Reconstructing a Fragile State: Institutional Strengthening of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development in Solomon Islands

Emerging from the ethnic tensions that tore the Solomon Islands apart from 1998 to 2003, the country's Ministry of Infrastructure Development faced a number of serious challenges. Given the vast needs in the Solomon Islands, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development was called upon to take a leading role in post-conflict reconstruction and providing some of the foundations for economic renewal. This case study examines how capacity issues were addressed within the ministry in the post-conflict period and how the sense of crisis which prevailed in the country opened up opportunities to explore new institutional arrangements and ways of addressing infrastructure issues.