was commissioned under the Australian Political Parties for Democracy Program (APPDP). The booklet profiles 21 of the political parties and groupings contesting the elections and captures the major debates as seen by the parties themselves. The authors hope these notes contribute to a better understanding of the political situation in Vanuatu in our region and contribute to the continuation of open and sustainable politic processes. The publication is available in English and Bislama.  

Since the early 1990s, the dominance of the independence political parties has been eroded by factionalism and personality politics. An explosion in the number of minor political parties and independents contesting and winning elections means that forming government has become a complex process of negotiation between parliamentary groups, rather than the direct result of national elections. No party has been able to form government in its own right since the 1991 elections.  Since 2004, the situation stabilised with Ham Lini and the National United Party (NUP) leading a coalition government close to full term.

An incredible 330 candidates and 25 parties registered to contest the 52 seats on offer in the 2008 elections. The authors acknowledge the legitimacy of independent candidates, however were not able to profile them in this publication as  there were simply too many. The booklet, published in the form of a concise public resource in both English and Bislama, profiles:

• history of party/grouping, including campaign/electoral history

• summary of platforms and policies

• membership, including details of key figures

• relations/alliances between parties or groupings

• contact details for each party or grouping.

This reference guide has been supported by a series of media articles, as well as an awareness/engagement/dissemination program using local, informal communication networks (e.g. civil society groups, Area Councils, NGO field workers, and community forums).Â