External Aid and Education in Small States: Structural Issues, and Insights from a World Bank Assisted Project in Solomon Islands

Abstract

A growing literature has shown that small states have distinctive features which must be taken into account in the design and operation of education systems. These features include lack of economies of scale, scarcity of personnel, and personalized bureaucracies in which individuals must undertake multiple and overlapping roles. This paper adds to the literatures both on external aid and on education in small states by analysing the experiences of a project in Solomon Islands. It identifies ways in which small‐state factors affected the implementation of the project, and highlights considerations which should be taken into account in the design of future projects not only in Solomon Islands but also in other small states. Descriptors: Aid, public administration, secondary education, small states, Solomon Islands, World Bank.