Asia Pacific Viewpoint

James, Kerry E.

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.00177

Semi–subsistence sectors predominate throughout Pacific Island countries. But the nature of the social organisation that characterises them, remains generally unexamined. This paper introduces the concept of ‘traditional enterprise’, based on observations in Tonga, to help analytically illuminate the sector. It also investigates processes of household dynamics that lead to selective upward social mobility and the consequent fragmentation of the generalised peasant household. Better understanding of the basic units, goals and means of achieving them among the traditional, rural, or the ‘grass roots’ sectors should help the current developmentalist emphasis on informal sector growth.

Boissire, Manuel

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.00178

The 1997 El Nio event severely affected the western part of the island of New Guinea. A group of highlands villages at Holuwon experienced drought, forest fires and disruption to food production. This article describes the reaction of the villagers to these natural disasters and to the humanitarian aid that they received. The social order was the first to be affected. Severe competition developed for the allotments of humanitarian aid and yet sharing of land and other help were offered to neighbouring ethnic groups. Reactions were also observed at the level of religion and were manifested in the Yalis search for an explanation of the events. Lastly, there was preservation and reconstruction in the form of the fighting of forest fires and the recreation of gardens following the drought.

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.00180_1

Scheyvens, Henry

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.00180_2

This report to the Poverty, Prosperity and Progress conference examines the village–level development programmes of Shapla Neer, a Japanese NGO which has been operating in Bangladesh since independence in 1971. Shapla Neer’s experiences offer hard–won lessons for development practitioners: the need for effective targeting; the desirability of self–employment as a livelihood option for poor households; the necessity of close monitoring; the need to target women; and the need for the poor to gain a political voice. An overarching lesson is that development programmes will be most successful when their design is based on an understanding of the relationship between power and poverty.

Cornford, Robyn

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.00181

Abstract: There are many elements in the economic and socio‐cultural context of the Pacific region which distinguish it from Asia where many of the most famous models for the delivery of ‘micro’financial services were developed. Is it possible that the rush to replicate existing models, using ‘best practice’ principles developed far from the Pacific, is curtailing careful market analysis and stifling experimentation and innovation in the provision of financial services for the poor? This conference report asks readers to consider the types of ‘micro’financial services and the methods of their delivery which may be appropriate in the Pacific context, and more important, which meet the needs of people in the Pacific.

Chile, Love M.

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.00182

Abstract: Changes in immigration and refugee policy since 1991 have led to an increasing number of minority ethnic groups settling in Aotearoa New Zealand. The number of Black African migrants and refugees granted permanent residence in New Zealand has increased substantially from about six in 1982 to over 770 in 1998 (New Zealand Immigration Services, 2001). The socio‐economic, professional and cultural characteristics of this emerging Black African minority ethnic community are complex but fascinating. In mid 2000 the majority of the Black African community in New Zealand were refugees (Chile 1999A). This paper is part of a broader study to analyse the nature and structure of Black African migration and settlement in New Zealand. It is an attempt to undertake applied migration research from a participatory methodology framework that addresses the expressed needs of the grass‐roots level client community. The paper examines the socio‐economic status of Black African refugees in New Zealand and analyses the factors and processes that create an impoverished community that is increasingly excluded from mainstream society. Strategies to reverse the process of marginalisation and create a healthy, vibrant community with the capacity to participate effectively in New Zealand society are examined.

Low, Will; Davenport, Eileen

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.00176

Abstract: As the work of NGOs broadens and becomes more complex, concerns about their capacity and sustainability will loom much larger and have more significant implications for development processes. The main issue addressed in this paper is how NGOs and donors variously view the relationship between capacity building and financial and organisational sustainability. To this end we firstly explore varying definitions of capacity building, highlighting distinctly Pacific perspectives of the concept and subsequently look at emerging practices used by Pacific NGOs to create sustainable organisations. The role of donor organisations in Pacific NGO capacity building is critiqued. We conclude that despite considerable rhetoric about the need for donors to adopt more co‐ordinated approaches to capacity building, there is limited evidence to suggest that donors are prepared to act together to set up, for example, joint capacity building funds. Donors must accept that the long‐term processes of development and the roles played by Non‐Governmental and Community Based Organisations require a rethinking of the standard funding cycle and the focus on ‘exit strategies’.

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.t01-1-00177

Books reviewed: Michael Barr, Lee Kuan Yew: the beliefs behind the man Michael Leifer, Singapore’s foreign policy: coping with vulnerability Yehua Dennis Wei, Regional development in China: States, globalization and inequality Francis X. Hezel, The new shape of old Island cultures: A half century of social change in Micronesia Peter Larmour (ed.), Governance and reform in the South Pacific Patrick Nunn, Pacific Island landscapes

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.t01-1-00178

2002 Asia Pacific Viewpoint

doi: 10.1111/1467-8373.00185