Melanesian axiology, communal land tenure, and the prospect of sustainable development within Papua New Guinea

1993 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Lea
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Communal Land

Landowner Groups and the Codification of Custom in Papua New Guinea

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria C. Stead
Keyword(s):  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Land Tenure ◽  
Land Reform ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Resource Extraction ◽  
Land Reforms ◽  
Middle Way ◽  
Customary Land ◽  
Relations Of Power

Although it diverges markedly from the vision of the Melanesian Way elaborated in the 1975 constitution, large-scale resource extraction has in recent decades been championed as the key mechanism for development in Papua New Guinea. In this context, forms of “middle-way” land reform are advocated as means of rendering customary land tenure commensurable with the requirements of modern, capitalist practices of production and economic activity. Principal amongst these are Incorporated Land Groups (ILGs) and lease-lease-back arrangements. Ethnographic exploration of communities affected by the tuna industry in Madang Province shows how these land reforms transform structures and cartographies of power, privileging the agents of the state and global capital at the same time that they transform relations of power within communities. At the same time, however, forms of codification and the assertion of landowner identities allow communities to make claims against outside agents involved in resource extractive activity on their lands.

scholarly journals Infrastructure expansion challenges sustainable development in Papua New Guinea

PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. e0219408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Alamgir ◽  
Sean Sloan ◽  
Mason J. Campbell ◽  
Jayden Engert ◽  
Regina Kiele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
New Guinea

scholarly journals Asymmetrical Development across Transboundary Regions: The Case of the Torres Strait Treaty Region (Australia and Papua New Guinea)

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Busilacchi ◽  
James Butler ◽  
Ingrid Van Putten ◽  
Yiheyis Maru ◽  
Joseph Posu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Census Data ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Torres Strait ◽  
Development Initiatives

While there is much theoretical study of the evolution of border disparities, there is little empirical analysis of development asymmetries across border regions, and their causes or solutions. Often disparities among countries hinder the ability of transboundary agreements and other development initiatives to generate sustainable development. This study quantifies development progress amongst communities in Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) covered by the Torres Strait Treaty, 26 years after its inception. Using regional census data from 2011 we found contrasting patterns of human development, with markedly poorer education levels in PNG. This asymmetry was confirmed by a Human Development Index of 0.735 for the Torres Strait and 0.270 for the neighbouring province in PNG. From a survey of 1089 PNG households in 2012–2013 we calculated that 63% of people in the villages were multidimensional poor, and 28% were ‘vulnerable to poverty’. Poverty was positively correlated with poor health, which has implications for the control of tuberculosis in the region. While Treaty provisions may have reduced poverty amongst some PNG villages closest to Australian communities, development initiatives by Ok Tedi mine in compensation for its environmental impacts have not. Our study highlights the causes of the sustainable development gap between PNG and Australian communities, and the necessity for transboundary agreements and institutions to have the capacity to adapt to their unintended consequences and rapid global change.

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