Gross National Generosity in the Postcolonial Pacific

This chapter argues that official development assistance (ODA) is a form of neocolonialism and demonstrates this using examples from Pacific Island Countries (PICs). The chapter includes a discussion of how even well-meaning ODA can negatively impact the postcolony and devolve into a contemporary form of colonisation when provided within a win–lose or winner-takes-all framework. Analysis utilising dependency theory (development), common-pool resources (political economy), schismogenesis (psychology) and gift-giving theory (anthropology) will show how the current ODA system leads to an erosion of relationships due to the incommensurability of value systems and cultural interpretations. Data for analysis are drawn from research conducted by the author in 2015–2017, consisting of interviews with policymakers in Vanuatu, Tonga and Kiribati. The chapter introduces Gross National Generosity (GNG) as a more balanced framework for ODA based on reciprocity, rather than exchange, and for governments of recipient countries to engage more resourcefully with international donors.