ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a brief historical background and a description of major events in Palau. It also provides basic political, economic, and social data arranged in the following categories: polity, economy, population, purchasing power parities, life expectancy, ethnic groups, capital, political rights, civil liberties, and status. The chapter discusses the progress and decline of political rights and civil liberties in Palau. Citizens of Palau can change their government democratically. The constitution vests executive power in the president, who is directly elected for a four-year term. Local police are under direct civilian control, but foreign residents have reported that law enforcement officials are less thorough in their investigation of crimes against non-Palauan citizens. Limited opportunities and gender bias also pushed many women from Palau to seek opportunities for education and a career by enlisting in the US military. Women have been underrepresented in politics and government.
