Village Development in Papua New Guinea
A small island nation in the South Pacific is attempting to buck all preconceptions of development as its economy grows at staggering rates. Papua New Guinea is a nation of villages. Eighty-five percent of its citizens work in subsistence industries, but Papua New Guinea is also home to a vast array of natural resources, and the expansion of extractive industries is driving economic growth unprecedented in the nation’s brief history. The question of how to maintain the integrity of villages and traditional institutions while reaping the benefits of economic development looms large in the country.
Westerners associate progress with urbanization and industrialization, and economic development without these transformations does not seem feasible to many. Papua New Guineans have witnessed the outcomes of development across the globe, and trading their village communities and traditions for urbanization and industrialization in the name of economic development is not desirable to some of them. Yes, many Papua New Guineans want economic growth that will bring better goods and services and a higher standard of living. Yet many do not want to give up their way of life and communities to replicate Western societies. Some in Papua New Guinea have put forth the concept of “village development” to solve this conundrum.
In our interview with Rupa Mulina, the Ambassador of Papua New Guinea to the Americas, he expressed hope that Papua New Guinea can maintain a village lifestyle while developing economically. He explained, “We love villages. We are a country of villages. Everyone is moving to cities where infrastructure is easier. Papua New Guinea wants to make villages more attractive.” Helping villages keep pace with industrial and urban centers is important because many citizens share the ambassador’s sentiment that “village life is better.” The citizens of Papua New Guinea may not want their government to radically disrupt their way of life, but they do want the government to play an active role in improving life in their villages. Incorporating a higher standard of living within the traditional village communities is a best of both worlds outcome. However, diverging from the traditional narrative of development is difficult, with few precedents to emulate. When asked if there are any models of village development Papua New Guinea can utilize the ambassador flatly responded, “No.” Countries usually welcome urbanization, industrialization, and consumerism as fuel for economic growth, rather than avoid those three key tenets. The lack of models is not surprising.
The tendency toward urbanization that comes with economic development may be the biggest obstacle to the ambassador’s vision of village development. Almost every narrative of development includes urbanization. The ambassador believes that Papua New Guineans “are very attached to the land. They do not move. They go back to their villages.” This is true now, but economic development could upset the old social order. Increasing agricultural productivity lowers the need for farmers, and growing big businesses creates a demand for workers in industrial centers. These forces lead people to migrate to cities. Urbanization threatens to break the bonds of kinship and community that village life revolves around. Ensuring that the benefits of development reach villages will be crucial in combating large-scale migration to cities.
The government faces a daunting task in bringing infrastructure and goods to villages spread across a diverse landscape of mountains, jungles, and small islands. The ambassador told us of Papua New Guinea’s citizens, “few have access to electricity. Most use kerosene [and] firewood. We need to provide energy to the whole country.” Villages need energy in order to utilize technologies that are the foundation of modern life, and need roads and infrastructure in order to enhance trade and communication. Implementing standardized systems of infrastructure into a country with as much cultural and linguistic diversity as Papua New Guinea is exceedingly difficult. The nation is home to over 850 languages, and lifestyles vary greatly across the country’s diverse topography. Assimilating economic development into villages while maintaining their cultural integrity will require great leadership.
Effective development in Papua New Guinea hinges on strong leadership from within the country but also from the international community. First, Papua New Guinea must receive its fair share of resources and money from the foreign investments that are boosting its economy. As a small, undeveloped nation, Papua New Guinea is often given short shrift in negotiations with large multinational corporations such as Exxon Mobil. The ambassador believes world leaders such as the U.S. and the World Bank need to play a bigger role in keeping individuals and corporations accountable to a higher social obligation. He said, “I feel very disappointed as an individual when a big company comes in and tries to take away all the due taxes.”
Increased revenue for the government is the first step, but at the end of the day the leaders in Papua New Guinea will determine whether the money does any good. If those leaders are not able to implement effective programs to bring goods and services to villages throughout the nation, then the fruits of development will mainly reach cities. Hopefully, strong willed coalitions will be able to bring benefits to everyone, so the country can succeed economically while maintaining its thousands of years of tradition and culture.