Public Sector Reform in Samoa: An Analysis of Factors Influencing the Application of the New Zealand experience

Abstract

This thesis analyses public sector reform in Samoa. It begins by describing the physical, economic, social and political context, and the Samoan government structure. It examines the catalysts for economic reform, focusing on pressure from aid donor countries and international agencies, and the impact of natural disasters such as cyclones. It then traces the evolution of economic policy and of the Samoan public sector. It discusses the theory underpinning the current wave of public sector reform throughout the world, compares and contrasts public sector reform in Samoa and New Zealand, and discusses the outcomes of qualitative research conducted in Samoa (interviews with representatives of key community sectors). An analysis based on a review of the history of the public sector and of the political, social and economic context (including international pressure for reform), on a comparison with public sector reform in New Zealand, and on interviews with representatives of key sectors in Samoa. Conclusions are then drawn, including that the successful integration of liberal, managerialist, free-market-driven reforms with the existing Samoan blend of fa'a Samoa and a Westminster Parliamentary model is yet to be achieved, and that these three may yet prove to be incompatiable in the short to medium term.