Title: The incidence of poverty in Solomon Islands : the importance of methodology

Abstract: This paper explains some of the weaknesses in the 2005–2006 HIES in Solomon Islands and implications for the use of income distribution statistics, such as Gini Coefficients. It examines the UNDP (2008) analysis of the incidence of poverty in Solomon Islands, and indicates some inconsistencies in the methodology, analysis and results. This paper presents alternative methodologies for the construction of the Food and Non-Food Poverty Line baskets and resulting Basic Needs Poverty Lines, and an alternative statistic of well-being for the household—the maximum of household income and expenditure. It also presents data in a convenient form, so that stakeholders can easily estimate the incidence of poverty in rural and urban Solomon Islands, using their own choice of values for the Food Poverty Line (FPL) and Basic Needs Poverty Line (BNPL).

Title: Deepening 'Regionalism' : beyond the rhetoric

Abstract: [ Abstract not available ]

Title: Macroeconomic multipliers : the case of Guam

Abstract: Macroeconomic multipliers are often used to estimate the economic impact of a prospective change. They were recently used by the U.S. Navy to analyse the impact on Guam’s economy of the proposed build-up of U.S. military force on Guam in 2010-2014, which is valued at $15 billion. The paper aims to (1) take a standard spending multiplier and present a conceptual framework for how to adjust it to better reflect Guam’s specific economic conditions, and (2) criticize the U.S. Navy’s study that used Hawaii’s multiplier in analyzing Guam’s economy, thus overstating the economic benefits of the proposed change.

Title: Towards pro-active legislatures and inclusive development in PICs

Abstract: This paper is based on the assumption that proactive legislatures in the Pacific Island countries (PICs) are central in ensuring that societal change and development are conducive to the well being of all their citizenry. It provides a contextual backdrop of the consequences for PICs of the global economic crisis and the lethargy of legislatures in responding to the crisis. Hitherto, legislatures have tended not to meet frequently and the meetings did not cover sufficient time to address serious issues and policies adequately. As a result of historical precedents and existing political structures, the executive branch of government has taken the lead in policy formulation and law making. Legislatures have generally failed to provide the scrutiny required for accountability and transparency. Pacific legislatures have also been largely unrepresentative of women and youth. This paper highlights a number of significant shortcomings of legislatures in PICs and recommends measures that will make them more representative and responsive, thereby contributing to the human development of island peoples.

Title: Monetary policy transmission in Pacific Island countries : a study of Tonga

Abstract: This paper undertakes an empirical study on how the monetary policy transmission mechanisms work in Tonga. Adopting a bounds testing approach, as the time series data cover a short period (1981–2008), the study shows that monetary aggregate is more important than short-term interest rate as a channel in transmitting impulses from the monetary sector to the real sector. The significant responses of both real output and price to the money variable confirm that policy makers should target monetary aggregate as the policy instrument, rather than interest rate, for controlling real activity and for price stabilisation in Tonga.

Title: Urban service delivery and regional cooperation in the Pacific Island countries : challenges and opportunities

Abstract: This article focuses on urbanisation and urban service delivery challenges in the Pacific Island countries (PICs) and the need for regional cooperation on urban issues. With increasing urbanisation, the demand for urban infrastructure and services is growing manifold. National and local authorities find it difficult to cope with the urban service delivery problems. While many urban issues are regional challenges, others are sub-regional or city-specific. Effective regional cooperation is sought to address key urban challenges through collaborative efforts and sharing of experiences and best practices amongst the PICs. The paper explores regional cooperation initiatives on urban issues and provides a framework for regional cooperation in service delivery that may help in achieving MDGs, and the goals of sustainable urban development and the Pacific Plan.

Title: Exploring the capability approach with the bargaining model : a new methodologies for gender-sensitive poverty measures in Fiji

Abstract: Poverty measurement has previously been treated as a gender neutral enterprise. Typically, poverty is assessed at the household level, whereby all members of the household are treated as either poor or nonpoor, ignoring the differential deprivations that might be experienced by different household members. The discussion in this paper centres on two objectives: to highlight the gaps in the literature, notably the persistent insensitivity to gender, within mainstream approaches to poverty analysis in Fiji; and to introduce the capability approach as a means to conceptualise and assess gender inequality and women’s well-being in Fiji’s context. The paper attempts to map out the ways in which we might conceptualise and operationalise methodologies for gender-sensitive measures of poverty that are capable of reflecting the experiences of both women and men.

Title: Public service delivery dilemma : achieving quality of service in Fiji

Abstract: Today customers (or citizens of any nation) want effective, efficient and equitable services. The global problem is one where public service delivery is in a state of dilemma and service quality appears to be deteriorating. The dilemma is that the performance of the public service is not businesslike, and this has impacted the quality of service delivery. With this, customers/citizens are demanding an answer. In Fiji the area of public service delivery and service quality in particular appears to have received fairly modest attention. The main objectives of this paper are to get deeper understanding of the public service dilemma and understand the relationships between quality of services and customer satisfaction. Key

Title: Impact of currency depreciation on trade balance : a case study on Papua New Guinea

Abstract: The article delves the comprehensive understanding between trade balance and currency depreciation by incorporating the absorption and monetary approaches, including the Marshal Lerner condition. In doing so, the Ng–Perron test is employed to find out the order of integration and the cointegration technique developed by Johansen and Juselius (1990) to examine the long-run relationship between currency depreciation and trade balance. Our results reveal that there is a long-run relationship among trade balance, currency depreciation, real income and money supply. Any depreciation in local currency worsens the trade balance. The reforms in trade policies improve the trade balance in the future but deterioration in the trade balance seems to reverse this impact due to currency depreciation. A fall in money supply plays a vital role in improving the trade balance in Papua New Guinea. A rise in domestic income seems to recover the trade deficit. Keywords: