The Causes and Consequences of Local Voting in Solomon Islands

The Paradox of Poor Political Governance in Solomon Islands. Poor political governance in Solomon Islands appears paradoxical. The country is not well governed: in 2012 it ranked in the bottom 25 per cent of all countries globally in World Bank measures of government effectiveness and regulatory quality (World Bank 2013). As in most states, its politicians are a major determinant of governance: they manage or mismanage ministries; they legislate or fail to legislate; they deal with, or cut deals with, extractive industries. In the Solomons case, with occasional exceptions, governance indicators suggest they do not do this well. Yet Solomon Islands is also a democracy. It holds regular, and relatively free and fair national elections. And here lies the paradox: few Solomon Islanders are happy with the performance of their political rulers, yet they continue to vote for candidates who govern the country poorly