Understanding voter motivations in Vanuatu through adaptive research

In Vanuatu, the electoral victory of Julia King in November 2022 broke a three-election drought: women had remained unelected in this Pacific Island country since 2008. In 40 years since independence, six women have secured a seat in the national parliament, and to date, only two of those women have served more than one parliamentary term. Understanding the deep seated reluctance of ni-Vanuatu to vote for women, and for political parties to select women candidates, has been the principal driver of a research project undertaken since February 2023. As this paper will outline, the research process has been as important as the findings. Applying the concept of ‘adaptation’ used more frequently in international development programming, we argue that research can also be ‘adaptive’ in terms of its design, responsiveness to local circumstances and political economy analyses, mitigation of power dynamics within the team and with participants, and its data collection methods. In recognition of the fundamental importance of relationships in the Pacific, the research has been conducted as a collaboration between an Australian government funded development project, Balance of Power, the Vanuatu Department of Women’s Affairs, the Department of Youth and Sports Development, and The Australian National University. Each of these partners has brought a specialist role to the project, ranging from knowledge of the political system and local customs to stakeholder brokering. Data has been collected through close-ended surveys, community forums, interviews and focus group discussions and has deliberately involved a constellation of actors with differing degrees of research experience. The aim of this inclusive approach has been to extend research skills to a broader group of individuals, most notably young ni-Vanuatu. While this form of research is undoubtedly time and labour intensive, and therefore expensive, we suggest there are significant, if still intangible, benefits.