Connecting in Spirit: Relationships in International Development
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Lincoln University Digital Thesis Copyright Statement The digital copy of this thesis is protected by the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). This thesis may be consulted by you, provided you comply with the provisions of the Act and the following conditions of use: you will use the copy only for the purposes of research or private study you will recognise the author's right to be identified as the author of the thesis and due acknowledgement will be made to the author where appropriate you will obtain the author's permission before publishing any material from the thesis. Connecting in spirit: Relationships in international development A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lincoln University by Walter Lewthwaite Lincoln University 2019 Abstract of a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Abstract Connecting in spirit: Relationships in international development by Walter Lewthwaite Organisations involved in planning and delivering international development projects, and their recipient partners, can hold worldviews that conflict with each other’s. How the parties negotiate tensions, explicit or implicit, between these worldviews could be important for project success. I investigated how these interactions are managed using a typology of three parties in a triangular relationship: recipients, faith-based organisations (FBOs), and secular organisations. Over these I ran the theoretical lens of Habermasian post-secularity, which advocates for a substantive role for religion in public life. The research concluded that FBOs and the recipient, less-developed world, which is generally profoundly religious, can, through religion, and regardless of what that religion is, have a natural rapport. This recipient-FBO bond is likely to be the strongest and most open bond in that triangle of relationships. On another leg of the triangle, Western-based FBOs, while wrestling with their own identity and role, could be considered to have the tools to connect satisfactorily with their compatriot secular colleagues. By way of contrast secular organisations will face an additional and often high barrier of an absence of religious faith when trying to achieve trusting relationships with recipient groups. This research found that, within Habermas’s original focus area, that is within Western secular nations, there are distinct limits to the practice of post-secularity, and these limits are more stark when considering the triangle of relationships in international development. An extension to Habermas’s views is that the research showed value in not just listening but also engaging and debating views as a pathway to achieving true partnership. The research also shows that New Zealand practice in integrating religion and development is lagging behind best international practice. The thesis identifies applications for improved relationships in managing aid and development, including suggesting a role for FBOs as facilitators in communicating across worldviews. Aspects of communication theory, particularly regarding assonance and dissonance, provide a helpful perspective, as does a model of worldviews that uses the concept of an ‘excluded middle’ to contrast spiritual worldviews with secularity. Agency theory offers another relevant worldview base for understanding relationships, with Western organisations, both secular and faith- based, having a similar perspective that is different from the views of many in the less-developed world. The thorny issue of proselytising was found to be misunderstood, with political and secular attempts to change worldviews being more common, more radical and often more coercive than religious proselytising. The thesis notes the need for further research on the effects on development outcomes of both religious faith and better relationships; on global trends in religiosity; and on factors that inhibit adoption of a spirit of post-secularity. Keywords: international development, partner relationships, worldviews, religion, post-secular, faith-based organisations ii Acknowledgements I am grateful for the support and guidance of my supervisors at Lincoln University: David Fisher, Hamish Rennie and, until she shifted to Auckland, Tracy Berno. Their expressions of positive support have encouraged me to continue, and their constant guidance and frequent suggestions have enabled me to complete this task and have improved the content enormously. The deficiencies in the thesis are my responsibility, not theirs. I also appreciate Don Royds’s work in producing the better graphic images in the thesis: the worse ones are mine. Lincoln University helped financially with a post-graduate scholarship, which covered all fieldwork expenses, and more: thank you. I am thankful to those who made themselves available to be interviewed and others who helped with logistics. Last but not least I am deeply indebted to my wife, Helen, for her non-stop support, and for fulfilling admirably that review role of the ‘intelligent layperson’ – although in her case that is a misnomer as she has many years of experience in aspects of the topic – and to others of my family for their interest, reviews and encouragement. Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my grandchildren – currently Angelina, Nathaniel, Benjamin, Jonathan and Noah – with the hope and prayer that they will live in an even better world than mine, and will enjoy contributing to its further development. iii Table of contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ................................................................................................................................... iii Table of contents ......................................................................................................................... iv List of tables ................................................................................................................................ vi List of figures .............................................................................................................................. vii List of story boxes ...................................................................................................................... viii Acronyms and abbreviations ........................................................................................................ ix Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Terminology ..............................................................................................................................2 1.2 Evolution of development theory .............................................................................................2 1.3 Potential theoretical frames .................................................................................................. 10 1.4 Roadmap to thesis ................................................................................................................. 11 Chapter 2 Worldviews in the literature.................................................................................... 12 2.1 Worldviews ............................................................................................................................ 12 2.2 Religion and development ..................................................................................................... 17 2.3 Secularism and development ................................................................................................ 27 2.4 Excluded middle ..................................................................................................................... 34 2.5 Who are the parties? ............................................................................................................. 38 2.6 Post-secularism ...................................................................................................................... 39 2.7 Post-secularism and development ........................................................................................ 48 2.8 Agency .................................................................................................................................... 61 2.9 Summary and conclusions from chapter 2 ............................................................................ 67 Chapter 3 Organisations and research issues ........................................................................... 68 3.1 Faith based organisations ...................................................................................................... 68 3.1.1 Recognition of FBOs ...................................................................................................70 3.1.2 Distinctives of FBOs ....................................................................................................71 3.1.3 Challenges facing FBOs ..............................................................................................73 3.2 Proselytising ........................................................................................................................... 75 3.3 Communicating across worldviews ....................................................................................... 81 3.4 Gaps in literature ..................................................................................................................