{"id":9575,"date":"2023-02-06T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-05T22:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/?p=9575"},"modified":"2023-11-06T11:44:31","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T01:44:31","slug":"reform-versus-remittances-pacific-states-leadership-and-economic-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/reform-versus-remittances-pacific-states-leadership-and-economic-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"Reform versus remittances? Pacific states, leadership, and economic reform"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/tag\/sean-jacobs\/\">SEAN JACOBS<\/a>&nbsp; |&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remittances are often put forward as a solution to poverty alleviation efforts in Pacific island countries \u2013 a \u201cwin-win for Australia and sending countries\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dfat.gov.au\/geo\/pacific\/economic-prosperity-in-the-pacific\">according<\/a> to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indeed, the concept of migrant workers transmitting money and goods directly from developed to developing communities is not only appealing but economically significant. Global remittance flows reach <a href=\"https:\/\/testblogs.griffith.edu.au\/asiainsights\/remittances-vis-a-vis-bank-credit-and-investments-in-pacific-island-countries-the-case-of-fiji\/\">well over US$529 billion annually<\/a>, and nations like Tonga and Samoa consistently rank as global top 10 remittance recipients (relative to GDP).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remittances not only assist Pacific households directly, avoiding burdensome cross-border trade and investment requirements, but labour mobility also enhances people to people links, filling worker gaps in developed nations such as Australia and building the skills of those participating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the consistent focus on remittances by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fijitimes.com\/schemes-to-upskill-people\/\">politicians<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.worldbank.org\/eastasiapacific\/labor-mobility-and-remittances-pacific-during-covid-19\">policymakers<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lowyinstitute.org\/the-interpreter\/bang-buck-getting-most-out-pacific-islander-remittances\">commentators<\/a> as a policy solution can often sideline the benefits of cultivating in-country economic growth, and much-needed associated reforms, within Pacific states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remittances can even be enhanced by domestic reforms in Pacific countries\u2014reforms that should be kept in mind whenever remittances or labour mobility initiatives are discussed. As I suggest below, such reform includes rethinking state participation in key industries as well addressing domestic issues from infrastructure delivery to women\u2019s economic participation.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Getting to growth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One key and long-standing example is also around the enforcement of property rights in Pacific states, which reduces investment opportunities and, as noted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjy-4Lbt9T8AhWlpVYBHQ9dBpYQFnoECBAQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cis.org.au%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F07%2Fpm72.pdf&amp;usg=AOvVaw2CV3uSVT2KlUOFBMUwA8Nq\">one study<\/a>, channels remittance flows toward \u201cconsumption rather than investment.\u201d While consumption positively generates economic activity, remittance dollars could go a lot further if more secure property rights were in place by flowing toward investment and economic development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a 2020 Griffith Asia Institute remittance paper on Fiji <a href=\"https:\/\/www.griffith.edu.au\/__data\/assets\/pdf_file\/0038\/959591\/JPRWP12-web.pdf\">notes<\/a>, remittance providers might consider \u201cbeing more proactive to provide various market driven forms of remittance-based savings, insurance, pension, investment or credit products for small business start-ups or other investment purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another area of concern is state-owned monopolies, which can stifle entrepreneurship and business formation. In Tonga, for example, where two-fifths of domestic GDP is comprised of remittances, the state is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pacificsoe.org\/tonga\/\">actively involved<\/a> in most industries from electricity and postal services to shipping and telecommunications, no doubt <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adb.org\/sites\/default\/files\/institutional-document\/32222\/psa-ton.pdf\">driving<\/a> much of Tonga\u2019s skilled talent into&nbsp; \u201cseeking better opportunities abroad\u201d, and highlighting another <a href=\"https:\/\/www.adb.org\/sites\/default\/files\/publication\/219266\/adbi-pb2016-6.pdf\">concern<\/a> around remittances and labour mobility \u2013 human capital drain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAn effective government is necessary for economic prosperity,\u201d notes one ADB <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiMj_3IsdP8AhUMxTgGHWMRCUIQFnoECEAQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.adb.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Finstitutional-document%2F32222%2Fpsa-ton.pdf&amp;usg=AOvVaw0cZWC4cWKRTsh0UP9Tz5fF\">report<\/a> titled <em>Transforming Tonga<\/em>, \u201cbut if the public sector gets too big, it constrains the private sector.\u201d Similar concerns to monopolised and state-owned enterprises have also been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenational.com.pg\/monopolies-not-good-for-country\/\">raised<\/a> in the region\u2019s largest economy \u2013 Papua New Guinea (PNG).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While property rights and state largesse are two examples of roadblocks to reform, there are countless other issues that stifle economic dynamism in Pacific states but that are within the ultimate purview of Pacific leaders \u2013 brittle infrastructure, limited tertiary and education opportunities, patchy law and order presence, poor public health facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Australian Prime Minister Albanese <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pm.gov.au\/media\/bond-between-equals\">noted<\/a> in his recent address to the PNG Parliament, economic participation for women is another ongoing and much needed reform, given that \u201cit boosts productivity, participation and drives growth, because it means drawing on the talent and initiative and enterprise of the whole population, not just half of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is relevant not just to PNG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where to from here?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notably, Prime Minister Albanese used his recent address in PNG to not talk about property rights or state monopolies but the criticality of labour mobility, citing a \u201csprit of regionalism\u201d and an expansion of the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility Scheme (PALM), which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.palmscheme.gov.au\/\">enables<\/a> eligible Australian businesses to hire workers from nine Pacific island countreis and Timor-Leste in the event that not enough local workers are available. By June 2023, the number of PALM workers in Australia will grow to 35,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there are clear positives from remittances and labour mobility, there should be an accompanying focus on domestic economic reform in Pacific states. Without this focus, especially from politicians, commentators and policymakers, reciprocal reform expectations on Pacific leaders will not carry momentum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remittances are clearly critical for Pacific states. However, remittances and labour mobility should be discussed in the same breath as economic growth and reform as these initiatives seek similar ends \u2013 to alleviate poverty and promote prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"author label wp-block-paragraph\">AUTHOR<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sean Jacobs is a Papua New Guinean-born Brisbane based writer, government relations and public policy specialist.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SEAN JACOBS&nbsp; |&nbsp; Remittances are often put forward as a solution to poverty alleviation efforts in Pacific island countries \u2013 a \u201cwin-win for Australia and sending countries\u201d according to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Indeed, the concept of migrant workers transmitting money and goods directly from developed to developing communities is not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":9576,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1756,1021,248,1973,1729,1732,1728,1055],"tags":[969,1050,1315,1022,1747,1027],"class_list":["post-9575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-livelihoods-culture","category-pacific-outlook","category-png-and-the-pacific","category-sdg-1-no-poverty","category-sdg10","category-sdg17","category-sdg8","category-economies-and-development","tag-pacific-islands","tag-pacific-outlook","tag-remittances","tag-samoa","tag-sean-jacobs","tag-tonga"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"Jill Moriarty","yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Reform versus remittances? 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