ABSTRACT
Despite growing appreciation for the complexity of development and the need for adaptability, there remains a limited evidence base of how, where and why adaptive approaches to development improve development outcomes. This paper examines the organisational and political attributes of support provided to locally led development initiatives in the Pacific region supported by an Australian government development programme, as well as the extent to which these attributes were present in initiatives deemed by programme staff to be more or less successful. Findings include that positive outcomes are more likely to emerge from partners led by women working in politically stable environments. Rather than endorsing donors to support only such projects, we share a combination of findings to offer insights into how the impacts of development initiatives working in politically tricky settings may be understood holistically and with nuance and flexibility, leading to better project design and evaluation.