University of Wollongong Research Online University of Wollongong Thesis Collection University of Wollongong Thesis Collections 2010 Australian volunteers abroad in the Asia/Pacific region: altruistic and egoistic desire in a neoliberal paradigm (2006-2009) Nichole Georgeou University of Wollongong Recommended Citation Georgeou, Nichole, Australian volunteers abroad in the Asia/Pacific er gion: altruistic and egoistic desire in a neoliberal paradigm (2006-2009), Doctor of Philosophy thesis, Faculty of Arts, University of Wollongong, 2010. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/3322 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] AUSTRALIAN VOLUNTEERS ABROAD IN THE ASIA/PACIFIC REGION Altruistic and Egoistic Desire in a Neoliberal Paradigm (2006-2009) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY from UNIVERSITY OF WOLLONGONG by Nichole Georgeou Bachelor of Creative Arts, Diploma of Education, Master of Social Change and Development (Hons) The Faculty of Arts & Centre forAsia Pacific Social Transformation Studies (CAPSTRANS) 2010 i THESIS CERTIFICATION I Nichole Georgeou declare that this thesis, submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy, in the Faculty of Arts & Centre for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies (CAPSTRANS), University of Wollongong, is wholly mine unless otherwise referenced or acknowledged. The document has not been submitted for qualifications at any other academic institution. Nichole Georgeou July 28, 2010 i ABSTRACT This study is the first detailed, long-term ethnographic study of an International Volunteer Sending Agency (IVSA) and its development volunteers. Through a comprehensive study of Palms Australia and its volunteers between 2006 and 2009 the thesis examines how neoliberal views of aid and development have affected the practice of development volunteering. A multi-sited ethnographic approach (Marcus 1995) was utilised to follow the idea of development volunteering through multiple locals. This thesis unpacks and critically analyses assumptions about the role of development volunteers as understood from a range of perspectives including: the experiences and changing conceptions of a group of 13 Palms as they engaged in the complete cycle of volunteerism ( initial contact with Palms, orientation and preparation into placement which was for some in Papua New Guinea and others in Timor Leste, and their return to Australia); literature on aid and development, development volunteering and volunteering in the Australian context, government policy, organisational policy of IVSAs, development volunteers, and host communities. Policy shifts in the area of development volunteering and their impact on IVSAs, volunteers and host communities is analysed and attention is drawn to the complexities and tensions surrounding altruistic models of volunteering, egoistic motivations and economic rationalist policy frameworks. Critical analysis highlights that despite the rhetoric of partnership and participation in both government and organisational policy, neoliberal ideology and the managerial framework it promotes has led to the increasing vocationalisation and professionalisation of volunteer sending programs. The impact of volunteer sending models on volunteers is investigated and particular attention paid to the dilemmas surrounding the emerging trend of the incorporation of corporatist managerialist approaches in volunteering models. Tensions and paradoxes experienced by volunteers as they undertake their role and conceptualise their purpose in a complex development context are identified, which challenge altruistic and harmonious conceptions of development volunteering. Important contradictions are identified between the multiple roles that volunteers play in communities which dispute assumptions about the contribution that volunteers make upon their return to Australia. The study puts forward recommendations for future approaches to development volunteering. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am very grateful to the number of people who, over the past four years, have supported this thesis, myself and my family who inturn have supported me. First and foremost, I would like to thank the research team, Associate Professor Peter Kell, Associate Professor Tim Scrase, Associate Professor Ruchira Ganguly-Scrase and Roger O‘Halloran for the opportunity to be part of the dynamic and very interesting research project, ―Australian Volunteers Abroad in Communities in the Asia/Pacific Region‖. Thank you for your support and encouragement throughout this project, it was most valued. This research would not have been possible had it not been for the progressive attitudes of Palms‘ staff who initiated this research project, and the volunteers who were willing to place themselves under scrutiny. I am honoured that you shared your journey with me. I am deeply indebted to my mother, Nola, and to Peter who encouraged and supported me and looked after my family when I went off on fieldwork. I am especially indebted to my grandfather William Pasfield, who believed that women should have a tertiary education when it was not a popular idea. If it had not been for you, I would never have embarked on this journey. A huge thank you to my very good friends Dr Susan Engel, Dr Charles Hawksley and Fiona Henderson for reading my drafts, providing valuable feedback and recreational activities to keep me sane. This thesis would have taken a lot longer to complete if it had not been for the wonderful school mums, Glenda, Liz and Amanda who helped me juggle children so that I could write. And a very special thanks to Ian for the I.T support that got me to the end. And finally, huge bear hugs of thanks to my husband George and sons Ethan and Isaac who have supported me in a multitude of ways. Thank you I could not have done it without you! iii LIST OF ACRONYMS ABV Australian Business Volunteers AESOP Australian Executive Service Overseas Program AGVP Australian Government Volunteer Program AIPRD Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction & Development APEC Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation ARC Australian Research Council ASPI Australian Strategy Policy Institute AusAID Australian Agency for International Development AVI Australian Volunteers International AWB Australian Wheat Board AYAD Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development CAP Cycle Against Poverty CARE Australia Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe Australia CECI Centre for International Studies & Cooperation CSO Civil Society Organisation DFAT Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade DIFF Development Import Finance Facility (scheme) ECP Enhanced Cooperation Program FDTL Forcas Defensa Timor Lorosae (East Timor Defence Force) F-FDTL Falanti-Forcas Defensa Timor Lorosae (Falantil - East Timor Defence Force) FRETILIN Frente Revolucionária de Timor-Leste Independente (Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor) GNI Gross National Income GNR Guarda Nacional Republicana (Portuguese Para-Military Police) HDI Human Development Index HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome IDP Internally Displaced Persons IMF International Monetary Fund INTERFET International Force for East Timor IVSA International Volunteer Sending Agency MDGS Millennium Development Goals MSF Medicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders) NCP National Competition Policy ODA Official Development Assistance OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development OGD Other Government Departments PNG Papua New Guinea PNTL Policia National de Timor-Leste (National Police of East Timor) RAMSI Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands SCI-IVS Civil Service International – International Volunteer Service UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme iv UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation UNICEF United Nations Children‘s Fund UNTAET United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor VIDA Volunteers for International Development VSO Voluntary Service Overseas WTO World Trade Organisation v LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS/IMAGES Figure 1 - Graffiti in Dili .............................................................................................................. 102 Figure 2 - Gang Violence ............................................................................................................. 103 Figure 3 - Poor Transportation Infrastructure .......................................................................... 109 Figure 4 - Policeman ..................................................................................................................... 111 Figure 5 - Thank you Australia .................................................................................................... 112 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 - Definitions of Motivational Functions ...................................................................... 132 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION: Questions and Concepts ...................................... 1 1.1. Background of the Study ................................................................................................. 3 1.1.1. Palms Australia ......................................................................................................... 4 1.2. Positioning the Research ................................................................................................