The Visibility of the European Union as a Development Actor in the South and East Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific
Details
Time line
2006 - 2008
Countries in focus
South Africa, Kenya, Thailand, Vietnam, Fiji, Samoa. the Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea.
Project goals
This project purports to contribute to the EU’s international relations in terms of its commitment to peace, development, human rights and democracy and thereby facilitate the dialogue between the EU and other peoples and cultures (Pacific, African and Asian). This project involves a unique major comparative study of attitudes and citizens’ perceptions of the EU as a development actor in these three regions never before undertaken. This multidisciplinary project also targets the study of the EU/Europe international actor image in “third” countries -- a challenging and still under-researched area in the EU identity scholarship.
Although the EU is a leading development actor globally, little data is available on how third citizenry perceive the EU and no comparative studies have explicitly examined the EU’s development image in selected regions. The project traces the broad public perceptions and attitudes towards the EU as a development actor across three African-Asian-Pacific regions. All three regions look to the EU for significant development aid and data generated by the project have the direct influence on regional public policy responses through enhancing a more informed consideration and awareness of different initiatives of the EU. This data will be used as direct mechanisms for Development Ministries and of the European Commission Delegations in respective countries in each region.
The inspiration behind the research project -The Perceptions of the European Union as a Development Actor: a comparative analysis of media representations, public opinion and practitioner views in the Pacific, South East Asia and Southern African regions – stems from the findings of a previously funded Jean Monnet Action project on media and public perceptions of the EU in general in the Asia-Pacific region. A striking finding in this previous innovative research was the general low level of media coverage and public awareness of the EU as a significant development actor (in terms of aid, trade, debt relief and poverty reduction) committed to meeting all of the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Consequently, this project seeks to focus more precisely on this topic - that of the images of the EU as a “development actor” in the international public discourses - while applying the existing proven methodology in order to facilitate comparative analysis. The chosen regions reflect the EU’s diverse development mechanisms and groupings, combining the African and Pacific elements under the Cotonou process with the EU’s separate South East Asian strategy.
Media analysis
Date |
Country |
Outlets |
Number of articles |
July 2006–July 2007 | South Africa | Business Day, The Star, Sunday Times, SABC News | TBC |
July 2006–July 2007 | Kenya | Daily Nation, The East African, Taifa Leo (Swahili), The Standard Kenya, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, NTV, KTN Network | TBC |
July 2006–July 2007 | Thailand | Thai Rath, The Manager, Bangkok Post, ITV | 875 |
Jan–June 2007. | Vietnam | Youth, VNET, Vietnam News, VTV1 | 228 |
July 2006–Dec 2007 | Fiji | Fiji Times | 332 |
July 2006–Dec 2007 | Samoa | Samoa Observer | 18 |
July 2006–Dec 2007 | Solomon Islands | Solomon Star | 269 |
July 2006–Dec 2007 | Cook Islands | Cook Island News | 47 |
July 2006–Dec 2007 | Papua New Guinea | Post Courier | 104 |
Public opinion analysis
Timeframe |
Country |
No of Respondents |
Method |
Nov-06 | Thailand | 400 | Telephone |
2007 | Fiji | 448 | Telephone |
Nov- Dec 2008 | Vietnam | 400 | Telephone |
2007 | South Africa | TBC | Telephone |
Elite opinion analysis
Date |
Country |
Method |
No of Respondents |
April-July 2007 | South Africa | semi-structured, face-to-face | TBC |
Jan 2007- April 2008 | Pacific | semi-structured, face-to-face | 46 |
March-June 2008 | Vietnam | semi-structured, face-to-face | 33 |
Aug–Dec 2007 | Thailand | semi-structured, face-to-face | 18 |
Dec 2007-April 2008 | Kenya | semi-structured, face-to-face | TBC |
Project supervisors
Professor Martin Holland
National Centre for Research on Europe
Associate Professor Natalia Chaban
National Centre for Research on Europe
Project Senior Scholars
Prof. Gerrit Olivier
Director
Centre for European Studies in Africa
University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Professor Apirat Petchsiri
The Multidisciplinary Department of European Studies Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok, Thailand
Ass. Prof Alma Maria O. Salvador
Chair
Department of Political Science
Ateneo de Manila University
The Philippines
Prof Cornelis Pieter Frederik Luhulima
Senior Researcher
European Studies Programme
Universitas Indonesia
Dr Pahm Quang Minh
Dean
Department of International Relations
Vietnam National University
Hanoi, Vietnam
Project Research Team
‘African’ Team:
Dr Patrick Kimunguyi
Lecturer
Monash University
Melbourne, Australia
Dr Lorenzo Fioramonti
Researcher
University of Bologna
Bologna, Italy
‘Pacific’ Team
Dr Jessica Bain
Post-Doctoral Fellow/ Lecturer
National Centre for Research on Europe
University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
Serena Kelly
Doctoral Candidate
National Centre for Research on Europe
University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
Dr Malakai Koloamatangi
Researcher /Lecturer
National Centre for Research on Europe
University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
Andrea Reichstein
MA student
National Centre for Research on Europe
University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
Katharina Scheffler
MA student
National Centre for Research on Europe
University of Canterbury
Christchurch, New Zealand
‘South-East Asian’ Team
Trip Kirtiputra
The Multidisciplinary Department of European Studies
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok, Thailand
Rachanirom Raveepaopong
The Multidisciplinary Department of European Studies
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok, Thailand
Suneenart Lophatthananon
The Multidisciplinary Department of European Studies
Chulalongkorn University
Bangkok, Thailand
Leslie Advincula Lopez
Doctoral Candidate/Researcher
European Studies Programme
Ateneo de Manila University
The Philippines
Manuel Enverga
Doctoral Candidate/Researcher
European Studies Programme
Ateneo de Manila University
The Philippines
Edward Panjaitan
Lecturer
European Studies Programme
Universitas Indonesia
Anika Widiana
Researcher
European Studies Programme
Universitas Indonesia
Dr Dao Minh Hong
Dean
Department of International Relations
Vietnam National University
Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam
Hiếu Trần Bách
Researcher
Department of International Relations
Vietnam National University
Hanoi, Vietnam
Bui Hai Dang
Vice Dean
Department of International Relations Vietnam National University
Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam
Project Events |
Date |
Pilot Study: The Visibility of the European Union as a Development Actor in the Pacific Media (2006-7). | August-December 2006 |
Orientation research meeting #1: "Project Research Methodology", Singapore | March 2007 |
Content analysis of national news print and broadcast media | March 2007 – on going |
Research meeting #2: Research group work with interim media and elite findings, Singapore |
November 2007 |
Public opinion survey | 1st half of 2008 |
Work on publications (work paper, special issue of a journal) | January-December 2008 |
Research meeting #3: Research group work with final media and elite data NCRE, Christchurch, New Zealand |
September 2008 |
Presentation of the project’s final findings at the NZ EUCN conference | September 2008 |