Browsing by discipline "Kehitysmaatutkimus"

By exploring touristic practices around particular forms of West African dance and music cultures, this study discusses how structures of global inequality are enacted on a micro-level. The study aims to understand the social relations and subjectivities embedded in them in the context of dance and music workshops for tourists in southern Senegal. A focus on dance and music allows to ask, whether these artistic endeavors provide some progressive or transformational potentials often ascribed to them, whereas the perspective of tourism enables to simultaneously consider the social and material relations of production in the context. This study is an attempt to explore the maintenance of as well as ways of challenging the inequality producing ‘social structures’ by combining postcolonial perspectives, certain ideas from ANT tradition, and theorizations of affects and emotions as productive and hence, political. This study applies an ethnographic approach. The fieldwork was conducted in southern Senegal, in December 2016 and January 2017, on touristic dance and music workshops. The research material consists of 11 thematic interviews with workshop tourists, organizers, and artists, participatory observation, background interviews and document material. The researcher’s long-term participation in the field is also reflexively considered as a source of research material and a tool for analysis. The context was understood through relations of work and dependency, yet also alternative translations and subjectivities were enabled. The context’s social relations were also informed by a desire for the Other, intensive circulation of positive affects, and reproduction of stereotypes of Africa. Disruptive affects stemming from asymmetric power structures were dealt with techniques of individualization. The research shows how the context is profoundly entangled with asymmetric and historical relations of power and inequality, and that these relations are naturalized by certain techniques of concealment. Yet, the context retains enabling possibilities as well. The study shows how affects are productive in the context, suggesting that they firmly attach subjects to problematic structures. Though the complexity and ambivalence of the maintenance of inequality producing structures is a theoretical starting point, this study points to the endurance of these problematic structures by exploring their affective extents. The study adds to a body of research on cultural tourism and shows the importance of looking outside the traditional spheres of developmental and political action in order to understand the complexities of global inequality. The study also gestures that further attention should be given to the relevance and possibilities of such concepts as affects and emotions in the field of development studies, too.

In the 20th century global trade began changing dramatically in its volume and its form and in turn, many new theories of trade and economics have been created as a reaction to these changes. Using data from two developing regions--South Asia and Southeast Asia--which are expected to be the global leaders in economic growth in the 21st century, South Asia and Southeast Asia, this paper is an empirical study of the impact of several of the new determinants of growth: export composition/diversification, financial and institutional development, financial volatility, FDI, external debt, energy dependence, and international trade taxes. The author also creates within the model measures of trade balances across several commodities to measure and control for heterogeneity in economic structures and conditions. The study concludes that FDI, financial development, debt, and international trade taxes can be conducive for economic growth in a developing economy while higher inflation, higher interest rates, and export-orientation of some manufactured products should be avoided.

This Master’s thesis examines the critiques coming from the post-colonial studies that have been produced on the narration of the so-called ”Arab Spring”. The thesis analyzes at what kind of shapes and forms the post-colonial theory takes and how it has been utilized to critique the western narration and representations of the so-called “Arab Spring”. Especially, the thesis considers how these critiques can be utilized in future research and how they produce a deeper understanding of global transformations such as the so-called “Arab Spring”. The thesis presents an analysis of post-colonial theory, focusing mainly on the concepts of “orientalism” and “eurocentrism”. The post-colonial tradition is the main theoretical basis of the critiques used as the main source and analyzed in the thesis. These critiques are presented in large scale in the thesis. The texts are studies using qualitative method of content analysis. The critiques presented in the thesis clearly show that Eurocentric views and ideals as well as orientalist stereotypes and simplifications are hegemonic in the western narrative. These connect to the Eurocentric ideal of modernity. Central argument found in the critiques analyzed in the thesis is that the western grand narrative creates a false ideal of universalism that is produced by neglecting the subaltern voices and critiques. The key finding of the thesis is that at the center of breaking this grand narrative is dismantling the power structures produced by the colonialism through dismantling the false ideal of universalism if we want to achieve a globally just world. At the center of this process of decolonization are the subaltern voices and critiques that are currently pushed to the margins by “the West”. These voices and critiques coming from the Global South need to be recognized and listened to.

This thesis studies the basic income grant proposal in Namibia. The proposal suggests a monthly grant of N$100 (approximately 10€) to all those Namibian citizens who do not receive the state pension. This thesis concentrates on the Basic Income Grant (BIG) Coalition and on its work. The formation and transformation of the coalition during the time period between 2003 and 2009 is analyzed with the help of data collected during two field work periods in 2008 and 2009. The data includes interviews, newspaper articles, observations and other background material. The analysis of this material is mainly conducted from organizational viewpoint. The final part of the thesis applies the results to the theory of Mosse, whose propositions about policy and practice will be discussed in relation to the basic income grant pilot project. The thesis argues that social legitimacy has been a vital resource for the work of the BIG Coalition and it has sought for it in various ways. The concept of social legitimacy originates from the resource dependence perspective of Pfeffer and Salancik, who propose that organizations are dependent on their environments, and on the resources provided by the surrounding environment. This thesis studies the concept of social legitimacy in the context of resource dependence theory. Social legitimacy is analyzed in the relations between the coalition and its environment, in the formation of the coalition, in the responses towards criticism, and finally in relation to the propositions concerning policy and practice. The work of the coalition in the pilot project will be analyzed through the propositions of Mosse concerning policy and practice. The results will describe and analyze key events in the formation of the BIG Coalition from the South African proposal until the end of the basic income pilot project. This BIG pilot project conducted in 2008-2009 is one of the most well-known activities of the coalition. The clashes between the coalition and its environment will be analyzed through four case studies. It will be shown that the project has been conducted in order to gain more legitimacy to the basic income grant proposal. The conclusion questions the legitimacy of the BIG Coalition as a research and development organization, and requests for more transparent research on the basic income proposal in Namibia.

Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract In this Master’s thesis I investigate Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) involvement, experiences and outcomes in Madagascar, including the limiting and enabling factors for impact of conservation interventions driven by NGOs. The focal point of the research is the lived experiences from the field, including identification of processes and forces shaping the preconditions for NGO interventions. As part of the research I explore experiences of NGOs from their interventions and from engaging with local communities, government, policy makers and other NGOs in Madagascar. Many NGOs are active in biodiversity hotspots like Madagascar, but evaluation outcomes and lessons learned tend not to be extensively shared across organizations and thematic focus areas. This in turn affects preconditions to influence outcome determinants not only in isolated interventions but also across organizational borders. This study aims to define the situation and the issues faced by NGOs in Madagascar to suggest how the landscape could be navigated to improve the preconditions for long term intervention impact. The purpose is not to evaluate specific projects, but to assess the mechanisms through which the NGO sector can make a significant contribution to conservation, as well as the challenges in doing so. As the analysis seeks to broaden and contextualize the discussion of NGO involvement in conservation interventions, the theoretical framework for the research is based on theory on Non-Governmental Organizations and grounded theory. The theoretical framework facilitates the analysis of the findings, understanding of the results, as well as structuring and highlighting new insights. The theory is complemented with a background assessment of the environmental context in Madagascar, reviewing other research on conservation and its challenges in the country. This helps to understand the dimensions of the challenges, as well as the avenues open for exploration. Insights are gathered from representatives of long-term in situ NGOs to better understand the wider playing field in which they operate. The empirical research is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 21 representatives from 12 international and local NGOs working with biodiversity conservation in Madagascar. The data was transcribed and analyzed through thematic network analysis and constructivist grounded theory analysis. The interviews were combined with a literature review, a group interview, a field visit to a project site, and more informal conversations with academic researchers and experts in the field. As part of the study, a two-week field trip to Madagascar was undertaken. To present the findings from this research, thematic categorizations were used to illustrate factors that affect outcomes of conservation interventions driven by NGOs. The categories are related to internal organization specific factors, cooperation with other actors (including other NGOs, government and actors in the local communities), as well as the Malagasy environment and politics (including government, laws and policies). The findings reveal challenges especially with systematic coordination of NGO interventions, NGO evaluation practices, resources, as well as issues with implementing sustainable community involvement in project design and decision making. Local community involvement is considered important, but in practice is not fully scaled up and inclusive in terms of decision making and consistent involvement. Findings indicate that the cooperation between NGOs and their key stakeholders works reasonably well from the NGO perspective, but still has potential to be better utilized in order to improve long-term sustainability. Consideration of external constraints is important to assess the potential of different types of interventions and approaches, allowing NGOs to focus their efforts according to the context and their capacities. While acknowledging and navigating the diversity of viewpoints, it is essential to be aware of the impact of structural challenges, the political complexity and the often-conflicting interests between conservation, the commercial and extractive sector, as well as local livelihoods and practices. Findings indicate issues with policy implementation and harmonization, and with conservation prioritization and law enforcement by the government. Local and national ownership and leadership backing is seen as essential for biodiversity conservation, pushing for stronger leadership from within the society. My research provides insights, recommendations and conclusions from which NGOs and conservation actors can gain better understanding of factors impacting interventions, as well as on the Malagasy playing field and its dynamics. This can be helpful in order to capitalize on opportunities and counter challenges, focusing actions on areas that make a difference. The findings can also be of value to other biodiversity conservation researchers, funding agencies, associations, communities and government stakeholders specifically focused on Madagascar. The research may also benefit NGOs and conservation actors involved in other countries, which confront similar challenges concerning conservation, governance, NGO involvement and interventions.

Tässä tutkielmassa kuvataan tekijöitä, jotka haittaavat naisten toimintaa kunnanvaltuutettuina tehokkaalla tai naisten itsensä haluamalla tavalla sekä vaikuttavat heidän mahdollisuuksiinsa vaikuttaa päätöksentekoon Ghanan paikallishallinnossa. Tutkimuksessa analysoidaan sekä paikallishallintoon nimitettyjen että vaaleilla valittujen naisten asemaa valtuutettuina, mitä aiemmissa tutkimuksissa Ghanan paikallishallinnosta ei ole tehty. Ghanassa nimittäin 30 prosenttia kunnanvaltuutetuista nimitetään tehtäväänsä. Lopulta tutkimuksessa analysoidaan nimitettyjen ja vaaleilla valittujen naisvaltuutettujen mahdollisuuksia edustaa halutessaan naisten intressejä. Hon kunnanvaltuuston tapaus oli erittäin kiinnostava, sillä vuonna 2006 naisten osuus kunnanvaltuutetuista nousi 35,7 prosenttiin. Aiemmin naisia oli ollut valtuustossa huomattavasti vähemmän. Tutkimusta varten tehtiin kenttätyötä Ghanassa. Tutkimus perustuu 16 Hon kunnanvaltuutetun haastatteluun ja kunnan pormestarin kanssa käytyyn keskusteluun. Kartoitan Hon kunnanvaltuuston naisvaltuutettujen toimintaan vaikuttavia tekijöitä ja naisedustajien työssä kohtaamia esteitä sekä naisvaltuutettujen omien kokemusten että miespuolisten kunnanvaltuutettujen näkemysten kautta. Tutkimustulokset osoittivat, että naisvaltuutetut kohtasivat työssään monia haasteita. Moni esteistä oli yhdistettävissä toimimattomiin rakenteisiin, miehisiin normeihin ja käytäntöihin sekä toisaalta naisten miehiä huonompaan sosiaaliseen asemaan. Esimerkiksi liikkuminen vaalialueella ja jopa kokouksiin saapuminen oli joillekin naisille suuri haaste. Myös paikallisten ihmisten vaatimukset saada henkilökohtaista rahallista hyötyä valtuutetuilta nousivat esiin naisten esteenä. Toisaalta näkemysten esittäminen kokouksissa vaikutti naisille ongelmalliselta eli huomio kiinnittyi naisten poliittiseen kokemattomuuteen sekä valtuuston institutionaaliseen kulttuuriin. Nimitettyjen naisten asema kunnanvaltuustossa paljastui erilaiseksi kuin vaaleilla valittujen naisedustajien. Nimitettyjen edustajien järjestelmä, jota on perusteltu mahdollisuutena lisätä naisten intressien edustusta paikallishallinnossa, näyttäytyi tutkimusten tulosten perusteella kyseenalaisena keinona lisätä naisten edustusta paikallishallinnossa. Nimitettyjä valtuutettuja ei esimerkiksi nähty legitiimeinä ihmisten edustajina paikallishallinnossa vaan heidän katsottiin edistävän puolueensa intressejä, ei paikallisten ihmisten. Nimitettyjen edustajien järjestelmä myös paljastui paikalliselle poliittiselle eliitille suosiolliseksi järjestelmäksi valita kiintiön kautta edustajiksi itselleen, ei paikallisille ihmisille tai paikallisille naisille, sopivia edustajia.

Despite a stated commitment to the principle of policy coherence for development (PCD), which means taking development policy objectives into account in all policies likely to impact developing countries, the European Union (EU) has shown limited success in prioritising poverty reduction over other policy sectors’ objectives. Especially since the migration crisis in 2015-16, development cooperation appears to be increasingly used for migration management. This thesis examines how migration and development are linked in EU external policy, how the concept of PCD has been considered, and what coherence means, in the context of EU external policies on migration and development. The thesis analyses the concept of policy coherence and the interconnections between migration and development in the European Agenda on Migration (2015), the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy (2016), and the New European Consensus on Development (2017) and their implementation reports and further communications about migration policy issued by the European Commission between the beginning of the refugee crisis in 2015 and the end of the Juncker administration in late 2019. The document data is triangulated with semi-structured expert interviews, and the data is analysed using qualitative content analysis. Based on the analysis, EU policy considers migration and development linked mainly through the root causes of migration being development problems, although there is also a recognition that migration can contribute to development. Adding to the literature on the securitisation of migration and development, the study finds that migration management is considered a priority for which development cooperation can be used as leverage. This conflicts with the principle of PCD, which the study finds to be largely absent from the policy documents, indicating it is not a priority for EU external policy. The conflict between the EU’s stated normative principles and the instrumentalisation of aid can be considered normative incoherence and organized hypocrisy, which can undermine the EU’s credibility as a global actor and supposedly normative power. Although PCD is not found to be prominent anymore, ‘coherence’ is used across the documents as something to be enhanced. Based on the analysis, ‘coherence’ ascribes effectiveness, unity and credibility to the EU’s holistic, integrated approach coordinating policies, instruments and actors in pursuit of the EU’s overall interests, although these are adapted to each country context. The study suggests coherence may be understood as emblematic of a holistic approach used to legitimise the instrumentalisation of development cooperation for the EU’s overall external policy objectives.

China has become an important global actor, especially as a partner for countries of the Global South, and it is possible that China will attempt to become a hegemonic world power. This thesis focuses on the possible hegemonic ambitions of the People’s Republic of China and examines the way China frames the international environment and itself as an international actor. Through framing analysis, this thesis seeks to find out what China’s international ambitions are and how they could affect the Global South. A neo-Gramscian framework is utilised to interpret the Chinese rhetoric as an attempt at gathering international support from developing countries for possible pursuit of international hegemony. This thesis features a framing analysis of official Chinese rhetoric. The analysis of a White paper on China’s position in the world and six speeches by high-level Chinese officials concentrates on how China frames international issues and what kind of solutions China proposes. Attention is paid to specific strategies that are used to mobilise support from the developing country audiences and to empower and legitimise China as an international leader. The results reveal two distinct frames presented in the Chinese rhetoric: a frame of global inequality and a frame of common human progress. Blame for current global issues is attributed to the Global North and China is consistently framed as a benevolent, moral actor. The Chinese proposal for a new, more just international order is framed as an expression of the common will of humanity and as a logical result of common human progress. The history of Third World solidarity is employed as a rhetorical tool to convince the Global South of China’s good intentions and trustworthiness. China seems to be trying to gain support from the Global South for its international political agenda. The agenda is presented as advancing the shared interest of the Global South: development. However, when analysing the Chinese rhetoric from a world system theory viewpoint, the promise of development seems empty. The Chinese political programme seems to uphold the existing international system and aims to achieve incremental improvements within it. This could result in some degree of development in some areas, but it does not provide a solution for global poverty and underdevelopment.

The objective of this pro gradu thesis is to examine how the Fair Tourism Project of the Association of Small-Scale Banana Producers of El Guabo (Asoguabo) has been constructed. This study examines the construction of the project from two different angles: First, how and why Asoguabo has diversified from banana production to tourism; and second, what kind of image has been constructed of the project through marketing, and how have the imageries used in fair trade marketing been adopted in the construction of fair tourism. The theoretical framework for the research consists of the ideas of nueva ruralidad, new rurality, which deal with changes in rural areas. Tourism has changed over the last few decades, and tourists are increasingly looking for real and authentic travel experiences. Simultaneously, tourism has been commodified by emphasising certain features of sustainable development, and especially in the developing world, tourism is often marketed under the brand of alternative, community-based, or ecotourism. As a new concept, fair tourism has joined this wide variety of different brands, and this thesis discusses the project of Asoguabo from the point of view of fair tourism. This thesis is a case study on the Fair Tourism Project of Asoguabo, and it is based on fieldwork of one month in Ecuador in January 2010, as well as on the author's previous experiences from Asoguabo. The data consists of 21 semi-structured qualitative interviews with sixteen informants, most of who were closely related to the Fair Tourism Project. Apart from the interviews, data were collected through participant observation and content analysis of the promotion materials of the project. This thesis shows how the Fair Tourism Project faces a number of challenges before it can achieve its objective of creating additional income for Asoguabo. The research shows how the project mainly benefitted those few members of the association, who work in the project as guides. These guides profit directly from the project by obtaining small additional income, by growing their social capital, and by getting an opportunity to learn through participating in different courses, for example. The results of the research also show how communication problems between the different actors in the project exacerbate the information flow and consequently activities of the Fair Tourism Project. These problems also increase the levels of uncertainty about the project among the farmers of Asoguabo. In addition, the thesis shows that, to some extent, similar imageries are being used in the marketing of the Fair Tourism Project as in the marketing of agricultural fair trade commodities. However there are surprisingly few producers portrayed in the promotion material and pictures of European tourists are often at the centre stage.

This is a multiple-case study about how large international PC manufacturers’ commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are reflected in the companies: what new activities have been triggered, whom do companies seek to benefit with these activities, and how the companies measure their progress towards the SDGs. No previous research was found on the topic. The purpose of this thesis is to understand what possibilities and limitations there may be related to companies taking a role as development actors through the Agenda 2030. This thesis relies on a relatively wide theoretical discussion. The topic relates to theories of globalization, privatization of power, global development policy, global governance and both mainstream as well as critical corporate responsibility theories. A multiple-case study approach was chosen as no single company seems to provide a unique case enough on its own. The number of cases is limited to three based on theoretical guidance. The three case companies Dell, HP and Lenovo are the largest in PC manufacturing and together they represent over half of the global business. They all express a commitment to the SDGs and two of them report about their SDG progress on the Goal level. A document analysis was conducted on the companies’ public materials: the companies’ corporate responsibility reports from 2016 and 2014 and the companies’ global blog posts and press releases during October–December 2017. The 2016 reports were the latest reports available at the time of the data collection. The 2014 reports were used to confirm whether the reported SDG activities are truly started after the SDGs were launched. Blog posts and press releases were analyzed to gain understanding of how important the SDGs are for the company as a whole. The document analysis consisted of a content analysis of the chosen materials of each company separately and a thematic analysis for grouping the findings from all cases into themes of information. The key findings are that despite positive communication and good initiatives as such, the SDGs have in fact triggered very little new activities in the three companies. Also, reporting of progress is fuzzy and is not based on actual measurements of long-term development impacts. The companies have interpreted the beneficiaries of the SDGs through the business logic and by doing so, they have lost much of the Agenda 2030 spirit of “leaving no one behind”. It seems like the companies use the SDGs as a frame to prove that their established corporate responsibility activities are sufficient and that their business operations are legitimate. They seem not to have used the SDGs as a basis for planning their SDG activities. It can be concluded that the companies’ current contribution does not necessarily advance the SDGs in any relevant manner. At best, companies can add resources to development cooperation, but by putting the company and its priorities in the center of the planning, they often disregard a true development focus and the development opportunities in their activities. Industry specific initiatives that set clear minimum requirements for companies may be more efficient means for gaining positive development impacts in companies than generic development agendas, such as the SDGs.