Bougainville autonomy – implications for governance and decentralisation
Edward P. Wolfers
Abstract
The founding and guiding principles for the establishment, operation and development of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) are contained in the Bougainville Peace Agreement. Insofar as they are concerned with political, constitutional or institutional reform, they represent an attempt to channel previous, violent conflicts into political processes and institutions (Bachler n.d.; cf. Widner 2005, and Ghai 2004). They are, therefore, concerned with governance – the process by which society collectively attempts to solve problems, maintain public order and meet other shared needs; and not just government, one of the main instruments used for such purposes (Osborne and Gaebler 1993: 24; cf. Wolfers 2006a: 4). This is made clear by the way in which the arrangements for Bougainville autonomy are embodied together as but one of three pillars in a much broader Agreement, concerned with autonomy, a guaranteed referendum on Bougainville’s political future, and weapons disposal.
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