Inclusive development in Solomon Islands: unlocking the potential of developmental leadership

With a small population spread across an archipelago of some 900 islands, Solomon Islands faces significant challenges in providing inclusive access to vital services such as healthcare, water and education. A complex and variegated mix of social, political and economic conditions underlie a spatial pattern of uneven development both across and within provinces. A new research project in partnership between the Developmental Leadership Program (DLP) and the University of the South Pacific is investigating the role of local developmental leadership in access to vital goods and services across the islands. Its focus is on understanding what incentivises local leaders to work collectively to co-produce inclusive public goods in ways that can address the challenge of uneven development.