ABSTRACT
The South Pacific island of Bougainville was the site of a protracted conflict that lasted from 1988 until 1997, in which time up to 20,000 lives were lost (see Lasslett 2014). An enduring end to hostilities was achieved in 2001 through the Bougainville Peace Agreement . This presaged a range of transitional mechanisms designed to heal community rifts, and rebuild both state and market institutions. As the island approaches a referendum over independence from Papua New Guinea, slated to take place between 2015 and 2020, the Bougainville peace process has been widely celebrated in the scholarly literature for its resounding achievements (see Braithwaite et al. 2010, Dinnen and Peake 2013, Wallis 2012).
