Warwick E. Murray

Neoliberalism is dead, long live neoliberalism? Neostructuralism and the international aid regime of the 2000s

In the 2000s a new aid regime evolved. This promised to move beyond the former neoliberal approach in a number of ways. It would involve greater consultation between donors and recipients, shift the focus from economic growth to broader factors, including poverty, and hand back the responsibility for this to the nation-state. This approach bears strong resemblance to the rise of neostructuralism, a development paradigm that has become highly influential in Latin America. In this article we trace the shifts in the aid regime and ask to what extent the contemporary regime can be defined a postneoliberal paradigm.

The second wave of globalisation and agrarian change in the Pacific Islands

Abstract The global agro-food complex is penetrating the most ‘isolated’ and ‘peripheral’ localities of the world. In the Pacific Islands, a second wave of globalisation is pulling a number of small island nations into the increasingly globalised neoliberal agricultural sector. Conscious of the under-analysis of globalisation in Southern agriculture in general, this article has three broad aims. Firstly, it contextualises and traces the evolution of the second wave of globalisation, compares it to the first, and discusses its impacts on the agricultural sector of the Pacific Islands. Secondly, it explores the local socio-economic and environmental impacts of the second wave through two primary research-based case studies in Tonga and Niue. Finally, it calls for a concerted critical research effort designed to uncover the workings of neoliberal agricultural globalisation in the region and suggests means of resisting its worst implications.

The Globalisation of Fruit, Neo-liberalism and the Question of Sustainability: Lessons from Chile

The globalisation of the fresh fruit complex has provided a ‘window’ of export opportunity for a range of Lesser Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs). Southern Hemisphere LEDCs, in particular, are penetrating high-income Northern Hemisphere ‘counterseasonal’ markets. This process has been greatly facilitated by the widespread shift to neo-liberal economic policy in such countries. Within this free-market environment, a number of considerable macroeconomic ‘successes’ have been recorded. However, the expansion of non-traditional fruit exports tends to induce a range of economic, social, political and environmental tensions which pose a threat to the sustainability of such systems. This article explores the above through an in-depth study of Chile. In a macroeconomic sense, Chile is the most ‘successful’ example of a Southern Hemisphere non-traditional fruit exporting country. However, a range of ‘external’ and ‘internal’ tensions exist which jeopardise the long-run viability of the fruit export sector. It is argued that current problems could be alleviated by means of state intervention and regulation. Such intervention should seek to correct the damaging structural imbalances created by exposure to global economic forces, and compensate for the wholly inadequate regulatory approach which has characterised Chilean neo-liberalism. In order to optimise the benefits of outward orientation in the fruit sector, Chile, and other states, must actively ‘wedge open’ the window of opportunity provided by globalisation. This requires moving beyond neo-liberalism, towards a ‘neo-structural’ policy framework.

Neo-feudalism in Latin America? Globalisation, agribusiness, and land re-concentration in Chile

This article traces the effects of globalisation on an export-oriented ‘hotspot’ in Chiles non-traditional agricultural export sector. Drawing on evidence from fieldwork carried out in 1994 and in 2004/5, the analysis examines the impact of neoliberal policy over the past two decades. Although the fruit export sector is seen as a key success story of the Chilean economy, and is an area to which small producers are often encouraged to ‘reconvert’, it is argued here that the outcome has been land re-concentration, marginalisation and proletarianisation. Small farmers become increasingly locked into dependent relationships with larger landowners and agribusiness, whilst others form a rural proletariat that serves these concerns. Whilst some commentators have labelled this process ‘semi’ or ‘neo’ feudalism, this article maintains that we are witnessing a deepening fragmentation of the peasantry driven by the continued development of capitalism. The gains of the earlier land reform period are being eroded as rural Chile differentiates and depeasantisation unfolds.

From dependency to reform and back again: The Chilean peasantry during the twentieth century

Although the Latin American peasantry remains comparatively important in terms of livelihood generation and identity formation, the rise of neo-liberal economic theory and policy and its application across the continent arguably spells the demise of peasant economy and society. There can be little doubt, therefore, that the economic liberalization associated with the most recent penetration of global capital represents an important – if not epochal – watershed in the transformation of Latin American peasantries. The latter notwithstanding, debates about this process, its causes and outcome, rage unabated. Views range from the descampesinistas, who insist upon the inevitable decline of the smallholding sector, to the campesinistas, who emphasize the vitality and adaptability of the peasantry [see Kay, 1997b; 2000]; however, the literature is on the whole fairly negative with respect to the implications of the current restructuring phase. This article takes the political economy – arguably structuralist – position that a predetermined transformation is not possible and that agrarian policy frameworks play a crucial role. It is clear that, in the wake of globalization, the peasantry is being abandoned politically by Latin American governments whose primary concern it once used to be. At a conceptual level, it appears that there is a simultaneous process of de-peasantization and de-agrarianization occurring throughout Latin America. Despite the recent structural reforms launching economies back towards specialization in agricultural exports, in general the relative economic importance of agriculture is declining both in terms of income

Dilemmas of development in Oceania: the political economy of the Tongan agro-export sector

This article critically engages with the recent diffusion of the orthodox development model in Oceania and highlights some evolving dilemmas. In particular, it explores the social, economic and ecological tensions arising from economic reforms that are exacerbating the fragility of already vulnerable nation-states and communities. In order to illustrate its arguments, a case study of the impacts of agro-export growth in Tonga is presented. Attention is drawn to the socially inequitable and ecologically unsustainable outcomes of rapid growth in this sector. In analyzing the political economy of the squash pumpkin sector, the authors point to the important role that culture plays in mediating and conditioning development outcomes. Reflecting on the Tongan case, it is argued that to better understand the implications of orthodox developmental reform in the region, research must seek to more explicitly incorporate distributional and ethical analysis.

Neoliberal globalisation, "exotic" agro-exports, and local change in the Pacific Islands: a study of the Fijian kava sector.

The economically vulnerable and geographically isolated states and territories of the Pacific Islands find themselves increasingly powerless to resist the recent accelerated diffusion of globalisation and the economic options that this entails. Neoliberal policy has arrived in the ocean region later than elsewhere in the tropical world and in the developing world in general. However, it now almost exclusively frames regional and state policy agendas, and is profoundly restructuring economies and societies across the region. Agriculture, by far the leading economic sector in Pacific Island countries, has been targeted specifically for reform. The cultivation of non-traditional agricultural exports has formed the centrepiece of the evolving strategy. As well as “staple” exports such as sugar, copra, and taro going to non-traditional markets, “exotic” niche products are being developed for export to high income markets in Europe, Asia and North America. A major example of such a product is kava – a “traditional” crop used in the preparation of a ceremonial and/or social drink. Psycho- and physiological properties have been identified in the plant by the pharmaceutical industry that is marketing a range of kava products. Produced widely across the Pacific, Fiji is the major export source. This paper traces the evolution of globalisation in the Pacific Islands, placing the current wave of neoliberalism in its historical context. It goes on to outline the evolution of the Fijian kava export sector, and investigates some of the local socio-economic impacts of recent market growth. Given the evidence presented in this study, the paper asks if the power relations evolving under contemporary neoliberal globalisation are likely to be any different from those that existed during colonial globalisation.

Paddling on One Side of the Canoe? The Changing Nature of New Zealand's Development Assistance Programme

New Zealands aid policy has undergone a revolution under the National Party government elected in 2008. Prior to this, NZAID, a semi‐autonomous unit, had evolved to manage aid in line with internationally agreed principles. Under the new government, NZAID was reincorporated into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, its focus was shifted from poverty reduction to economic growth, and its programme was aligned with foreign policy. This article aims to provide an overview of the shifts in New Zealands aid policy over four decades, to explore the relationship between the global aid regime and national practice, and to analyse the influence of politics, and of key individuals, in setting the direction of aid policy.

The Race to the Bottom of the Glass? Wine, Geography, and Globalization

The wine industry is becoming increasingly globalized as consumer demand, capital investment, and industry restructuring lead to higher volumes of trade, greater levels of multinational ownership, and the evolution of new networks of production and consumption that link the four corners of the world economy. While there are some tendencies towards increasingly homogenized and low-cost production, wine is an industry that exemplifies the complex and contradictory elements of globalization. This article outlines some key parameters of globalization drawing on empirical evidence from key cases. In particular, it focuses on the role of geography and how place and scale matter in production, marketing, and consumption. As globalization unfolds, restructuring in the wine industry is leading to the increased economic and social differentiation of rural space. The resultant geographies of place are influenced by a complex combination of local development history, national policy context, and the nature of the insertion of the given locality into global value chains for wine. As such, globalization has and will continue to produce increasingly complex and intricate geographies. La industria del vino se ha venido globalizando cada vez más como una demanda del consumidor, inversión de capital y la restructuración de la industria da lugar a mayores volúmenes de comercio, mayores niveles de participación multinacional, y la evolución de nuevas redes de producción y consumo que unen las cuatro esquinas de la economía mundial. Mientras hay algunas tendencias hacia una producción cada vez más homogenizada y de bajo costo, el vino es una industria que ejemplifica los elementos complejos y contradictorios de la globalización. Este artículo subraya algunos parámetros claves de globalización sobre la base empírica de casos claves. Se enfoca particularmente en el rol de la geografía y cómo el lugar y la escala importan en la producción, mercadeo y consumo. A medida que la globalización evoluciona, la restructuración de la industria del vino da origen a un aumento en la diferenciación social y económica del espacio rural. Las geografías resultantes del lugar están influenciadas por una combinación compleja del desarrollo de la historia local, el contexto de la política nacional y la naturaleza de la inserción de la localidad dada, dentro de las redes del valor global para el vino. Como tal, la globalización ha producido y seguirá produciendo cada vez más complejas e intrincadas geografías. 葡萄酒产业正变得越来越全球化，消费需求、资本投入和产业结构重组都导致更高的贸易额、更扩大的跨国公司所有权以及连接世界经济各个角落的生产与消费新网络的演进。当存在日益同质化、低成本生产的一些趋势时，葡萄酒成为一种表征全球化复杂和矛盾要素的产业。本文通过引用来自关键案例的经验性证据来概括全球化的一些关键性参数。尤其是，本文关注地理扮演的角色以及地理位置和规模在生产、销售、消费中如何起作用。随着全球化的展开，葡萄酒产业的结构重组正导致乡村之间更大的经济和社会差异。其结果，一个地方的地理布局正受到当地发展的历史、国家政策背景以及特定地方纳入全球葡萄酒价值链的性质所形成复杂组合体的影响。因此，全球化已经并将继续产生更为错综复杂的地缘情况。 소비자 수요, 자본 투자, 산업재구조화가 무역량의 증대, 다국적 소유권, 전세계를 연결시키는 생산과 소비의 네트워크의 진화로 이어지면서 포도주 산업은 점차 세계화되고 있다. 점차 동질화된 저비용 생산 경향이 있지만, 포도주 산업은 세계화의 복합적이고 모순적인 요소를 잘 보여주고 있는 산업이다. 이 논문은 핵심 사례를 통하여 경험적인 증거를 가지고 세계화의 핵심적인 특성을 다룬다. 특히 지리의 역할과 생산, 마케팅과 소비에서 어떻게 장소와 규모가 문제가 되는지에 초점을 맞춘다. 지구화가 전개되면서, 포도주 산업의 구조조정이 농촌 공간의 경제적, 사회적 분화로 이어졌다. 결과적으로 공간의 지리가 지역 발전의 역사, 국가적 정책 맥락과 지역이 지구적 포도주 가치사슬에 편입되는 방식 간의 복합적인 결합에 의해서 영향을 받았다. 그 결과, 세계화는 점차 더 복잡하고 뒤얽힌 지리를 만들어 내고 있고 앞으로 더 그럴 것이다.

Jungle Law in the Orchard: Comparing Globalization in the New Zealand and Chilean Apple Industries

Abstract Restructuring in the global apple market is leading to a pronounced tightening in the competitive spaces occupied by Southern Hemisphere producers. For New Zealand and Chile, the world’s two most successful apple-exporting countries, significant challenges are presented by projected industry trends, such as declining profitability in the global industry, increased world production, and the continued static demand in key markets. In particular, falling prices in Europe and North America for many key varieties and concomitant lower returns to growers are threatening serious and pervasive impacts. This article explores some of these challenges in the context of the significantly different positions occupied by New Zealand and Chile within the global fresh fruit and vegetable complex. An analysis of the two countries’ industries, particularly comparing issues of regulation and innovative varietal development, shows that global food complexes have highly variable spatial expressions, given their process-based nature and underlying dynamics of contestation. Focusing on the increased competition between the New Zealand and Chilean apple industries, the discussion sheds light on wider emerging competitive dynamics within the global fruit industry. The example of the recent Pacific Rose crisis, which involved Chilean “theft” of an exclusive New Zealand apple variety, is used to illustrate the emergence of “jungle law” in the Southern Hemisphere apple industries.