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20<br />
UC PGSA Research Spotlight<br />
Shining a light on the work of UC post-grads.<br />
This could be you one day!<br />
Sustainable<br />
Development<br />
in the Pacific<br />
This week we talked to Thomas Gillman, who you may recognise<br />
as your post graduate representative in the UCSA, about his<br />
PhD research on Sustainable Development Methodologies.<br />
Thomas’ research focuses on the gap between humanitarian and<br />
development aid in relation to climate change and how Smaller<br />
Island States in the Pacific are challenged by the fundamental<br />
issue of aid effectiveness; specifically capacity, coordination,<br />
monitoring and evaluation, leaving the question how can access<br />
to aid funding be expedited in the current volatile geopolitical<br />
environment?<br />
tackles a whole range of issues in developing countries, aiming to<br />
eradicate poverty, inequality and exclusion.<br />
After completing his PhD, he plans to take some time off while<br />
working on other projects “I would really like to write some<br />
poetry. A mate, who is a photographer, and I would like to put<br />
together a short book with pictures and poems talking about<br />
the PhD pathway and process. The first poem will be titled, “A<br />
balance between Do-Bro’s and scribbling, the perfect amount <strong>for</strong><br />
effective writing”. From here it would take a slightly more serious<br />
turn and explore how the research impacts the world which we<br />
are connected to and engage with, and the lives of those on both<br />
sides of the text. We are open <strong>for</strong> others to add to this book, so if<br />
you got some awesome texts let us know.“<br />
If you would like to learn more about Thomas’s research or the<br />
UNDP, email thomas.gillman@pg.canterbury.org.nz.<br />
.<br />
Confused? So was I. So we asked Thomas to simply the topic.<br />
“Broadly speaking this research explores the power dynamics<br />
that govern our current world system”. Thomas chuckles and<br />
adds, “Unsure how many people will stop reading now, but no<br />
stress”. He continues, “Our world is defined by the perceptions<br />
and demands of those with power and if we do not engage<br />
with this critically then it is very difficult <strong>for</strong> those who live on<br />
the margins of this power to have a strong input into the global<br />
agenda. Aid is often utilised as a <strong>for</strong>eign policy tool by countries<br />
and so it can also be understood as a tool of influence. Thus,<br />
there is a need to explore the way in which aid is implemented<br />
and dispersed in order to question the current power dynamics.”<br />
With an undergraduate background in a Bachelor of Arts in<br />
English and History (with some Philosophy thrown in), his<br />
research is based here at UC and will involve future field work in<br />
the Pacific Islands and Europe.<br />
“Those BA’s can get people places!”<br />
Thomas was inspired to undertake his PhD while living in Samoa,<br />
working <strong>for</strong> the United Nations Development Programme<br />
(UNDP). The UNDP is a division of the United Nations which<br />
Issue 1.<br />
Contact us – info@canterburypgsa.org.nz
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