Always we are last : a study of planning, development and disadvantage in Melanesia

Abstract

This thesis examines the relationship between rural development planning and rural development, as it has affected disadvantaged areas of Melanesia. Its 'problem-solving' framework shows that, in the colonial and post-colonial period, the poor articulation of macro and micro-level interests has resulted in a marked divergence between the issues associated with development planning and those of real world rural development. Attitudinal changes at theoretical level have served to complicate this problem. To some extent the dichotomy can be attributed to the international politics of an era characterized by rapid decolonization, with its implicit o~ explicit demands for equally rapid and often major socio-economic reforms. In the search for simple answers and universal panaceas, much of the complex Third World rural dynamic has been ignored or subordinated to macro-level issues. The study shows that development planning has been a persistent and reliable problem-solving device for macro-level government in Melanesia, but that it usually has addressed problems other than those stated in development plans. These problems centred on the uncertain legitimacy of the colonial and post-colonial governments, and on the capture of scarce resources from the Western world. Though plans and planning have not been directly productive of rural· development, they have been conspicuously successful in achievement of their unstated aims and thus in the improvement of government's capacity to govern. The micro-level evidence demonstrates ,that planning to date has not been geared to cope with the development of a multiplicity of disparate rural communities. Implementation of rural development plans can be inhibited by a wide variety of factors and, even at the preliminary stage of resource and situational assessment, the margin for error in broad-spectrum planning can be enormous. At the same time, the study concludes that villagers and government share many development objectives, one of the most pervasive of which. is the need for expanded cash-earning opportunities. Patterns of European contact indicate that the imposition of macro-level government has been a significant factor in the marginalization of some areas. Nonetheless, villagers display considerable adaptability and have continually acted as 'rational economic man' in their attempts to obtain the benefits of modernization. These attempts illustrate the importance of informal networks to village development. At the same time, the study shows that the lack of development and of reliable government assistance in the 1970s has become a vicious circle, perpetuating itself by the constraints it places on village self-help.