Domestic Violence and Rationality on Small Islands

Quality of Governance in Domestic Violence Policies in Small Island Development States (SIDS); a Case of the Dutch Caribbean

Small island development states and territories face special difficulties in taking care of domestic violence policies. Characteristics of governance need their own fine tuning in a context of fear, a sensitive subject, and small scale territories, where everybody knows each other, professionals, public servants, politicians, victims and perpetrators. From a rational choice perspective we look at how professionals and public servants in such a context deal with conflicting values, public service motivation, incidents and the public’s view. How do the values of politicians and street-level professionals relate and what care institutions and juridical institutions do matter? The qualitative research (40 interviews with professionals and public servants) took place in  the three Dutch Caribbean islands (Bonaire, St. Eustatius en Saba) in the context of the intended ratification of the CAHVIO-Treaty (European Treaty against Domestic Violence and Domestic Violence). From an external perspective the coping strategies found could suggest irrational elements, while they were rational from an insular cultural perspective. Conflicting modern and traditional value systems slow the quality of governance.