Aid, Ownership and Development : The Inverse Sovereignty Effect in the Pacific Islands / by Warwick E. Murray, John Overton, Gerard Prinsen, Tagaloa Avataeao Junior Ulu and Nicola Wrighton.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Lists of figures -- List of tables -- List of boxes -- List of abbreviations -- List of authors and contributors --Aid in the Pacific in Historic and Geographic Context: Stereotypes and Hypotheses --Aid in the Pacific Islands -- Aid, ownership and sovereignty -- The inverse sovereignty hypothesis -- A brief history of colonisation and sovereignty in the Pacific -- Researching aid in the Pacific and this book--Global Aid Regimes and the Pacific -Introduction -- Aid regimes: Pacific currents, global tides -- Colonial transfers and the foundations of aid in the Pacific -- Modernisation and the development project -- Neoliberalism -- Neostructuralism -- Retroliberalism -- Summary and perspective--Aid in the Pacific Islands: An Overview --Introduction: What is aid? -- Mapping aid flows in the Pacific Islands -- Estimating non-DAC aid flows -- Other forms of aid -- Conclusions: aid and the framing of the Pacific Islands--Sovereignty --Introduction -- The contemporary concept of sovereignty -- Questioning Westphalian sovereignty -- Oceanic sovereignty -- An emerging islandian sovereignty? -- Conclusion--The Inverse Sovereignty Effect --Introduction -- Compliance: The new conditionalities -- The burden of consultation -- The proliferation and complexity of aid institutions -- The issue of capacity -- Looking forward: Inverse sovereignty and retroliberalism -- Conclusions--Asserting Sovereignty in the Pacific --Introduction -- National sovereignty: Engaging with the global aid environment -- Paris in practice: Recipient and donor relationships -- Institutional sovereignty: Developing national structures, policies and capabilities -- State sovereignty and civil society -- The everyday exercise of sovereignty: Cafs and kava -- Conclusions--Conclusions: Towards Oceanic Sovereignty--Introduction -- Pacific currents, global tides: new aid regimes -- Exploring Oceanic sovereignty--Index.

One of the key principles for effective aid programmes is that recipient agencies exert high degrees of ownership over the agendas, resources, systems and outcomes of aid activities. Sovereign recipient states should lead the process of development. Yet despite this well-recognised principle, the realities of aid delivery mean that ownership is often compromised in practice.Aid, Ownership and Development examines this 'inverse sovereignty' hypothesis with regard to the states and territories of the Pacific Island region. It provides an initial overview of different aid 'regimes' over time, maps aid flows in the region, and analyses the concept of sovereignty. Drawing on a rich range of primary research by the authors and contributors, it focuses on the agencies and individuals within the Pacific Islands who administer and apply aid projects and programmes. There is indeed evidence for the inverse sovereignty effect; particularly when island states and their small and stretched bureaucracies have to deal with complex and burdensome donor reporting requirements, management systems, consultative meetings and differing strategic priorities. This book outlines important ways in which Pacific agencies have proved adept not only at meeting these requirements, but also asserting their own priorities and ways of operating. It concludes that global agreements, such as the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness in 2005 and the recently launched Sustainable Development Goals, can be effective means for Pacific agencies to both hold donors to account and also to recognise and exercise their own sovereignty.

Also available in print format.