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    Engaging with the private sector for development : a critical analysis of attempts to partner with business for women's economic empowerment in Vietnam : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Manawatū, Aotearoa New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2023) Nguyen, Lan Phuong Thi
    Development agencies have increasingly recognised the private sector as playing an important role in the progress toward achieving sustainable development. While scholars contest the private sector’s role in development, development agencies and NGOs continue collaborating with the private sector to deliver social results for the poor. There have been numerous studies on the role of large companies, mostly multinational corporations, in development. However, limited literature sheds light on the engagement of donors with micro and small enterprises in development as well as their impacts on women’s economic empowerment. This research aims to fill this gap by critically investigating donor-private sector partnerships implemented under an Australian aid programme in which micro and small enterprises are engaged to economically empower ethnic minority women in Vietnam. My findings suggest that micro and small businesses are important development partners in creating economic opportunities for low-income women. Locally- and socially-embedded businesses can achieve success and sustainability through their ability to engage with ethnic minority women. They also have the potential to create economic, social, and cultural impacts. They can be inclusive, with some small businesses reaching poor ethnic minority women regardless of production scales, and they can help women improve their incomes by supporting women to cultivate and sell unique, traditional, and cultural products. However, these private sector partners face challenges that constrain their partnership with development agencies and limit the objective of empowering ethnic minority women. My research findings challenge the instrumentalist notion of women’s economic empowerment, which donors commonly deploy in partnerships with a business by focusing solely on providing training and access to productive resources for market integration. It confirms that this instrumentalist approach is insufficient to genuinely empower women. Instead, my research recommends a holistic donor-private sector partnership framework for women’s empowerment to plug the gaps and transform the prevailing women’s economic empowerment approach. This proposed framework includes two elements which emerged from the research findings: relational and collective empowerment. Relational empowerment emphasises the importance of the relational aspects of empowerment and how changes in power relations in the surrounding environment affect women's empowerment. Collective empowerment reflects the need for collective action to influence changes in social norms and rules to recognise and improve women’s positions within households and the broader community. The proposed framework also involves civil society organisations, non-government organisations, and local governments as important partners in addressing unequal structures and barriers to women and enabling transformative outcomes for women. These research findings will support development agencies to better engage with the private sector to enable ethnic minority women’s empowerment.
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    Official development assistance and poverty reduction strategies : a critical examination of the "New Poverty Agenda" : a research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the MPhil in Development Studies, Massey University
    (Massey University, 2002) Shougee, Fathimath
    Development assistance or aid as we know today was created in the post-war years. During the 1950s and 1960s three main factors contributed to the expansion of development assistance to developing countries. They are cold war rivalry between the Soviet Union and United States which led to the expansion of bilateral aid, the wave of independence from mid 1940s onwards that created a need and demand for aid, and the formation of multilateral organizations such as the United Nations' Agencies and the World Bank. Over the years donors have provided a number of justifications for providing development assistance. They include economic reasons, political v strategic or security reasons, and humanitarian reasons including poverty reduction. Poverty reduction as an objective of development assistance, has received varying levels of importance in the history of development assistance. Poverty reduction was the main focus of development assistance in the 1970s. This focus was soon overtaken by the 'oil crises' and the mounting debt problems of poor countries. In the 1990s, poverty reduction re-emerged as the main focus of development assistance. This study had generally focused on tracing the place of poverty reduction in development assistance and assessing the degree of change and continuity in development practice. More specifically, this study examined the 'new poverty agenda' with the aim of comparing and contrasting it with past development strategies. The historical review of development assistance and poverty reduction revealed that development practice had mostly been based on the dominant theories and ideologies in donor countries, as opposed to ideas and needs of the recipients. Even though poverty reduction has often been quoted as one of the important objectives of development assistance, in practice it has always been dominated by objectives such as increasing economic growth, debt repayment or promotion of macroeconomic reform. The historical review of the effectiveness of development assistance also revealed that it has not been very successful in reducing poverty in poor countries. While at times it had been successful in helping the poor, this was often at the expense of the 'other' poor. Similarly, development practice had not been very successful in reaching the 'poorest of the poor' in recipient countries. The study reviewed 'new poverty agenda' through the World Development Reports (1990-200/2001), the International Development Targets and key concepts of the agenda. The review of the 'new poverty reduction' agenda was mixed. From a purely theoretical basis the 'new poverty agenda' have many positive points including the consensus on the multi-dimensional nature of poverty, country 'ownership' of development strategies and partnership with recipient countries. The multi-dimensional view poverty and the International Development Targets for achieving poverty reduction has raised the issues previously neglected such as social security and empowerment. On the other hand, the 'new poverty agenda' was found to be built around some of the main elements of the neo-liberal ideology of the past few decades. The importance attached to income-based approaches and the emphasis on economic growth and other related aspects such as making markets work for the poor and expanding people's productive assets in the World Development Report 2000/2001 showed that economic development is still given priority over all other dimensions of poverty. In spite of the recognition of the multi-dimensional nature of poverty it was not matched by a multi-dimensional approach to poverty reduction in its policy prescriptions. At the same time the practice of poverty reduction in the 1990s points to the gap between the rhetoric and reality.
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    An economic evaluation of the Thai-New Zealand feeder road in Northeast Thailand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Agricultural Science
    (Massey University, 1973) Askwith, John E
    Transport has been identified as an essential element in a comprehensive regional development programme and economic, social, and political benefits can result from the construction of a road in a developing region. This study investigates the economic impact of a road construction project in Northeast Thailand. The Thai-New Zealand feeder road, a 144 kilometre paved road, was completed in 1971 and links five major towns in two provinces while passing through a region of populated villages. Nearly all households in this region engage in agricultural production. The rice crop is the most important factor affecting the welfare of a household and the quantities of produce sold from other enterprises are small. Purchased inputs, aside from small quantities of fertilizer, are not commonly used. This study has been undertaken only two years following completion of the road, although the first 36 kilometre section had been completed five years. The collection of data from households in villages adjacent to the road is deserined and the data obtained is discussed in relation to the characteristics and measurements of subsistence agriculture. Traffic usage of the road was measured in two surveys and a land classification survey was conducted to estimate the agricultural development that has taken place since road construction began. A large part of the study is devoted to a description of the agricultural enterprises practised in the region, the problems preventing economic development, and the potential for further development following construction of the Thai-New Zealand feeder road. This data has been used to assess the impact of the road at the present time and the likely impact under various conditions which might eventuate in the future. Methodology for a standard benefit-cost analysis has been used in the evaluation of the road. The three economic criteria, net present value, benefit-cost ratio, and project internal rate of return have been applied to the discounted cost and benefit flows. Together with those items that can not be quantified, these three criteria have been used to evaluate the profitability of the project. Construction of the Thai-New Zealand feeder road should be regarded as the provision of one input essential for economic development in the region. Other inputs will be necessary before the full benefit of the road can be obtained. The road has already had a significant economic impact and if the potential from the application of improved technology and practices within existing agricultural enterprises can be realised, the road will have an even greater role in the economic development of the region.
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    Aid, development and English language teaching : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2007) Alcock, Brett William
    The past few decades have seen the ascendancy of English as the global language of business and international interaction and as a result it has come to be viewed in the minds of many policy makers as fundamental to development. Accordingly English language instruction programmes have increasingly been integrated into development programmes both at a domestic recipient and international donor level. These programmes are frequently framed within the paradigms of empowerment and capacity building yet little readily accessible research seems to be available regarding the practical role English language aid programmes may play in these processes with most examination seeming to be centred either on discourse debate or cost/benefit analysis of programmes. This thesis endeavours to examine the perceptions of recipients and providers regarding the provision of English language instruction programmes. It finds that despite a provider focus on institutional capacity building extrinsic, primarily economic, considerations ensure that there is a strong recipient demand for these programmes. It also finds that, even with an increasing provider desire to use participatory paradigms, programme parameters are still largely determined by providers due to their control of funds. By reason of this the efficacy of English language instruction in promoting recipient empowerment and capacity building remains open to question.
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    New Zealand aid and the development of class in Tonga : an analysis of the banana rehabilitation scheme : a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the degree of Master of Arts, Department of Sociology, Massey University
    (Massey University, 1988) Needs, Andrew P
    This thesis examines the bilateral aid relationship between New Zealand and Tonga. Its central purpose is to examine the impact aid is having in transforming Tongan society. This involves a critique of both development theory and of New Zealand government aid principles. The understanding of development and the application of aid by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains greatly influenced by the modernisation school of thought, which essentially blames certain supposed attributes of Third World peoples for their lack of development. Dependency theorists challenged this view, claiming that Third World poverty was a direct result of First World exploitation through the unequal exchange of commodities. This has had some influence on the use of aid as a developmental tool, but has failed to supercede modernisation theory as the dominant ideology. The theory of articulation of modes of production transcends the problems of both modernisation and dependency schools. Its main thrust is that the capitalist (First World) mode of production does not immediately dominate the non-capitalist (Third World) mode but rather interacts with it. Such a conception takes cognisance of the influence of indigenous modes in creating new social formations. This is demonstrated through an analysis of the New Zealand financed Banana Rehabilitation Scheme of Tonga. In order to understand the effect of New Zealand funded aid projects in Tonga, the Banana Rehabilitation Scheme, the largest project funded at present, was used as a case study. The research method demanded a fieldwork component which entailed three months in Tonga in order to collect both historical and archival data only available there. The main fieldwork component was a series of interviews with a cross section of scheme members and other significant actors related to the scheme. This study of the Banana Rehabilitation Scheme shows that the redistributive aims Of New Zealand aid have been undermined by a greater concern with productivity. Emphasis upon the latter has meant that the project has been reoriented in favour of giving greater assistance to those who can produce bananas most easily, those who already had access to land, capital and labour. This category of growers is as much a product of the indigenous social structure of Tonga as of forces impinging from outside. Although through the banana scheme large amounts of money are being pumped into the Tongan economy, its redistributive effects are minimal. The structure of the scheme is such that many of the major benefits accrue to the already advantaged.
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    Government, ODA and sustainable development : their linkages and the case of Vietnam : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Phylosophy [i.e. Philosophy] in Development Studies at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2002) Nguyen, Duc Minh
    Sustainable development, the role of government, and ODA are three major concerns in Development Studies. Sustainable development is an interest that has recently emerged but has become quickly and widely accepted in the field as a desirable vision for the future of humankind. It affects the rationale and redefines the responsibilities of both government and ODA. Government has two interrelated roles in development: a sovereign regulator and a powerful developmental actor. ODA is a means through which governments and external agencies interact in the development field. This present thesis articulates an integrated perspective to sustainable development and applies it to discuss major issues of government, ODA, and especially their developmental roles. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to the debate on the role of government in making ODA work for sustainable development. Its arguments and recommendations are confined to the case of Vietnam – an aid recipient country in transition. In general, it is found that the donor and recipient governments play very important roles in making ODA work for sustainable development due to three reasons. First, they are essential for sustainable development as both necessary and irreplaceable regulator and powerful developmental actors. Second, ODA is not automatically, but is potentially, helpful for sustainable development. Last but not least, the governments have decisive roles in affecting the volume, scope, scale, and effectiveness of ODA resources and activities. In the particular case of Vietnam, the role of the government in the ODA - sustainable development link is momentous because it is presently the major force that overwhelmingly influences the direction and controls significant shares of resources and activities of development (in comparison with the private sector) in the country. For ODA to work for sustainable development in Vietnam, the key recommendations are that, firstly, the government needs to improve its administrative ability, especially its ability in ODA management, and maintain its national independence in making development decisions on behalf of the people. At the same time, the government needs to put sustainable development as the goal for all of its development planning and intervention activities in order to establish the foundation for cooperating with the donor community, integrating ODA resources into the country's total resources for sustainable development and facilitating ODA to best supplement the sustainable development process of Vietnam. Last but not least, the government has to act more carefully and effectively in utilizing ODA resources to intervene into the society and the economy in order to ensure all the productive potential is released and all the latent possibilities of all components of the economy and the society are developed in a sustainable manner.
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    The IMF and World Bank in Papua New Guinea : all powerful? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Economics at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2000) Middleton, Grant
    In international political economy, international institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank are often looked upon as significant forces, capable of imposing their will on sovereign governments. Through the onerous conditions attached to their loans and assistance, these institutions, it is argued, are able to interfere in the economic and political affairs of a country, with significant implications. This thesis assesses this claim with reference to Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the 1990s. It suggests that while severe demands were certainly placed on the government on the occasions assistance was requested, owing to the unique socio-political structure of PNG, demands in some critical areas have been circumvented or even ignored. It appears, therefore, that at least in the case of PNG, these institutions have not been wholly successful in imposing their agendas. In the light of this, the wider assertion of the IMF and World Bank being all-powerful should be treated with some caution.
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    Japan's official development assistance : its shape and implications for recipients : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies, Massey University
    (Massey University, 1996) Scheyvens, Henry
    Japan's ODA programme is surrounded by controversy regarding the motives that propel it forward and the degree to which it meets recipient needs. This study hopes to add to the debate regarding Japanese ODA by uncovering those factors that shape Japan's contemporary aid activities and to interpret their implications for recipients. Rather than adhering to any one particular view of Japan's international relations to explain Japanese ODA, an inductive approach is used to identify the contextual mix in which aid policy is formulated. Japan's cultural legacy and development experience are found to define the broad boundaries that ODA policy must operate within and these factors continue to colour Japan's unique brand of foreign aid. An analysis of the evolution of Japan's contemporary aid programme also shows that ODA has been used to promote Japan's national interests in a variety of ways as international circumstances have changed. Economic and security needs have played influential roles in the size and direction of aid flows throughout the evolution of Japan's aid programme. More recently, a growing desire for an international leadership role explains why Japan's ODA programme continues to expand at a time when many other major donors are suffering 'aid fatigue'. Although Japan's ODA activities undoubtedly promote the country's foreign interests, this study has also found that the aid programme has undergone a process of reform to better attune aid to recipient needs. The quality of Japanese ODA has steadily improved over time and many popular development themes have been incorporated into Japan's ODA policy. A desire to present Japan as a responsible member of the international community, combined with ideological development as Japan's aid agencies have gained greater experience, are used to explain this reform process. Previous studies of Japan's ODA programme have largely been a study of Japan as a donor with little consideration given to the impact of aid activities on recipients. To help fill this void a case study of Bangladesh was undertaken and Japanese projects, project evaluations and country reports analysed. In this study the empowerment approach was used to identify how appropriate and effective Japanese aid is in assisting impoverished peoples in Bangladesh. The findings were that, despite the extent of reform in Japan's aid policy, aid practice in Bangladesh is dominated by Japan's traditional aid activities, that is, the construction of large-scale economic infrastructure projects. An analysis of Bangladesh's recent development history reveals that the production-based, trickle-down growth strategy that these aid activities are founded upon has little to offer the poor. In contrast, this thesis suggests that the poor will only be included as active agents in the development process when they have been politically, socially and economically empowered. Recent reforms within the Japanese ODA programme make it more receptive to the needs of the poor. However, it is likely that Japan's national interests, rather than those of the poor, will remain the main determinants in shaping aid activities.
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    The New Zealand Defence Force as an agent of development : the case of East Timor : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2003) Hull, Michael Richard
    This thesis aims to investigate a phenomenon that has become particularly apparent since the end of the 1980's and the end of the cold war. During this period there has been not only an increase in intrastate conflict but also a change in international approaches to dealing with it and its aftermath. While many may be familiar with the existence of aid agencies of various types that make attending to the fallout of these conflicts a central part of their business, it would appear that fewer recognise the increasing role that various military establishments are playing in aspects of relief delivery and reconstruction for which they receive aid donor funding. It has been suggested elsewhere that given the expansion of this role, the military may be seen as a development agent and that as such members of the development community could possibly engage with them more. This thesis investigates one aspect of the role of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) in East Timor as a case of a military organisation engaged in a major peace operation that has seen it involved in not only security activities normally associated with the military, but also a range of activities, including some that civilian aid agencies working in the same area have also been engaged in.
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    Peace on a plate : aid, reintegration and the thesis of liberal peace, Timor Leste, 1999-2004 : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2005) Hubscher, Ruth
    This thesis examines the impacts of aid agencies on the reintegration of repatriated refugees to Timor Leste. Scholars and aid practitioners involved in post-conflict peace building suggest that refugee reintegration is vital to the achievement of durable peace. They claim that reintegration will best occur through the reversal of structural inequalities and the adoption of a representative democratic structure and a market economy. Many of the relief and development activities aid organisations instigate are intended to contribute towards these ends. They are thus claimed to build a facilitating environment for returnee reintegration. The research is based upon the interviews of ninety-seven groups of returnees, stayees and community leaders and a number of aid agencies, which operated programmes between 1999 and 2004 in Timor Leste. The research concludes that aid agencies played a positive role in refugee reintegration however the non-aid aspects of people's lives were of greater significance to the success of their overall reintegration. The short time spans that most aid agencies operated in and their failure to develop close working relationships in the communities they operated in, prevented them from significantly contributing to deeper level social, political and economic change that may have contributed to the state of liberal peace.