Political representation and women’s empowerment in Samoa.

Abstract

Many organizations, ministries and individuals have contributed to the Samoa Local Government Research Project (SLGRP). On behalf of the project team, I would like to thank all of our stakeholders and particularly the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) whose assistance through a research grant provided by the Australian Development Research Awards Scheme (ADRAS) made this project possible.

To the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, thank you for your continuous support in providing teachers and school review officers to conduct our survey. To the Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, thank you for your continuous support in providing guidance and logistical support in regard to conducting research at the village level. I would also like to thank all the village mayors (Sui o Nuu) and women’s representatives to government (Sui o Tama’ita’i o Nuu) for their invaluable cooperation. I wish to acknowledge also the contributions of several local experts with regard to their respective areas, including Tuioti Sakaria Taituave. To all of the women candidates who have participated in the research, your respective inputs into the project have been enlightening and we hope these personal accounts inspire more women to stand for elections in the future. I am greatly indebted to all my project staff, consisting of colleagues from the Centre for Samoan Studies and the Faculty of Science at NUS. Last, but not least, I wish to congratulate all who have contributed to and participated in the project