Samoan public sector reform: views from Apia and the villages

Abstract

Some Pacific Island governments struggle to provide peace and social stability or deliver essential services to their citizens. This is clearly not the case in Samoa. By any standards, Samoa is a peaceful and orderly society and the Samoan government is competently delivering a wide range of basic services to Samoans throughout the country. It isn’t perfect: there are service gaps and inefficiencies, rumours of corruption, and vigorous debates amongst Samoans themselves about the quality and probity of their government. But Samoa is frequently cited as an example of how the government of a small island state with limited resources can maintain harmony and good service for its citizens.