Finding Balance 2014: Benchmarking the Performance of State-Owned Enterprises in Island Countries

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) continue to constrain Pacific economies. They absorb scarce capital, suffer low productivity, and often provide high cost and low quality services. SOE reform is vital to create private investment opportunities, reduce the costs of doing business, and improve service delivery. This fourth study of Pacific SOE performance also assesses SOEs’ impact on island countries outside the Pacific. It evaluates SOEs in Cabo Verde, Fiji, Jamaica, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, and Tonga—identifying key performance drivers and reform strategies to guide future policy action. Finding Balance was produced by the Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative, a regional technical assistance facility cofinanced by ADB, the Government of Australia, and the New Zealand Government.