Coping with participation in small island states: the case of aid in Tuvalu

Abstract

The aid effectiveness agenda has placed much emphasis on issues of recipient ownership, alignment, and donor harmonisation. It has affected the policies and practices of many donor agencies and promoted a drive to consult widely with partners in governments and civil society and encourage their active involvement in aid-funded development activities. Yet, when we look closely at small island states – in this case Tuvalu – we can see how this participation and consultation is placing considerable burdens on such agents and institutions to the point where their effectiveness and even their putative ownership is compromised.

Comment gérer la participation dans les petits États insulaires : le cas de l'aide à Tuvalu

L'ordre du jour de l'efficacité de l'aide a fortement mis l'accent sur les questions relatives à l'appropriation par les récipiendaires, l'alignement et l'harmonisation entre bailleurs de fonds. Il a influé sur les politiques générales et les pratiques de nombreuses agences donatrices et encouragé les efforts en vue de consulter largement les partenaires au sein des gouvernements et de la société civile et d'encourager leur participation active aux activités de développement financées par l'aide. Or, lorsque nous nous penchons sur les petits États insulaires – dans ce cas Tuvalu – nous constatons que cette participation et cette consultation font peser des fardeaux considérables sur ces agents et institutions, à tel point que leur efficacité, voire leur appropriation putative, sont compromises.

Lidando com a participação em pequenos Estados insulares: o caso da ajuda em Tuvalu

A agenda da efetividade da ajuda humanitária tem dado muita ênfase a questões de propriedade dos que recebem ajuda, alinhamento e harmonização dos doadores. Isto tem afetado as políticas e práticas de várias agências doadoras e promovido amplamente consultas a parceiros em governos e na sociedade civil e incentiva seu envolvimento ativo nas atividades de desenvolvimento de ajuda financiada. Porém, quando examinamos com cuidado pequenos Estados insulares – neste caso, Tuvalu – podemos observar como esta participação e consulta estão impondo um considerável fardo para tais agentes e instituições a ponto de sua efetividade e mesmo seu senso de propriedade estarem comprometidos.

Salir adelante en pequeños estados insulares a través de la participación: un caso sobre la ayuda en Tuvalu

El discurso sobre la eficacia de la ayuda se ha centrado en la apropiación por parte de los beneficiarios, el alineamiento y la armonización entre donantes. Este discurso ha afectado las políticas y prácticas de muchas agencias donantes que han desembocado en esfuerzos para hacer consultas amplias entre las contrapartes gubernamentales y de la sociedad civil, y para impulsar su participación activa en acciones de desarrollo apoyadas por donantes. Sin embargo, al examinar detenidamente los pequeños estados insulares –en este caso Tuvalu– es evidente que esta participación y el proceso de consultas constituyen una carga para tales actores e instituciones, a tal grado que su eficacia y hasta su supuesto protagonismo están en riesgo.

Keywords:

• Aid effectiveness
• participation
• consultation
• Tuvalu
• Paris Declaration

Notes

The very concept of participation is also problematic in cross-cultural settings, despite attempts to provide psychometric-based tools for measuring the extent of participation (Van Brakel et al. 2006).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nicki Wrighton

Nicki Wrighton is a development consultant and former government aid official with ten years’ working experience in the Pacific. She is currently a PhD candidate at Victoria University of Wellington researching aid effectiveness in the Pacific. <[email protected]>

John Overton

John Overton (corresponding author) is Professor of Development Studies in the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He has conducted research in the Pacific region over the past five years, with a particular interest in aid, rural change, and land tenure.