Some Recently Published Papers

Communications in the Pacific Islands: Progress & Constraints. With Suzanna Layton, (forthcoming 1998) in M. Rapaport (Ed.) Geography of the Pacific Islands. Honolulu, HI: Bess Press.

Following an introductory discussion of contemporary communications and journalistic theory relevant to the Pacific islands context, this chapter traces the pattern of Pacific Island telecommunications and media development, from colonial administration through independence, and explores some of the more recent "critical" telecommunications and media development options (e.g., television, satellites, Internet, etc.) now being made available to vastly improve the flow of information and increase Pacific islander connectivity for domestic, regional and international communications.

Envisioning "New" or Buying "Used": Are the Pacific Islands Caught Between Alternative Communication Futures? (forthcoming 1997) Futures, Vol. __, No. __, Pp. ___.

With the complexification of today's society, due in large measure to rapid technological convergence in the fields of communications and informatics, developing Pacific island countries are faced with what at the surface appears to be a devil's choice: jump on the high-tech bandwagon and risk being subsumed by the Western-dominated "cyberculture," or withdraw from the technology-induced developments evidenced in richer countries and thereby run the risk of falling even further behind. Such a dichotomy is, of course, false and paints a rather nihilistic picture of Pacific islands futures. This is not to say that technology decisions made in the short-term would not have dire long-term consequences; rather, such a polemic is selling the Pacific islands a "used future." It is vitally important, at this juncture, for Pacific island leaders, entrepreneurs, and citizens to recognize that advances in digital communications and information technologies are already radically changing the way the world works, lives and thinks. Thus, creative, long-term future strategies for planning and optimizing the application and use of high-tech communications in economically advantageous and culturally appropriate ways are desperately needed.

Uncertain Futures: Changing Paradigms & Global Communications. With Majid Tehranian, (forthcoming 1997) Futures, Vol. __, No. __, Pp. ___.

Expansion of the global communications environment -- from Gutenberg's printing press through today's computer-mediated Internet -- has historically had multiple effects; centralizing and dispersing power, homogenizing and pluralizing societies, globalizing and localizing cultural identies. In the headlong rush to operationalize the seemingly endless chain of improvements in the speed and scope of global communications we must remain cognizant that changes in modes of communication have an important effect on the trajectory of social evolution and the values and beliefs of societies. As Innis and McLuhan have pointed out, each communication technology contains certain biases, thus the effects of global communication can be better understood if we problematize the social constructions and uses of technology rather than concentrate on the impact of technological gadgets in social isolation. This essay juxtaposes changes in the global communications environment with scenarios of post-Cold War era continuity, collapse, and transformation. It is hoped that by so doing, certain social forces, by virtue of their fit with emerging trends in global communications, could be identified as more prominent features of the emerging world political landscape and thus provide general indications of a possible postmodern world order.

Electronic Power to the People! Who Is Technology's Keeper on the Cyberspace Frontier? (June/July 1996) Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Vol. 52, No. 2 & 3, Pp. 119-133.

Cyberspace in all its myriad incarnations has emerged as society's latest frontier -- full of hope and promise but also fraught with peril and vulnerabilities. As we make ever deeper forays into cyberspace, it becomes increasingly more important to recognize that the technology that supports it is more than just hardware; it is also social process -- possessing both high promise and high risk. In our fast-paced, interconnected, complex world -- made all the more so by information technology-induced change and unrealistic or reckless demands -- we have pushed our society to its limit. The unfinished business for the social management of technology is to recognize that social change is largely a political act. In a democracy, individual citizens may need to lead the leaders in writing the script. Thus, the proposition that ownership of cyberspace as social space or even as political space, resides first with the people  is central to achieving its true potential. The need to affirm the basic principles of freedom and liberty is very real in this new environment. Such an affirmation is needed in part because we are beginning to homestead new territory, a virtual territory, where there are as yet few rules -- where power resides with whoever controls the technology, and whoever controls the technology controls the future.

Pacific Islands, Information Technology & Universal Access: It's Not Just About Wires . In The Development Bulletin, Vol. 35, October 1995, Pp. 19-22, Australian Development Studies Network, Australian National University (ANU).

New information technologies are changing the relationship between developed and developing countries and providing new ways of doing development . This article argues that the perceived value of the information technology "gadgets" must exceed their cost for "real people" in the Pacific islands to connect, raising awareness of the problems of equitable and open access to information as well as the more basic issues of resource awareness and/or relevance as necessary public service priorities.

Converging Information Technologies and Pacific Island Microstates. (1995, January), In D. Wedemeyer & R. Nickelson (Eds.) PTC'95 Proceedings, Pp. 592-599.

Telecommunications has become recognized as an essential tool for development and will likely remain as such well into the next century. It is therefore important for countries, especially the small Pacific island developing states, to come to grips with the situation in order to derive maximum benefits. Modern telecommunications and information technologies are proving to be important for inter alia economic growth as well as social and political well-being. The major focus of this paper is to examine some of the emerging global trends in telecommunication technologies and discuss them in the context of Pacific Island development aspirations. It will be suggested that appropriate organization at the government and private sector levels for creative and long-term financial and managerial inputs into future strategies for optimizing the application and use of telecommunications technology is needed.

MIRAB and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. (1994), Isla: A Journal of Micronesian Studies, Vol. 2, No. 2, Pp. 237-272.

This article examines the social, economic, and political transformations that have taken place in the Republic of the Marshall Islands -- changes that ultimately resulted in the formation of a rentier society. Following a brief survey of historical trends, the present course of development in the Marshall Islands is examined utilizing the MIRAB model (Migration, Remittances, Aid, & Bureaucracy) -- arguably a more descriptively accurate model of economic and social change than those currently employed in development praxis. The article contends that the present course of development in the Marshall Islands is a function of its evolving rentier economy, the emerging MIRAB conditioning effects, and the widening schism between expectations and reality.

Politics in a Parallel Universe: Is there a future for cyberdemocracy? (1994), Futures, Vol. 26, No. 7, Pp. 713-729.

What is today referred to as "cyberspace" has, for the most part, developed and grown from its modest beginnings in the early 1970s into a globe-wide "matrix" with relatively little direct input or interference from businesses or governments. However, with government, commercial and public attention turning towards the global Internet and the proposed US national information infrastructure, this is about to change. As this happens, it becomes increasingly obvious that cyberspace is too important to leave to specialists, or special interests. therefore, as individuals become increasingly more aware of the intellectual, social, commercial and political leverage possible through participation in cyberspace, its potential importance is no longer just a function of convergent technologies but also that of its intelligent and deliberate use by an informed population. This article focuses on these issues and, following a brief discussion of definitions and historical background, presents two alternative visions of the future of cyberspace and an exploration of possible topics of concern for policy making in the future "virtual polis."

Telecommunications & Information Technologies in Pacific Islands Development, co-authored with M. Jussawalla (1994) Asian Journal of Communication, Special Issue, Vol. 4, No. 2, Pp. 1-32.

This article examines the impact and implications of telecommunications and information technologies against the backdrop of development aspirations in three "representative" Pacific Island nations; namely the Cook Islands, the Republic of Fiji, and Papua New Guinea. This paper specifically focuses on the broad social, economic, and political impact of recent telecommunications developments. Such developments are considered in light of each country's individual development programs and their common desire to increase their respective participation in the global economy. It is argued that if development aspirations are to be realized, respective national telecommunication policies must attempt to achieve multiple objectives - some are economic, and some are social. Finally, placing such an examination in a regional context, the country case studies are used as the background use to generate three alternative scenarios from which policy considerations are examined and possible recommendations discussed.

This article reports on some of the finding of a preliminary investigation to determine if there were any concerns regarding television's social impact on the part of the local population in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau, and to ascertain what the perceived social impact of television was on each community. The article further discusses to what extend TV and/or video has contributed to the changing sociocultural environment in each location and what implications these findings may have on broadcast and communication policy in the broader telecommunications environment of the Pacific Islands.

Contribution of Distance Higher Education to National Development in Pacific Island Countries co-authored with H. Yamanaka & T. Kobayashi (1993, January) In J. Savage & D. Wedemeyer (Eds.) PTC'93 Proceedings Vol. I, Pp. 204-211.

One of the major purposes of this paper is to present some of the preliminary results of research initiated by the National Institute of Multimedia Education (NIME) in Japan, in cooperation with the University of the South Pacific (USP), on the impact of distance higher education in the South Pacific. Specifically, this paper will discuss the results of attitudinal surveys and extensive interviews conductted with students from almost every Pacific Island member country of USP and from a wide range of backgrounds. The implications of these results are discussed against the background of national development aspirations, the role, function and effectiveness of satellite based tutorial instruction for higher education, and the potential socio-economic effects of the provision of extension program services on the respective pacific Islands societies. Finally, issues will be raised to highlight possible directions of future study and application and what role Japan, or other rim countries, could play.

Development and Telecommunications Technology in Pacific Island Microstates (1993, January) In J. Savage & D. Wedemeyer (Eds.) PTC'93 Proceedings Vol. II, Pp. 988-997.

Summarized in this paper are some of the preliminary results of a comparative study of the role and impact of telecommunications technology on development aspirations in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Cook Islands; two freely associated Pacific Island countries (with the United States and New Zealand respectively). The broader social, economic, and political impact of recent telecommunications developments are briefly examined in light of the two country's seperate development programs and their desire to increase their competitive advantage in the global economy. In the conclusion, two 30 year scenario projections are outlined which present different policy options which must be considered if either country is to realize their perferred course of development.

The Paradox of Pacific Development. (1989) Development Policy Review Vol. 7, No. 4, Pp. 361-373.

The economic viability of Pacific island microstates classified by the South Pacific Forum in 1984 as "Smaller Island Countries" -- namely the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Niue, and Tuvalu -- has reached a critical impasse. Thus, a summary of where these countries currently stand in the "development process" and an analysis of the conflicts of interest between the type and mode of development desired by the islanders and that which was inherited from the colonial past, seems timely. It is argued here that key to understanding the policy implications necessary to support the rhetoric of "development the Pacific way" is recognition of the existence of MIRAB (MIgration, Remittances, Aid and Bureaucracy) economies in the Smaller Island Countries by the governments of the respective island microstates as well as the aid donor countries and/or organizations.

- - all pau!

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