Compiled and written by Yvonne Underhill-Sem, this 1999 report documents the 1998 Pacific DAWN Research Network meeting held in Alafua, Samoa. The publication outlines the development of a regional feminist research agenda, adapting analytical approaches developed within the Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN) network, including contributions by Gita Sen and other DAWN researchers to the socio-cultural realities of Pacific Island societies.

The text examines the effects of structural adjustment programmes and trade liberalisation on women’s livelihoods, while also exploring the challenges of translating global concepts such as reproductive rights and state accountability into Pacific contexts. Outlining priority areas for future research, the report discusses the impacts of economic restructuring on women’s health and livelihoods, the dynamics of domestic violence, and the implications of World Trade Organization intellectual property regimes (TRIPS) for indigenous knowledge and local economies.