Case Of Fiji Research Articles

Nurturing resilient journalists: A Fiji case study of student news reporting in challenging Pacific environments

This article examines the multifaceted learning experiences University of the South Pacific (USP) journalism students gain from practical training. It is the latest in a series of papers on applied learning and teaching at USP journalism. Applied training methods take into account the challenges of the Pacific news reporting terrain in which USP journalism graduates will operate once they start work. The article reiterates that the best way to condition future journalists for their work environment is to expose them to the elements. The article uses USP student journalists’ coverage of the 2018 and 2022 Fiji elections as background case studies of practical experience and learning outcomes.

Nurturing resilient journalists: A Fiji case study of student news reporting in challenging Pacific environments

This article examines the multifaceted learning experiences University of the South Pacific (USP) journalism students gain from practical training. It is the latest in a series of papers on applied learning and teaching at USP journalism. Applied training methods take into account the challenges of the Pacific news reporting terrain in which USP journalism graduates will operate once they start work. The article reiterates that the best way to condition future journalists for their work environment is to expose them to the elements. The article uses USP student journalists’ coverage of the 2018 and 2022 Fiji elections as background case studies of practical experience and learning outcomes.

Determinants of Bank Profitability—Do Institutions, Globalization, and Global Uncertainty Matter for Banks in Island Economies? The Case of Fiji

The objective of this study is to examine the influences of institutions, globalization, and world uncertainty on bank profitability in small developing economies. Consequently, we emphasize the significance of both bank-specific and other external factors influencing bank profitability. The empirical estimation is based on seven banks in Fiji—a small island economy—over the period 2000–2021. Together with bank-specific and macro factors, we account for institutions, globalization, and world uncertainty in analyzing the determinants of bank profitability. The study uses the fixed-effect estimation method. From the results, we observe that bank-specific variables, like the net interest margin, non-interest income, bank size, and capital adequacy ratio, are positively associated with bank profitability. Non-performing loans and credit risk are negatively associated with bank profitability. Macro variables, such as real GDP growth and remittances, have positive effects on bank profitability. Institutional factors, such as government effectiveness and voice and accountability, are positively associated with bank profitability. Regarding globalization, we find that it supports bank profitability. Global uncertainty and the Global Financial Crisis (2007–2008) are positively associated with profitability, whereas the global pandemic (COVID-19) is negatively associated. This study underscores the need to analyze the bank performance with factors beyond those reported in financial statements to derive a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the complex nature of banking operations.

A new methodology for probabilistic flood displacement risk assessment: the case of Fiji and Vanuatu

This paper presents an enhanced probabilistic flood displacement risk assessment methodology. Several techniques have been proposed to estimate the number of people at risk of being displaced triggered due to climatic extremes. Among these methods, the probabilistic approach is promising for its quantitative nature and versatility at different scales. However, it has so far been limited to assessing loss of housing as the sole cause of displacement. The proposed methodology addresses this limitation by considering two additional elements beyond the traditional evaluation of housing loss: the likelihood of losing means of livelihood, directly included in the computation, and the likelihood of losing access to essential services, such as schools and health centers, provided as a factor to increase the propensity to displace. This new methodology is applied to assess flood disaster displacement risk in Fiji and Vanuatu, where climate change, coupled with the vulnerability of exposed assets, poses an existential threat to these Pacific islands, potentially leading to internal and cross-border population movements. Different climate scenarios were considered: current climate conditions (1979–2016 period), medium-term projected climate conditions (2016–2060), and long-term projected climate conditions (2061–2100). The average annual displacement increases in Fiji and Vanuatu by a factor of 3 and 4, respectively, in the projected long-term pessimistic climate scenario compared to current conditions. Depending on the country and climate change scenario, 20 to 40% of these displacements stem from loss of livelihoods as a dominant factor, highlighting the importance of considering this aspect in the vulnerability approach. The outcomes of these scenarios serve as the foundation for implementing displacement risk adaptation and management measures. This novel quantitative methodology holds significant potential for applications in larger domains and even globally.

School Electricity Consumption in a Small Island Country: The Case of Fiji

Electricity consumption in buildings is one of the major causes of energy usage and knowledge of this can help building owners and users increase energy efficiency and conservation efforts. For Pacific Island countries, building electricity demand data is not readily accessible or available for constructing models to predict electricity demand. This paper starts to fill this gap by studying the case of schools in Fiji. The aim of the paper is to assess the factors affecting electricity demand for grid-connected Fijian schools and use this assessment to build mathematical models (multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural network (ANN)) to predict electricity consumption. The average grid-connected electricity demand in kWh/year was 1411 for early childhood education schools, 5403 for primary schools, and 23,895 for secondary schools. For predicting electricity demand (ED) for all grid-connected schools, the stepwise MLR model shows that taking logarithm transformations on both the dependent variable and independent variables (number of students, lights, and air conditioning systems) yields statistically significant independent variables with an R2 value of 73.3% and RMSE of 0.2248. To improve the predicting performance, ANN models were constructed on both the natural form of variables and transformed variables. The optimum ANN model had an R2 value of 95.3% and an RMSE of 59.4 kWh/year. The findings of this study can assist schools in putting measures in place to reduce their electricity demand, associated costs, and carbon footprint, as well as help government ministries make better-informed policies.

“Want to help someone? Shut up and listen”: Foreign aid, maladaptation, and community development practices in the Pacific

AbstractMotivationThrough a Fiji case analysis, this article elaborates on how well‐intentioned foreign aid initiatives can result in maladaptation for local communities. When most well‐intentioned foreign aid institutions become aware of development problems in the Pacific Island Countries, they start planning development interventions. However, maladaptation can occur where there is insufficient community input, creating conditions that worsen situations and make communities more vulnerable.PurposeThe study highlights a way to improve the sustainability and effectiveness of development projects with local communities by analysing two case studies. One is a community project driven by a civil society organization (CSO) and the other is community‐driven development (CDD) project in Fiji.Approach and methodsThe researcher engaged in community field studies while working as a civil servant in Fiji for 12 years and has continued these studies as a researcher for five years. The data used in this article are both experiential and research‐based. Action research took place when the author supported CDD programmes based on traditional farming. This study provides a longitudinal view that includes critical auto‐ethnography and talanoa.FindingsThis study finds that the CSO did not appreciate community aspirations and local knowledge, leading to community maladaptation in response to their programme intervention. By contrast, CDD in the same locale saw community members take control of strategizing, carrying out development activities, and monitoring. This directly contributed to community resilience and collective well‐being, in addition to making the CDD activities more sustainable than those dependent on donor funding.Policy implicationsThis article showcases the value of CDD for Pacific communities and the importance of accounting for local aspirations and worldviews. Thus, policies in Pacific Island Countries should ensure that any community development programmes respect people's culture and understand their notions of well‐being and resilience, and so contribute to more self‐determined development.

Does the Psychological Well-Being of Male and Female Tourism-Reliant Workers Differ During a Crisis Such as Covid-19? A Case of Fiji

Tourism was the major contributor to the GDP and employment in Fiji, which changed after COVID19. This study explores the psychological well-being of 82 tourism industry workers from tourism-dominant areas of Fiji who completed an online questionnaire assessing their past experiences, psychological well-being, and positive thinking attitude. A regression analysis was performed to analyze the results. The results showed that the psychological well-being and positive attitude scores were very high. An average score in positive feelings from past experiences and a below average negative attitude indicated that psychological well-being was slightly affected. Findings also reveal that the psychological well-being of males is positively linked to positive and negative experiences of the past. In contrast, for females, it is linked to positive past experiences. This indicates that studies should always account for male and female differences to better understand psychological wellbeing. These findings will enable the industry, government, and related stakeholders to respond to future crises. Practical implications are discussed.

The Challenges of Reducing the Public Service Size and Enhancing Good Governance: The Case of Fiji

Fiji’s public sector has experienced over 30 years of reforms following the adoption of structural reforms in the late 1980s. Despite three coup d’états in 1987, 2000 and 2006, the Fiji Government has continued to roll out the implementation of its public service reform program focusing on a reduction in the size of its public service with the adoption of the principles and practices of New Public Management (NPM). This paper posits the question whether a reduction in the size of Fiji’s public service has been achieved using the recommended indicators by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It then reviews the challenges faced by the Fiji public service in implementing key elements of NPM. Finally, it addresses the question whether Fiji’s public policy lens should remain focused on reducing the size on the public service and should policy efforts be concentrated on enhancing good governance practices within Fiji’s public service.

Waiting for the wave, but missing the tide: Case studies of climate-related (im)mobility and health

Climate change amplifies health risks, including through the health impacts of climate-related displacement. Yet diverse mobility responses in a warming world can also provide a pathway for climate change adaptation. This article examines the connections between climatic and environmental change, human mobility and health. It presents case studies across three countries: Fiji, Bangladesh, and Burkina Faso. All case studies used qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews, storytelling, and group discussions. The Fiji case study focuses on relocation of a coastal village exposed to erosion, flooding and saltwater intrusion; it highlights self-reported health risks and opportunities following relocation. The Bangladesh case study includes seven sites that variously experience flooding, cyclones and riverbank erosion; while residents use migration and (im)mobility as a coping strategy, there are associated health risks, particularly for those who feel trapped in new sites of residence. The case study from a village in Burkina Faso examines seasonal labour migration to the Ivory Coast and Mali during times of drought and reduced agricultural productivity, and discusses health risks for men who migrate and for women who remain in sending communities. These case studies illustrate that there is no consistent figure that represents a 'climate migrant', ‘climate refugee’, or ‘trapped’ person. Accordingly, we argue that where planetary health looks to highlight ‘waves’ of climate displacement, it may miss the ‘tide’ of slower onset climatic changes and smaller-scale and diverse forms of (im)mobility. However, even where climate-related mobility is broadly adaptive - e.g. providing opportunities for livelihood diversification, or migration away from environmental risks - there can be health risks and opportunities that are shaped by socio-political contexts, access to healthcare, altered food sources, and living and working conditions. Responsive solutions are required to protect and promote the health of mobile and immobile populations in a warming world.

Portfolios under Different Methods and Scenarios: A Case of Fiji’s South Pacific Stock Exchange

In this study, we analyze portfolio performance under different methods and scenarios for the small island economy of Fiji. In addition to documenting the historical performance and the smallness of the stock market, the study looks at the possibility of opting for an equally weighted (naïve) portfolio against market and minimum variance portfolios. To this end, we extract monthly stock price data of 17/19 listed companies from August 2019 to July 2022 and invoke different approaches to develop portfolios under different scenarios. We consider the mean-variance, minimum variance, semi-variance, utility maximization, and minimum turbulence portfolios, based on beta-adjusted (CAPM-based) returns. The different portfolios presented in the study should provide some insights on asset allocation in Fiji’s stock market. Interestingly, unlike average returns, the beta-adjusted returns indicate that an equally weighted portfolio can yield relatively higher expected returns than market portfolios, although, with a relatively higher standard deviation and lower Sharpe ratio than the optimized results. In a semi-variance analysis (where we account for downside risk only), equally weighted portfolio yields superior returns, albeit with a relatively lower Sortino ratio. Given that Fiji’s stock market is currently a small, with a relatively small number of listed companies, potential and less sophisticated investors and analysts considering portfolios based on beta-adjusted returns, may simply opt for 1/N (naïve) portfolios as a diversification strategy while realizing decent expected returns. The optimized portfolio under mean-variance, semi-variance, and utility are presented as alternative considerations for nuanced investors. Additionally, equally weighted turbulence-adjusted and minimum-turbulence portfolios are constructed to capture periods of unusualness and calmness in the market. The methodologies and the results presented can be adjusted and applied to other small markets and hence can influence investment decisions of investors in creating diversified portfolios under different scenarios.

An Application of Portfolio Mean-Variance and Semi-Variance Optimization Techniques: A Case of Fiji

In this paper, we apply the Markowitz portfolio optimization technique based on mean-variance and semi-variance as measures of risk on stocks listed on the South Pacific Stock Exchange, Fiji. We document key market characteristics and consider monthly returns data from SEP-2019 to FEB-2022 (T = 30) of 17/19 listed companies on the stock exchange to construct various portfolios like 1/N (naïve), maximum return, and market and minimum-variance with and without short-selling constraints. Additionally, we compute each stock’s beta using the market capitalization-weighted stock price index data. We note that well-diversified portfolios (market portfolio and minimum-variance portfolio) with short-selling constraints have relatively higher expected returns with lower risk. Moreover, well-diversified portfolios perform better than the naïve and maximum portfolios in terms of risk. Moreover, we find that both the mean-variance and the semi-variance measures of risk yields a unique market portfolio in terms of expected returns, although the latter has a lower standard deviation and a higher Sharpe ratio. However, for the minimum-variance portfolios and market portfolios without short selling, we find relatively higher returns and risks using the mean-variance than the semi-variance approach. The low beta of individual stock indicates the low sensitivity of its price to the movement of the market index. The study is an initial attempt to provide potential investors with some practical strategies and tools in developing a diversified portfolio. Since not all the portfolios based on mean-variance and the semi-variance analyses are unique, additional methods of investment analysis and portfolio construction are recommended. Subsequently, for investment decisions, our analysis can be complemented with additional measures of risk and an in-depth financial statement/company performance analysis.

The ridge-to-reef approach on Cicia Island, Fiji

Many Pacific countries and territories embrace an officially recognized ‘ridge-to-reef’ approach to environmental management. This is the case of Fiji, where the Lau Seascape Strategy 2018–2030, led by Conservation International, aims for integrated natural resource management across 335 895 km2. This area includes Cicia Island, which deserves particular attention since, years before the design of the Lau Seascape Strategy, its population developed its own informal ridge-to-reef scheme, involving a combination of certified organic agriculture and locally managed marine closures. Based on 1 month of ethnographic fieldwork, this paper presents this scheme and highlights local perception and conceptualization of its positive effects on both the land and the sea. These reflect the iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian) concept of vanua, which intrinsically connects the health of the land, the sea, and their (human and non-human) dwellers, while stressing the importance of addressing land-sea processes and management efforts beyond an ecological perspective, i.e. through an engagement with the iTaukei relational ontology.

Linking tourists’ and micro-entrepreneurs’ perceptions of souvenirs: the case of Fiji

ABSTRACT Most tourists return home with a souvenir purchased after a holiday. Studies on souvenirs have mainly focussed on either the demand or supply perspective. This research integrates both perspectives to achieve a more holistic understanding of souvenirs in the Pacific context. This paper compares souvenir purchase behaviour of cruise ship visitors and overnight tourists. The research also examines the main reasons micro-entrepreneurs sell souvenirs and the meanings they attach to souvenirs. Overnight tourists have a deeper understanding and appreciation for souvenirs compared to cruise ship visitors. Suppliers provide souvenirs to sustain their culture, as well as for economic reasons.

Path-dependency theory in a post-conflict state: the case of Fiji

PurposeViolent geo-political conflicts are on the rise across the globe, particularly within fragile states. Using path-dependency theory, this paper aims to explore Fiji in the context of its public administrative history examining the legacies of history that have contributed to its ongoing conflicts.Design/methodology/approachAn archival document analysis along with a theoretical thematic analysis was used to collect and assess data. Themes were identified that explain how and when the conflict became path-dependent.FindingsAnalysing conflict as path-dependent demonstrates how indirect rule while Fiji was under colonial rule, and the short time it has taken for the nation to transition from a colony to an independent State contributed to the eruption of conflicts in Fiji.Originality/valueThe research makes two key contributions, namely, it develops a theoretical understanding of conflict using path-dependency theory and it uncovers legacies of colonialism that have shaped conflict in Fiji.

Rugby, Nationalism, and Deaf Athlete Counterhegemony: Insights From the Case of Fiji

This article explores the nexus between power, sport, and disability with a focus on Deaf rugby in Fiji. Based on semistructured interviews with players, officials, and stakeholders, this article outlines their pursuit of rugby and participation in a recent international tournament under Fiji’s specific postcolonial social conditions. It examines what this experience means to the players and officials, and the sociopolitical significance it holds in the multiple relations of power that the game is embedded in. This article shows Deaf rugby as a significant counterhegemonic force that reconfigures Fiji’s rugby discourse by appropriating its key constitutive element: anti-imperialist modern nationalism. This article further explores Deaf rugby’s implication in prevailing gender/ethnoracial/corporeal politics with a view to offering nuanced insights into the question of resistance in/through disability sport in a Global South context.

Determinants of financial-risk preparedness for climate change: Case of Fiji

There is a growing concern among central bankers that climate change poses not only serious environmental problems but also a potential economic and financial crisis. This study first confirms a hypothesized theoretical framework with different dimensions of the overall preparedness for climate related financial risk in the Fijian context, and then utilizes this framework to assess the present risk preparedness in Fiji. We tested two Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) models in Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) Framework to analyse the survey data. We evaluated these models using several fit indices. The first CFA model included four correlated latent factors defined by multiple indicators (items) reflecting four hypothesized dimensions. The four latent factors were correlated significantly. The second CFA model included a second-order multi-level constructs reflecting overall preparedness along with four constituent dimensions. The four dimensional factors showed significant and substantial loadings towards overall risk preparedness suggesting that there also exists an overall higher order construct. The model fit indices showed that this second-order CFA model has an acceptable model fit. These results confirm that the four hypothesised dimensions – political leadership (Political), administrative direction (Administration), international standards (Standards) and supervisory mechanisms (Supervision) – are identifiable and distinct aspects. In addition to the four dimensions, the results suggest that overall preparedness should also be tackled in a multi-level integrated manner. The results also reveal that political initiatives would be futile without proper administrative direction and strong supervisory mechanisms. This theoretical framework can also be used to assess financial systems in other developing countries with similar socioeconomic contexts.

Stock market development and nexus of market liquidity: The case of Fiji

AbstractThe purpose of this paper is twofold: First, to explore the macroeconomic and institutional factors influencing stock market development (SMD) in Fiji during the period 1996–2018 and second, to explore the causes of the prolonged sluggish nature of the South Pacific Stock Exchange (SPX) in Fiji. A mixed‐method approach was employed: autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) testing framework was used to estimate the influence of the structural determinants in Fiji while descriptive and narrative analysis was used to explain the status of the SPX. The study findings partially confirmed the findings of previous studies. The findings that economic growth promotes SMD while inflation is negatively correlated to SMD were consistent with previous findings. However, the finding that regulatory quality and banking sector development have negative impacts on SMD was contrary to the findings of previous studies. Many determinants, which have been shown to have significant impact on SMD in other studies, did not show any significant impact on the SPX in the Fijian context, particularly the stock market liquidity showed no correlation to SMD and not distributed normally. Exploration of the nexus of the market liquidity reveals that present regulatory conditions are not conducive for the stock market to be vibrant and suggests eliminating excessive paperwork and entry restrictions are critical, not only to attract new players to the market but also to increase trading volumes. We argue that the concentration of ownership and market disintegration resulted in the current sluggish status of the SPX.

The Prospects for Customary Law in Transitional Justice: The Case of Fiji

The use of customary law shows real promise in addressing the challenges that arise when confronting the legacies of past human rights abuses and atrocities. Unlike typical transitional justice mechanisms like trials, truth commissions, and reparations programs, customary practices are community-based and well-known to the people who use them. Indeed, customary practices could be used in transitional societies in place of “foreign” practices to bring about the same objectives. This paper considers the role that customary law plays in Fiji. It further assesses the prospects for the use of customary, traditional law in situations where transitional justice is called for.

Decolonizing International Relations: A Re-Memory of Indentured Servitude in Fiji and How it Impacts Our Present and Future

In response to the fourth coup in the Fiji Islands in as many as seventeen years, the international community demanded the restoration of democracy and order in the country. Historical memories of a British colonialism that brought Indians to Fiji as indentured laborers and proceeded to construct a ‘museum’ for the Euro-American imagination that resulted in such tumultuous conditions in Fiji are conveniently cast aside in a colonial globality masquerading as “liberal international order.” These memories, histories beyond the Western construct of the nation-state, histories of colonialism, are also missing from dominant discourses of realism, liberalism, constructivism and historical materialism. The case of Fiji serves as an example of a ‘postcolonial’ nation-state that current academic IR theory cannot offer much support to since it has a colonial epistemology, shackled and bounded within the confines of the Western-constructed nation-state system. Hence, this paper will shed the secure and comfortable land of the Euro-American, travel down the kala pani (Pacific) waters, and shipwreck on Vanua Levu, one of the many islands in the archipelago of Fiji, as the first Indian indentured laborers did when they were taken from one part of the British empire to another. In a place that is romanticized as paradise in the Euro-American imagination, we will pull back the curtains of the imagined museum and reveal a ‘post-colonial’ nation struggling with export-oriented dependent development while burning in the flames of ethnic-tensions created by the then British Empire and sustained today by a colonial globality. This colonial globality is emulated by the modern nation-state, in which differences are created and otherized, sustained within national spaces and across the inter-national. It is the crucial intervention of historical memory pertaining to the construction of the nation-state and the inter-national that makes possible this Discovery. We propose decolonizing IR through critique where the voices and histories subaltern to IR, but so crucial to the production of the local, the national and therefore, global, are put back on the agenda, which should ultimately provide for more honest and responsible scholarship.

Cash transfers' effect on government support: the case of Fiji

While some scholars have found that government post-disaster assistance supports the incumbent, others have shown that incumbent effects among beneficiaries are imperceptible or negative. This article contributes to this debate by using a regression discontinuity design of households affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston in Fiji to show that the type of assistance provided is an important variable in understanding the effects of aid on perceptions of the government. Residents of Fiji who received a post-disaster cash transfer are up to 20 per cent more likely to be very satisfied with the government than are those who did not. The probability further increases if the cash transfer was provided along with in-kind benefits or vouchers, but it is not affected if beneficiaries were also encouraged to use their own pension savings. This paper provides evidence in favour of the 'attentive citizen' theory by demonstrating that beneficiaries actively appraise government responses; it also reveals possible effects of elite capture on the relationship between the government and beneficiaries.