John Stuart Mill and Fourierism: ‘association’, ‘friendly rivalry’ and distributive justice

John Stuart Mill’s self-description as ‘under the general designation of Socialist’ has been under-explored. It is an important feature of something else often overlooked: the importance of the French context of Mill’s thought. This article focuses on the role of Fourierism in the development of Mill’s ideas, exploring the links to Fourierism in Mill’s writing on profit-sharing; his use of the words ‘association’ and ‘friendly rivalry’; and his views concerning distributive justice. It then reconsiders his assessment of Fourierism as a desirable, workable and immediately implementable form of social reform, ultimately arguing it was Mill’s most-preferred form of ‘utopian’ socialism

Why do Papua New Guinean voters opt for clientelism? Democracy and governance in a fragile state

The paper examines the factors supporting the clientelist approach to politics that is having such detrimental impacts on the political and economic performance of Papua New Guinea. Lack of awareness on the part of voters of the consequences of their actions and of the possibility of political alternatives seems the most likely reason for the development and persistence of patron-client politics. Other reinforcing factors include the continuing institutional decay, such as in law and order, that has fed perceptions that superior political alternatives are not available. Data to test these hypotheses are urgently needed to assist efforts to implement change in voter behaviour that only serves to impoverish them

Land tenure and sugar production in Fiji: property rights and economic performance

By the end of this decade, more than 6,000 agricultural leases will have expired in Fiji. The families who have farmed these areas for generations will lose a major source of income, and sugar production and its contribution to Fiji?s economy is likely to suffer as a result. This paper looks at the effects of the planned land reforms and the role of the Native Land Trust Board, whose powers inhibit landowners and tenants from freely negotiating terms and conditions of contracts

The Papua New Guinean malaise: from redistributive politics to a failing state

Do the current governance problems in Papua New Guinea have a political, cultural or economic basis? While politics and culture have no doubt been important, it is argued that the economic policies adopted at independence are responsible for many of the governance problems that are proving so difficult to overcome. In particular, the adoption of the recommendations of the Faber Report of 1973, with their emphasis on localisation and redistributive policies rather than policies that would have supported economic growth, led to predatory behaviour by the political ?lite that undermined the process of legitimisation of economic, political and administrative institutions