The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a relatively new nation, with half of its population under the age of 18 years. This study tells the story of how the Government of the Marshall Islands, with assistance from the Asian Development Bank, set out to strengthen domestic capacity to improve services for the youth. The case highlights the importance of participatory processes and describes how an innovative approach to outsourcing youth welfare services to civil service providers was introduced. It also underscores some of the challenges of sustaining reforms with weak institutions and leadership.
