The political economy of capacity building in the French Pacific territories

Polynesia and New Caledonia are the main French colonial territories in the South Pacific. This chapter provides an examination of capacity building in the specific context of emancipation from the colonial order looking at factors of independence and of dependencies in the management of geo-political, economic and ethnic inter-dependencies. Following some background information, the chapter shows the socio-economic divides between and within both territories as well as the challenges lying ahead. It discusses that the world of work as employment and institutions of labour relations represent key determinants for capacity building in addressing inequalities and enhancing citizenship, with a particular attention to indigenous activism within the labour movement and beyond. Future assessments of the political economy of capacity building in the region will have to consider the contested process of decolonisation on the road to independence in New Caledonia and the consequences of shifting economic dependency in Polynesia.