Examination of how governance programs have affected local institutions and practices in Samoa. Suggests practical ways for more efficiently tailoring future programs to the development needs of the country. Case studies explore issues of nascent civil society, problems of urban management, non-government organisations working in the area of women's health, relationships between the national government and villages, and the subversion of custom and constitutional processes to personal political ambitions. Includes notes on contributors, glossary, references and index. Editors are academics in the fields of history and Pacific studies.