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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.
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    Childbearing in Timor-Leste : beliefs, practices and issues : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies, Massey University
    (Massey University, 2005) Thomas, Bronwyn
    Timor-Leste is country with a past, a past that reveals considerable strength and a will to achieve the right to be self determining. It is also a country that will need development assistance for many years to come. Lack of development by Portugal, the former colonial power, compounded by an illegal and destructive occupation by Indonesia it was a country largely devoid of infrastructure at the time of independence in 2002. The population of this small half island is diverse, ethnically and linguistically. The population is considered to be amongst the poorest in the world and women's health, particularly the high maternal mortality rates and the issue of domestic violence have been identified as key areas for development. Women's marginal status in Timorese society is due to traditional and patriarchal practices which enable males to exert control and power over women in many facets of daily life. One of the numerous results of this is that women have reduced access to valued resources including health, education and food. Children are greatly valued, but the high fertility and maternal mortality rates has led the government to identify reproductive health as a high priority. Childbirth is only one aspect of reproductive health but it has traditionally received greater attention. Utilising qualitative research a small group of rural women shared their experiences and practices of childbearing. One aspect the women identified was a lack of information as childbirth is a taboo subject until a woman becomes a mother. In view of this and the numerous priorities identified by Timorese government for future work, including the mainstreaming of gender health concerns I consider the research findings. Due to the need for cost effective and sustainable programmes I recommend Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health (ASRH) as an area for future exploration and consideration. This is an area found to be commonly overlooked in development activities, but can have many positive outcomes. A broad ASRH programme could address not only the issues of poor information but also work toward challenging gender norms and values which are key influences on women's reproductive health and childbearing experiences. ASRH may be controversial, but some consider programmes can be implemented as early as ten years of age. As adolescents are the next generation of parents and the most receptive to change they are the ideal target group for the future health of this country.
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    The role and sustainability of East Timorese NGOs : 'How long can they last?" : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Public Policy at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2005) Soares, Domingos
    Since its independence from the Portuguese and Indonesia, East Timor has had political and humanitarian support from various international organisations, gradually leading to the formation of East Timorese Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs). This thesis argues that "East Timorese NGOs' roles for a full engagement in the development process of East Timor are unsustainable." The reason is that they lack the financial foundation to attract substantial support from international donor-organisations. In addition, they have grown competitive amongst themselves. Therefore, dependency undermined sustainability. Sustainability espouses the idea that in the long term, income or welfare can be maintained only if the capital-stock from which it is drawn (financial sources from which the East Timorese NGOs had drawn) does not decline. Independent from government, an NGO works with and within the community towards common goals. Development is therefore a progression of positive changes quantitatively and qualitatively, whereas dependency comes from an unequal international relationship between two sets of countries: the metropolitan core and the periphery. East Timorese NGOs are dependent in two ways: financial and human resources dependency. While East Timor NGOs had played colossal roles during their existence, they had also relied heavily on donors' support. This study is supported by reasoned evidence in the form of information and data obtained through descriptive qualitative research methodology (including the systems theory approach), encompassing the following methods: in-depth and email interviews, and participant observation.
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    The role of non-governmental organisations in the development context of East Timor : a case study of a local NGO, Yayasan Etadep (Yayasan Ema maTA Dalan ba Progressu) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2000) Ribeiro, Anacleto da Costa
    Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have been actors on the development stage longer than the World Bank, the United Nations or any other official agency. Throughout the 1980s they have played a greater role than previously because of their greater diversity, credibility and creativity. Therefore, they have now moved to the centre stage of development as significant development agents in the civil society sector. Being significant agents in development, it is important to understand their roles. The current spectrum of NGO activities has emerged from the 19th Century, and been shaped in the past 30 years by the search for alternatives and by emerging new needs and concerns. Realising the importance and relevance of understanding the role NGOs in development, this study seeks to assess the role of a local NGO, ETADEP, operating in the specific development context of East Timor. The situation in East Timor was unfavourable due to its unstable political status which has been the predominant factor affecting and shaping an NGO's work in this local context. Thus, to gain a better understanding of the role NGOs in East Timor, the assessment should be in line with the existing factors and problems faced by an NGO in this specific context. In addition, this study also attempts to define and classify local NGOs in East Timor i.e. ETADEP into an alternative typology. This study collects firsthand data through interviews, observations and secondary data from archival records or documents such as: reports, evaluations, publications. Documents were selected from ETADEP's files between the years 1987 and 1998. Informal in-depth interviews were also conducted with relevant individuals who have been either actors of grass-root development or partners of ETADEP. The findings of this study concludes that ETADEP though operated in such a unfavourable atmosphere has contributed to the process of improving socio-economic welfare of the rural community and sustainable development in East Timor through the strategy of strengthening local self-reliance groups and grassroots organisations. Specifically, ETADEP has functioned as: a) the facilitator of development aimed at improving the socio-economic welfare of the rural community; b) the communicator between the local government, donors and the local community and between the local communities; c) the embryo for NGOs and grassroots organisations; and d) the catalyst of innovations and participatory development approaches. The study has also identified that ETADEP, though having multiple identities due to its incapability to identify itself properly in such a situation has embedded the four defining characteristics to be considered as an NGO in this context. Thus, a tentative typology is developed based on four main essential descriptors i.e. orientation of activities, scope of operation, main forms of control and its links with donors. This scheme, therefore, has placed ETADEP into a multiple scheme typology. However, comparatively speaking, in terms of focus and scale of ETADEP's programs, it is more appropriate to categorize ETADEP as a development-oriented NGO.
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    Internal migration and development in East Timor : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies, Massey University, 2003
    (Massey University, 2003) Guterres, Aurélio Sérgio Cristóvão
    Migration has been a subject of interest for scholars and students of development studies for many years, yet the conceptual tools for linking the process of migration and development have proven to be limited. Recent studies in developing countries have begun a re-assessment. Eschewing some of the old macro-economic models, which lay emphasis on rural to urban migration, scholars have employed broadly ethnographic methods to look at population movement and migration in terms of the meanings people ascribe to moving. They see cultural and social factors as being of prime importance. This study extends these approaches and provides an alternative way of looking at migration and development by employing ideas from Development Studies to differentiate population movement and migration resulting from "immanent development" from that which follows "intentional development" or state-led development. This thesis presents a model of that approach and focuses on internal migration and development in East Timor. East Timor has had a long history of colonial development with extremes of government policy under two different colonial regimes, the Portuguese and the Indonesian. Under Portuguese colonisation little development occurred, as the Portuguese were more interested in trade. Forced labour practices, involving the local population in the agricultural plantation activities, were imposed by the Portuguese to provide agricultural export commodities for colonial benefit. The plantation policy was part of a colonial strategy to keep the general population in the countryside, away from the capital Dili. On the other hand, the Indonesian period shows in very stark form the underlying intent of much rural development policy: the desire to impose order through controlling the pace of migration and slowly incorporating rural economies into a widening market system .It also shows that, despite such heavy control, forms of immanent development once unleashed will exert a strong influence on individual and family decisions to move. This study provides a new way of understanding migration and development from a micro-level perspective using a migration life stories approach. Migration life stories enable us to understand the complexity of migration and the relationship with development. The most exciting novel element of migration life stories approach is the ability of migrants to recall their migration histories and experiences, and to show how migrants’ histories and experiences are connected to migration in a particular context of their life. Thus using migration life stories, this study was able to show how migration is linked to development in the context of East Timor.