The Business of Development Aid: A Case Study of For-Profit Development Contracting in Timor-Leste

This project proposes the use of ethnographic research to analyze for-profit development aid programs in Timor-Leste by examining the everyday interactions of global and local contractors and the technologies of governance through which development work is shaped. The internship would function as an immersive 12-weeks training experience in anthropological research methods for Audrey Lefort. Dr. Laurentina ‘mica’ Barreto from the National University of Timor-Leste and Dr. Susanna Barnes from the University of Saskatchewan would supervise the intern as she 1) conducts participant observation in development-related settings and assists with semi-structured interviews, 2) analyzes development documents and tools, and 3) synthesizes the information gathered in a 10-15 page report and present her findings to the host institution. Her engagement with development professionals and community members would foreground the informal relational, and non-market practices of trust, reciprocity, and localized knowledge that influence development contracting in Timor Leste. This project is intended as a foundation for ongoing, interdisciplinary research collaboration between Canadian and Timorese scholars. Consequently, the internship would create opportunities for future co-authored outputs, collaborative grant applications, and student exchanges to support the existing relationship between the University of Saskatchewan and National University of Timor-Leste.

Faculty Supervisor:

Susanna Barnes

Student:

Partner:

Universidade Nasional Timor-Lorosa'e

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other; Public Service, Policy, and Governance; Life Sciences (not health)

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program: