Crime, Corruption & Capacity in Papua New Guinea

This book builds on the arguments and views of many PNG observers that community controls are more effective in controlling crime than state controls. Papua New Guinea is a weak state in that it is depleted by frequent political leadership changes and corruption, manifesting in an increasing inability to provide goods and services to its citizens and an increasing inability to control crime. Peter Donigi, the Papua New Guinea UN representative, says "it is not the system of government or its laws that is undermining good governance, but the choice of people in senior posts and political interference in administrating the public sector." Another dilemma of controlling crime in Papua New Guinea is that what may be a crime according to state law, may not be a crime according to local law, and what may be considered a minor crime by the state, is a serious crime under local law. Maxine Pitts guides the reader through anecdotal and factual data to show the relationship between politics, lea