2012, UMaine News Press Releases

This is a catalog of press releases put out by the University of Maine Division of Marketing and Communications between January 3, 2012 and December 26, 2012

The Real Economy

This collection highlights a key metaphor in contemporary discourse about economy and society. The contributors explore how references to reality and the real economy are linked both to the utopias of collective well-being, supported by real monies and good economies, and the dystopias of financial bubbles and busts, in which people’s own lives “crash” along with the reality of their economies. An ambitious anthropology of economy, this volume questions how assemblages of vernacular and scientific realizations and enactments of the economy are linked to ideas of truth and moral value; how these multiple and shifting realities become present and entangle with historically and socially situated lives; and how the formal realizations of the concept of the “real” in the governance of economies engage with the experiential lives of ordinary people

Rethinking the dynamics of capital accumulation in colonial and post-colonial Indonesia: Production Regulation

This thesis explores the forces driving a series of momentous transformations to Indonesia�s production and distribution systems since early colonial rule. The analysis of these forces is anchored in four conceptual themes: the basis of these systemic transformations, their politico-economic ordering as driven by a surplus-creation imperative, labour�s role in this imperative and its response to the �ordering�, and the mode of production as the historical setting within which the transformations occur. This thesis illuminates an analytical gap in the literature by nominating labour as the key force in wealth-creation and recognising its active role in challenging ruling appropriation regimes and in the broader social struggles against exploitation and oppression. The thematic focus defines the boundaries for an exploration of successive colonial and post-colonial ruling regimes. Early chapters examine how the Dutch penetrated the Indonesian politico-economy, entrenching their systems of production organisation and creating an exclusionary system of wealth appropriation. Appropriation systems are characterised by transitions in European political and economic systems, especially from mercantilism to industrial capitalism. The entrenchment of colonial power is considered in relation to the expansion of capitalist organisation in Indonesia. The state�s stimulation of this expansion is associated with an undermining of the country�s reproductive base and a growing challenge to foreign rule. The Japanese occupying force� demolition of colonial productive and distributive linkages and encouragement of independence activism is connected with a post-war struggle for independence. Links are drawn between colonial rule and the tensions and organisational difficulties faced by Republican regimes leading up to the New Order�s re-establishment of a strict regulatory regime, and the development of an indigenous system of capitalist organisation. The surplus-generation and appropriation perspective informs the evolution of Indonesia�s productive and economic systems across colonial and post-colonial epochs and the challenges to the system of social and production regulation that heralded the destabilisation of New Order rule and the rise of the contemporary era of political democracy

Developing Freedom: The Sustainable Development Case for Ending Modern Slavery, Forced Labour, Human Trafficking

This project aimed to establish and promote a clear case for the global development community to prioritize anti-slavery and anti-trafficking in development programming and policies. Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7 commits states to fight modern slavery as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Target 8.7 underpins rallying efforts including Alliance 8.7 and the UK-initiated Call to Action. Buy-in to the Call to Action is growing (currently around 70 countries), but implementation through the global development system has so far been limited. Major development actors (e.g. UN country teams, OECD DAC and the World Bank) are notably absent. Why? One reason may be that the development case for fighting modern slavery has not yet been well articulated. The direct ‘pay off’ to governments and business from fighting modern slavery has not been well explained. Many governments see little reward for the costs involved in taking on the vested domestic political, transnational corporate and sometimes criminal interests that sustain modern slavery. And many corporate interests still see anti-slavery as a philanthropic exercise and cost centre, not as a profit strategy. The ‘return on investment’ has not been well identified. This project seeks to provide evidence-based materials that will begin to fill this gap, making a clear and strong ‘development case’ for fighting modern slavery

Better lives for all? : prospects for empowerment through marine wildlife tourism in Gansbaai, South Africa : 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

Little is known about the consequences of burgeoning commercial marine wildlife tourism (MWT) for communities in the Global South. Gansbaai, the location for this research, has a concentration of twelve MWT operators; it also faces the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty, and inequality. Given their privileged access to marine common resources, empowerment and tourism policies position MWT permit holders as key agents of development. This research examines how MWT contributes to development for less advantaged residents of Gansbaai. Here, development means better lives and sustained empowerment for residents and rebalanced power relationships between social actors. A novel Tourism-Empowerment Framework guided observation and analysis of empowerment interfaces, expressions of power, and empowerment processes and outcomes in MWT. A mixed methods approach drew on administrative data, participant observation, and interviews with civil society, private sector, and government actors. Crucially, the results revealed government actions, persistent societal power imbalances, and structural constraints circumscribed prospects for empowerment through MWT operators. Therefore, the ability of private firms to advance empowerment was restricted. Nevertheless, the results show how business processes advanced empowerment in several dimensions for most residents linked to operators. Substantial investment in human and local economic development by some MWT operators meant benefits extended beyond business owners and employees. Empowerment manifested as strengthened ability and agency to attain personal goals through decent work, increased household resources, enhanced skills and self-confidence, expanded social capital, strengthened collective power, and greater influence over decisions that affect their lives. Further, most less advantaged residents of Gansbaai were marginalised from the multidimensional benefits of MWT, and some people experienced disempowerment. Many interventions were operator-defined, charity-based, prioritised business benefits, and maintained power imbalances. Altogether, the findings suggest unequal empowerment, uneven impact on the six dimensions of empowerment, simultaneous empowerment and disempowerment, and a muted effect on structural transformation. In the final analysis, while MWT appears to have progressed multi-dimensional empowerment for some residents, claiming that MWT has led to rebalanced power relations and better lives for all less advantaged residents of Gansbaai would be disingenuous

Immigration Federalism: A comparative Analysis of Policy in Canada (Saskatchewan) and in Australia (Western Australia)

This study compares subnational immigration programmes for economic immigrants in Canada and Australia. Whereas for the first four or five decades in the post-WWII era Australian and Canadian national governments had total control over immigration policies and programs, during the most recent three to four decades the sub-national governments have become increasingly involved in the selection of some categories of immigrants destined for their respective territories. During the same time the national “Immigration Points System” has been converted into a policy instrument that helps subnational levels of government to select specific immigrants to live and work in their territories. The change has occurred because the national merit-based point system was not very useful in addressing the pressing needs for particular types of immigrants to Canadian and Australian territories. This has evolved into what is known as “immigration federalism,” which is a relatively new approach to formulating and implementing immigration policies through processes and agreements negotiated between the national and sub-national governments in these two countries. Using Hall’s “Paradigm Model”, this study investigates how in the past twenty-five years immigration federalism has altered immigration policy in Saskatchewan (SK) and Western Australia (WA). First, this research explores how policy instruments, policy goals and the political discourse of immigration federalism have changed in the last quarter century in Canada and Australia. Secondly, this research compares differences in the ways in which Canada and Australia have selected highly skilled individuals to immigrate to their countries, highlighting the differing roles of subnational governments in each. The study confirmed that in both Canada and Australia, the immigration programmes for economic immigrants are considerably different due to structural factors such as dependence and vulnerability, and institutional factors like constitutional mandate, nature of immigration agreements and integration. Finally, Hoppe’s three drivers—puzzling, powering and participation—are used to demonstrate that policy paradigms have changed immigration policy in the same way in both countries. This case constitutes a third order of change as the immigration point-system, multiculturalism policy, nature of agreements and the nature of residency all have evolved. Moreover, a second order of change occurred in response, with new roles for applicants, firms and credential agencies. This study is the first to compare policy paradigms across Canadian and Australian subnational jurisdictions, revealing how cities have become new immigration-policy innovators

Report of Superior General and His Council (English)

https://dsc.duq.edu/spiritan-gr/1008/thumbnail.jp

Embedded geographies and quality construction in Sulawesi coffee commodity chains

Changing global conditions of agri-food production, trade and consumption are resulting in industry re-regulation and new forms of supply chain governance. This thesis explores emerging governance structures within a set of coffee commodity chains, which are dominated by various quality considerations. The research scrutinises relationships between the geographies of production and global commodity chain structures. To this end, a detailed investigation of production geographies is performed in one particular producing region, South Sulawesi in Indonesia. The diverse ways in which these regional geographies are inserted within, and transformed by, global supply chains in the coffee sector provide vital insights into emerging characteristics of the global economy. Prices paid for tropical commodities such as coffee, are currently at historic lows due primarily to chronic global oversupply. Quality-related product differentiation is a common policy recommendation to producers of tropical commodities to escape these depressed prices. In the Sulawesi coffee commodity chains moreover, quality is widely perceived and presented to consumers as a function of geographical associations with the site of agricultural production. However, a key insight of this thesis is to add a cautionary note to an argument for product differentiation as an unqualified economic development option for commodity producers. In the case of Sulawesi coffee, powerful corporate actors have been able to appropriate the value of geographically-informed quality differentiation. A central concern of this analysis is to document and interrogate the complex and contested (social) constructions of quality within the supply chains that link together disparate worlds of production and consumption. Traceability emerges as a critical mode of supply chain coordination to enable the authentication of quality constructions. Furthermore, traceability prioritises the accurate and efficient transmission of information and knowledge in the maintenance of trade relationships between supply chain actors. Traceability imperatives require innovative forms of supply chain coordination, and this thesis examines the emergence of new industry structures as a result of these changing conditions. Furthermore, the implementation of traceability systems with control over quality construction and management has important consequences for the allocation of economic benefits amongst supply chain actors