Kerryn Baker
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View article: Practising Politics in a Disorderly Democracy
Practising Politics in a Disorderly Democracy Open
Taking as its starting point Ron May's scholarship on Papua New Guinea as a “disorderly democracy,” this article examines how politics is practised in the PNG Parliament. Using a case study of the events of late 2020, when a vote of no con…
View article: Popular Political Attitudes in Vanuatu: Findings of the Pacific Attitudes Survey
Popular Political Attitudes in Vanuatu: Findings of the Pacific Attitudes Survey Open
This paper presents the findings of the second Pacific Attitudes Survey (PAS), conducted in Vanuatu from August–October 2023. Drawing on a nationally representative sample ( n = 1330) of ni‐Vanuatu of voting‐age (18+), the PAS gauges the v…
View article: Tradition Meets Democracy: Perceptions of Women’s Political Leadership in Samoa
Tradition Meets Democracy: Perceptions of Women’s Political Leadership in Samoa Open
Women are globally underrepresented as political leaders; as of January 2023, only 17 countries had a woman head of government. Included in this small group is Samoa, which elected Fiame Naomi Mata’afa as its first woman prime minister in …
View article: The Power of Norms: Gender Equality Reforms in the Parliaments of Fiji and Samoa
The Power of Norms: Gender Equality Reforms in the Parliaments of Fiji and Samoa Open
Parliaments are increasingly defined as “gendered institutions,” with rules, norms, and practices that are often stubbornly resistant to gender equality initiatives. The gender sensitive parliaments’ global agenda has made substantial prog…
View article: Gender, Politics and Power in New Caledonia
Gender, Politics and Power in New Caledonia Open
This chapter explores women’s engagement in politics in New Caledonia over time. Despite widespread resistance to western conceptualisations of feminism, women’s organising in New Caledonia has a long history. Although women’s movement has…
View article: Reframing Suffrage Narratives: Pacific Women, Political Voice, and Collective Empowerment
Reframing Suffrage Narratives: Pacific Women, Political Voice, and Collective Empowerment Open
Dominant narratives of women’s suffrage have been shaped in ways that marginalize Pacific women’s experiences. Such narratives have emphasized the struggles of Global North women to achieve individualized political empowerment, primarily t…
View article: Gender and Opposition Leadership in the Pacific Islands
Gender and Opposition Leadership in the Pacific Islands Open
Parliaments in the Pacific Islands are among the most male-dominated in the world. Yet despite the odds, there is a cohort of women who have been elected and won senior roles. This article adds to an emerging literature that examines the g…
View article: Special Section: on gender, politics and development in Pacific small states and territories
Special Section: on gender, politics and development in Pacific small states and territories Open
Gender has been a key focus of donor activism, domestic politics and academic commentary in the Pacific region over recent decades. The prevailing narrative highlights deficits, including the persistent absence of women from formal politic…
View article: Addressing collective action problems in Melanesia: the Northern Islands Market Vendors’ Association in Vanuatu
Addressing collective action problems in Melanesia: the Northern Islands Market Vendors’ Association in Vanuatu Open
This article presents case study findings on the Vanuatu-based Northern
\nIslands Market Vendors’ Association (NIMVA) as a vehicle for women-led
\ncollective action. While NIMVA’s existence and organisational strength
\nchallenges existing…
View article: Politics and gendered practices in the Pacific Islands : a review and agenda
Politics and gendered practices in the Pacific Islands : a review and agenda Open
The everyday practice of politics is often difficult for the outside observer to
\nunderstand and interpret. It is also gendered. In the study of women and politics in the Pacific,
\nmuch attention has been given to women’s under-represent…
View article: The Bougainville Referendum: Lessons for the Future
The Bougainville Referendum: Lessons for the Future Open
In late 2019, a non-binding referendum on the future political status of Bougainville was held. A team of researchers from The Australian National University and the University of Papua New Guinea observed the referendum, including the pol…
View article: Guest editorial introduction : gender, politics and development in the small states of the Pacific
Guest editorial introduction : gender, politics and development in the small states of the Pacific Open
Gender has been a key focus of donor activism, domestic politics and academic
\ncommentary in the Pacific region over recent decades. The prevailing narrative highlights
\ndeficits, including the persistent absence of women from formal pol…
View article: Widows and Wives in Pacific Politics: A Reliable Pathway for Women?
Widows and Wives in Pacific Politics: A Reliable Pathway for Women? Open
Understanding women’s pathways to political leadership remains a critical area of academic and public policy focus in the Pacific. In this In Brief, Baker and Palmieri consider an alternate and potentially rather ‘macabre’ pathway (Kincaid…
View article: Women's Candidacy and the Power of Incumbency in the 2019 Solomon Islands Election
Women's Candidacy and the Power of Incumbency in the 2019 Solomon Islands Election Open
The 2019 Solomon Islands election marked the first time in the country’s history that two women were elected to parliament in a general election. Lanelle Tanangada, who had been elected in the 2018 by-election for the Gizo/Kolombangara sea…
View article: Women's Representation and Electoral System Reform in Papua New Guinea: The Limitations of Limited Preferential Voting
Women's Representation and Electoral System Reform in Papua New Guinea: The Limitations of Limited Preferential Voting Open
Papua New Guinea moved to a limited preferential voting (LPV) system prior to the 2007 national election. The shift from first‐past‐the‐post to preferential voting was intended to encourage the election of candidates with broader mandates …
View article: Women's Representation and Electoral System Reform in Papua New Guinea: The Limitations of Limited Preferential Voting
Women's Representation and Electoral System Reform in Papua New Guinea: The Limitations of Limited Preferential Voting Open
Papua New Guinea moved to a limited preferential voting (LPV) system prior to the 2007 national election. The shift from first‐past‐the‐post to preferential voting was intended to encourage the election of candidates with broader mandates …
View article: Women's representation in the 2018 Fiji Election
Women's representation in the 2018 Fiji Election Open
Fiji went to the polls on 14 November 2018. The incumbent FijiFirst Party won a narrower victory than expected, with just over 50 per cen t of the vote. The main opposition party, the Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA), increased it…
View article: 2016 Samoa General Election: Domestic Observation Report.
2016 Samoa General Election: Domestic Observation Report. Open
On Friday 4 March 2016, Samoa conducted its 15th general election since independence in 1962. The 2016 general election was particularly significant because of three key constitutional or electoral amendments enacted during the election cy…
View article: Great Expectations: Gender and Political Representation in the Pacific Islands
Great Expectations: Gender and Political Representation in the Pacific Islands Open
Women make up just 6.1 per cent of Pacific parliamentarians. Increasing women’s representation is a key area of focus for political leaders and aid donors, both as a human rights issue and as a vehicle for the substantive representation of…
View article: Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Bridging Resourcing Gaps
Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Bridging Resourcing Gaps Open
This is the sixth In Brief of a series of eight developed as background papers for a three-day workshop titled ‘Improving women’s electoral chances through an evidence-based approach’, hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions and t…
View article: Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Women's Political Participation - Electoral Trends
Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Women's Political Participation - Electoral Trends Open
his is the first In Brief of a series of eight developed as background papers for a three-day workshop titled ‘Improving women’s electoral chances through an evidence-based approach’, hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions and th…
View article: Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Women's Political Participation - Post-Election Issues
Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Women's Political Participation - Post-Election Issues Open
This is the last In Brief of a series of eight developed as background papers for a three-day workshop titled ‘Improving women’s electoral chances through an evidence-based approach’, hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions and th…
View article: The Highest Glass Ceiling - Women, Politics and Executive Power in the Pacific
The Highest Glass Ceiling - Women, Politics and Executive Power in the Pacific Open
This In Brief looks at the significance of Heine’s achievement in the context of the study of Pacific women in politics.
View article: Improving the Electoral Chances of Pacific Women through an Evidence-based Approach
Improving the Electoral Chances of Pacific Women through an Evidence-based Approach Open
This report draws on discussions that occurred at a three-day workshop hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions (CDI) and State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program (SSGM) at the Australian National University in Canberra i…
View article: A Watershed Moment, or Business as Usual? Female Candidates and Quota Implementation in the 2016 Samoan Election
A Watershed Moment, or Business as Usual? Female Candidates and Quota Implementation in the 2016 Samoan Election Open
The 2016 general election was the first ever held in Samoa using a constitutionally mandated minimum guaranteed level of women’s representation. The ‘safety net’ gender quota meant that if fewer than five women were elected, additional wom…
View article: Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Temporary Special Measures and Institutional Approaches
Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Temporary Special Measures and Institutional Approaches Open
This is the third In Brief of a series of eight developed as background papers for a three-day workshop titled ‘Improving women’s electoral chances through an evidence-based approach’, hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions and t…
View article: Women's Under-Representation and Special Measures in the Tongan Parliament
Women's Under-Representation and Special Measures in the Tongan Parliament Open
After the 2014 general election, Tonga now joins five other states (three of which are also in the Pacific Islands region) in having no female members of their lower or single house of parliament. Since Tongan women won the right to vote a…
View article: Pawa Blong Meri: Women Candidates in the 2015 Bougainville Election
Pawa Blong Meri: Women Candidates in the 2015 Bougainville Election Open
The 2015 Bougainville election was a milestone for women’s political representation. The largestever cohort of women candidates contested; one candidate, Josephine Getsi in Peit constituency, became the first women elected to the House of …