Written by leading academics, this edited collection of essays takes a broad sweep through contemporary topics in Melanesian anthropology and ethnography. With nuanced and rigorous scholarship, it views contemporary debate on modernity in Melanesia within the context of the global economy and cultural capitalism. In particular, contributors assess local ideas about wealth, success, speculation, and development as well as their participation in institutions and activities. From fast money schemes in Papua New Guinea and collectivities in rural Solomon Islands to gambling in the Cook Islands and the Vanuatu tax haven, this innovative compilation offers a significant contribution to the current debates within anthropology about the social and cultural variations in the Western Pacific as it applies to globalization.