The current United States (US) President Trump’s era of political rule within the US and across the world has created many economic uncertainties and fear among nations. Citizens of the world are living in fear of possible emerging war among superpowers, and of economic sanctions initiated by the US exacerbating costs of living. Current development problems affecting the developing countries compound that fear, prompting many of us to wonder, what role can the field of applied psychology play in this troubling time in which we live and work?

The Pacific Small Island Nations (PSIN) are no exception to such problems and are more vulnerable than ever. They are caught in the middle of this huge global tension, which is causing fear among people in the region. Ongoing issues of poverty, climate change, food insecurity, inequalities, etc., confronting these small island nations in everyday life are becoming integrated with that fear, which we increasingly feel threatens the lives and livelihoods of the citizens of PSIN countries.

In such time of global uncertainty, the field of applied psychology becomes more relevant to provide both ‘psychological comfort’ and development solutions that all countries including the PSINs need. One example that speaks to both functions is the applied field of Humanitarian Work Psychology - which we teach in Papua New Guinea at the National University. In Papua New Guinea, the application of its principles in institutions, such as universities, work organizations and communities in the PSIN is critical and relevant. The promotion of everyday well-being and relatedly, sustainable livelihoods of the population remain paramount.

The field of applied psychology is taught in universities in the Oceania Pacific region such as Australia, New Zealand, and on a smaller scale, in developing Island Nations of Fiji and Papua New Guinea. Many of our University graduates work in various organizations in those countries that deal with security and development issues such as poverty reduction, etc. (above). However, for some graduates in the field of applied psychology in PSINs, the practical value of the degree may seem less evident and moreover, to face many formal structural challenges in the governance of these countries.

Facing up to such challenges, at UPNG we teach to demonstrate the availability of expert knowledge and research evidence, in and from applied psychology, for dealing with humanitarian and development issues such as poverty, climate change, food security, and wage fairness and equality in pay for all. We also choose to do so in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs). We focus on how these can be practicalized and advocated at micro and mid (organizational and institutional) levels when faced with broader macro-policy challenges and lack of political will or ignorance in these countries.

A good case-in-point is the pay inequity from dual salaries that exists in Papua New Guinea and nearby Solomon Islands, where expatriate workers are paid almost 10 times more highly compared to their local counterparts who perform the same job (Marai, et al, 2010; Marai, 2014). Dual salaries were a part of colonial rule and continued to be practiced after PNG’s independence in 1975. IIa’ava (1999) termed this practice of dual salaries as, “Economic Apartheid”, which particularly in PSINs, e.g., through amplified housing and food price inflation, leaves wider local communities impoverished in their own land.

Studies in humanitarian work psychology broached this taboo topic empirically. These studies found that both expatriate and local workers were demotivated (“double demotivation”, see Marai et al, 2010; 2014) by the ripple effects of almost tenfold inequities in pay and benefits. They furthermore propelled both a decline in wellbeing and intentions for job turnover and brain drain.

To address this inequity in pay and benefits, in 2012, the government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) initiated and funded a nationwide consultation to gauge views from skilled workers about dual salaries inequity from various institutions across the country.  The findings from these consultations corroborated the research; and found clearly against continuing with the inequity in pay and benefits that existed among expatriates and local counterparts.

A subsequent submission by the Department of Higher Education, Research, Science & Technology (DHERST) was co-sponsored by the Department of Personnel Management. It recommended to the National Executive Council to scrap the practice of dual salaries and create a fairer pay system, e.g., one pay scale for all, or redress using benefits (see, Marai, 2014). However, its recommendation was eventually rejected on the grounds that such change would have broader financial implications across public and private work sectors in the country.

Arguably, in the longer-run, such decisions by the PNG government demonstrate lack of political will, and a non-consideration of research findings (Marai, 2010) to remedy the problems of unfairness – actually, unsustainability and insecurity - of dual salaries among expatriate and local workers. The practice of dual salaries continues to-date; but it also continues to be challenged, through applied research and its media representation (https://www.abc.net.au/pacific/programs/politok/politok/106343068).

The nub of my wider argument is illustrated by this example of unsustainability of dual salaries for human workers in the PSIN. One among many other development issues, it nicely encapsulates the bigger picture at the PSIN macro-level. Too often, government decisions are distanced and counterproductive from the reality on the ground at a micro- and meso-levels, where practice takes place and people are affected psychologically, by not being able to sustain their own lives and livelihoods over time. The issue, for us here as applied psychologists, is therefore having greater impact ‘up,’ at our own islands’ macro, socio-political level; of pitching ‘understanding-up,’ successfully, to, with and through our present and future political decision-makers and leaders (MacLachlan & McVeigh, 2021).

Poverty, climate change, lack of education, food security, etc. These are major challenges that remain for every government of PSINs, as elsewhere. The challenge for applied psychology in PSINs is to address gaps in the decisions that leaders make, with cogent research evidence about how to support, sustain and bring to bear vital own ‘human resources’ in these countries.

The likelihood of achieving most of the 17-SDGs by 2030 for these Pacific Small Island Nations may seem remote and bleak, as the multilateral order shifts. Yes, there is fear uncertainty and insecurity. But the role of applied psychology is clear, and it remains promising.

References

IIa’ava , V. P. (1999). The dual salary policy: An obstacle to real human and national development. Development Bulletin, 50, 65-66.

MacLachlan, M., & McVeigh, J. (Eds.). (2021). Macropsychology: A population science for sustainable development goals. Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50176-1.

Marai, L. (2014). Dual salary and workers’ well-being in Papua New Guinea. In W. Reichman (Ed.), Industrial and Organizational Psychology Help the Vulnerable: Serving the Underserved (pp. 120-30). Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave-Macmillan.

Marai, L., Kewibu, V., Kinkin, E., Peniop, J., Salini, C., Kofana, G. (2010). Remuneration disparities in Oceania: Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. International Journal of Psychology, 45(5), 350-359.