Institutional matching and bridging networks for improved

livelihood options

Yiheyis Maru, Jocelyn Davies, Hannah Hueneke, Kostas Alexandridis, Paul Box, Robyn Grey Gardner, Vanessa Chewings

CSIRO Sustainable EcosystemsDesert Knowledge CRC

Desert Knowledge Symposium 6 November 2008, Alice Springs

Warning : this presentation may contain photos of people who have passed away

Anmatjere region

• 1150 people– 85% Aboriginal

• Dispersed settlements• Strong local languages

– 50% speak Anmatyerr at home, 10% Warlpiri, 10% Arrernte

• Diverse economies– art, community services,

customary (hunting, gathering), horticulture, mining, traveller trade.

The issue

• Low labour force participation• Aboriginal aspirations for jobs• Aboriginal employment high only in some sectors• Regional economic development requires local

employment• Mining and horticulture likely to expand

• The sustainable livelihoods approach

– People have valued ends– People use strategies to achieve

these– People use strategies within

institutional contexts – People who achieve their valued

ends build on their assets – People have varying degrees of

influence over the ‘rules’– People’s assets are subject to

risks

• Institutions the ‘rules of the game’

– the ‘software’ of a social system

– the ways people operate– how to behave to be

considered as behaving in a socially acceptable way

– what makes interactions predictable and safe

– (not physical things or organisations)

Left to right: Anita Randall at Tangentyere Jobshop in Ti Tree; Daniel O’Connor, grape farm manager, the Block; Alfred Albrecht Morton, Pmara Jutunta CDEP coordinator, in the workshop; Deborah Scrutton, research assistant and former Anmatjere Community Government Councillor, at Alyuen; Trevor Glenn in the Pmara Jutunta CDEP workshop; Gerry Price with children at Wilora.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Work in child care

Police

Tourism

Women’s centre

Retail-shop work

Teaching

Work in Aged care

Night Patrol

Family care

Ranger work

Health care

Job network

Youth work

Computer work

Looking after country

School

Training

Council

Cattle work

Looking after disabled people

Trees and plants (grapes)

Music

Vehicles and mechanics

Art

Gardening

Looking after old people

Sport

Ceremony

Bushtucker

Looking after kids

Cleaning

Cooking

Percentage of interviewees by Aboriginal status

non-Aboriginal

Aboriginal

Top to bottom : Elizabeth Inkamala with her grandchildren at Wilora; Cedric Cook and Lewis Nelson working on a car at Ti Tree; Mary-Anne Stirling, office manager, and Tracy Glenn at Pmara Jutunta; Jennifer Ross and Annette Allan packing lunches at the Ti Tree Aged Care Centre.; Night Patrol workers at Pmara Jutunta, l to r Monty Moore, Janie Cook, Davey Presley, Paul Glen, Rosemary Tilmouth; Terrizetta Gorey in Pmara Jutunta for the school holidays

Key factors affecting meaningful access to paid employment

Our preliminary analysis

1. Capacity

2. Accessibility

3. Job suitability & availability

4. Motivation

Local people’s analysis in workshop1. Knowledge & understanding 2. Role Models3. Two laws, one set of rules, working

together

Left to right: Edna Snape, Aged Care Coordinator, with Paddy Willis at Ti Tree Aged Care Centre; Terrizetta Gorey in Pmara Jutunta for the school holidays; the Anmatjere Regional Economic Development Committee meets in Ti Tree.

Bridging networks to improve access to jobs• Social networks relied on for

jobs

• But, social networks are very separate

• Need to support bridges

“What would you tell someone who wanted to

work in your job?”(interview question)

“See me and I will introduce them to key people”“Come [here] and talk with me and I'll talk to the boss”

“Go talk to [this person] or [that person].”“Need to get picked by [that person].”

“I'd invite him. Maybe just join him in, start work. Someone's working: someone might ask you,[then] you can start. That's what everybody

does. Someone invites you.”“Tell them to talk to supervisor or boss.”

(various interviews)

Two sets of ‘institutions’

?workplace institutions

Aboriginal institutions

Institutional matching for improved livelihood options – ‘Two laws, one set of rules,

working together’

Workplace institutions Emerging shared institutions Local Aboriginal institutions (ways of doing things, rules) developed by a process of institutional matching

Agreement processes, for mining, horticulture

Emerging bridges, matching institutions

Industries - Pastoral industry; community service sector

Organisations – development, government, training

Individuals that wear two hats, work two ways

“We have to keep on changing, different rules, the way we live. The rules are now changing, and the laws we have to obey, how we have to live and work. Our culture never changes, it’s always

the same. … there’s been changes in the government too … NT government as well, change rules, and we have to keep changing? How are we gonna live then? See these rules change, and

the whole system you know. We’ll never be resting in peace. How can we live a normal life? Rules changing overnight. Why can’t there be one set of rules, for people to follow, especially for

people who are at work…We want simple rules to live by, so that it’s easy. We hear too many stories, too many stories on the media, from the paper, or information … we want something that

will make life better, you know. Just something simple.” (focus group participant)

Threats to institution matching: ‘the churn’

• The sustainable livelihoods approach

– People have valued ends– People use strategies to achieve

these– People use strategies within

institutional contexts – People who achieve their valued

ends build on their assets – People have varying degrees of

influence over the ‘rules’– People’s assets are subject to

risks

• Institutions the ‘rules of the game’

– the ‘software’ of a social system

– the ways people operate– how to behave to be

considered as behaving in a socially acceptable way

– what makes interactions predictable and safe

– (not physical things or organisations)

Left to right: Anita Randall at Tangentyere Jobshop in Ti Tree; Daniel O’Connor, grape farm manager, the Block; Alfred Albrecht Morton, Pmara Jutunta CDEP coordinator, in the workshop; Deborah Scrutton, research assistant and former Anmatjere Community Government Councillor, at Alyuen; Trevor Glenn in the Pmara Jutunta CDEP workshop; Gerry Price with children at Wilora.

Thankyou

Steering Committee members

Central Land Council, former Anmatjere Community Government Council, NT Department of Local Government and Housing, NT Department of Business, Economic and Regional Development, DEET, DEEWR, Centrefarm, Tangentyere Jobshop, Central Desert Shire

Field research support: Maryanne Stirling, Deborah Scrutton, Gerry Price, Malcolm Ross

Photos: Robyn Grey-Gardner and Hannah Hueneke