Good governance, administrative reform and socio-strongeconomicstrong.pdfVIP

International Good governance, Journal of Social Economics administrative reform and 26,1/2/3 socio-economic realities 354 A South Pacific perspective Binayak Ray The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia Keywords Development, Governance, Socioeconomics Abstract Good governance and administrative reform issues now form an integral part of the development debate. Multilateral agencies (e.g. World Bank, UN) and bilateral donors insist that issues such as market accessibility, competition, human rights, financial accountability are integral parts of this debate. The South Pacific Island countries cannot divorce themselves from the overall thrust of these issues. The paper argues that their geography, unique socioeconomic features and global political situation must determine their reform agenda. Issues which are appropriate for other countries may not necessarily be the best option for them. These unique features (e.g. tribal nature of their societies, existence of non-monetised economy, little on-shore natural resources in many countries, small size of their domestic economies, locational disadvantages) should determine their reform strategy. Failure to do so would not provide them with an administrative structure suitable for their sustainable development needs. They must not blindly follow reform agenda of other countries. This paper examines goo