This report covers the 2019 Australian Aid Transparency Audit, run by the Development Policy Centre. The centre regularly audits Australian Aid Program transparency – previous audits were run in 2013 and 2016.

Just because other donors have struggled to lend successfully in the Pacific does not mean Australia is destined to fail. But the track record of loans in the region provides cause for caution.

This paper draws on data from the new Samoa Election Results database to highlight salient features and trends in Samoa’s electoral history.