Reciprocity: What is it and what are its implications?

A Māori man and Joseph Banks exchanging a crayfish for a piece of cloth, drawing by Tupaia, c. 1769 (British Library) Photo: Public domain. Also on Nile & Clerk 1996

For the 1st EDEN (Emerging and Developing Economies Network) SEMINARS at Shizenkan University on May 8th 2019.

Kaitu’u ‘i Pangai Funaki (PhD)

Reciprocity as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary is “the quality, state, or condition of being reciprocal; reciprocal action or relation, esp. reciprocation of cooperative or altruistic behavior”, with reciprocal defined as “a return (in kind); made, given, etc., in response; answering, corresponding”.

In daily conversation reciprocity is frequently used interchangeably with terms such as “exchange” and sometimes even “trade”, but are these words identical in meaning or merely similar? Reciprocity as applied in Gross National Generosity (GNG) and as used by The Dignified Pacific Initiative (DPI) is defined by the research of Dr. Kaitu’u ‘i Pangai Funaki and does not include the sense of bartering found in “exchange” or “trade”. Following, Dr. Funaki explains the concept of reciprocity as it is understood in his homeland of Tonga where it is considered a cultural value. Further, he states that this interpretation of reciprocity can be found throughout the Pacific Island Countries (PICs)/Oceania, which, he asserts, share a common value system.

Reciprocity in the Pacific

In the Pacific cultural context reciprocity is not an exchange even though both reciprocity and exchange are commonly understood as creating mutual benefit within a relationship. The distinction made between reciprocity and exchange revolves around motivations and intentions. For exchange, the motive is self-interest with the intent of maximizing one’s own benefit from the relationship. In the Pacific, for reciprocity the motive is the other party’s interests and the intent is to maximize that party’s benefit from the relationship. Pacific cultures pair reciprocity with generosity and utilize reciprocity’s focus on the partner to maintain and strengthen relationships.

Reciprocity is also perceived as the vehicle for maintaining dignity and self-respect, which Pacific cultures realize through a cycle of gift-giving. In gift-giving the obligations to give, to receive, and to reciprocate a gift form the foundation for dignified relationships. The first obligation to give a gift initiates the relationship. The second obligation to receive a gift establishes the relationship as refusing the gift would signify rejection. The third obligation to reciprocate a gift sustains the dignity of both the giver and the receiver and simultaneously strengthens their relationship. The gift-giving system encourages hard work by individuals as everyone who receives must also give. Abstaining from receiving would denote refraining from giving, which by default means avoiding reciprocity. Failure to reciprocate results in a loss of dignity and mana (spiritual authority)/self-respect. Thus, reciprocity in the Pacific is the cornerstone of all communities.

The Art of Reciprocity in Oceania

The three obligations of the gift-giving cycle also indicate the steps for building a balanced relationship. As the motivation for reciprocity is to cultivate the relationship with the other party’s interests in mind, the party reciprocating must carefully consider the three main pillars of reciprocity, which are: 1) time-space (when), 2) content (what), and 3) presentation (how).

1. Time-Space : When?

The timing of when to reciprocate a gift demonstrates respect for the other party and adds an element of intimacy to the relationship. Delivering reciprocity immediately upon receiving a gift is observed as striving to avoid indebtedness to the other party (precisely the goal in ordinary exchange). As reciprocity is not an exchange, this concept of “owing” the other party for a period of time is crucial to the time-space pillar. Owing the other party shows respect to the giver and the gap in time connecting reception with eventual reciprocation becomes an unseen string that draws intimacy and trust into the relationship. (More about this concept is explained by Dr. Okusitino Mahina and the indigenous-based Ta-Va (time-space) theory of reality).

2. Content: What?

Reciprocity encourages the receiver to deepen their knowledge of the giver. Such knowledge is necessary for identifying what among the receiver’s resources can be given in return that will maximize the giver’s benefit from the relationship. Further, the process of determining what to reciprocate contributes to empowerment and inclusiveness. The receiver owns the initiative in acting at this point in the gift-giving cycle, and the necessity of reciprocating with something from among the receiver’s own resources demonstrates the value of what the receiver has to offer and also promotes capacity building from within. These aspects of empowerment and inclusiveness are building blocks for increasing the receiver’s dignity and self-respect. Additionally, increasing knowledge of one’s partner in a relationship inherently strengthens that relationship.

3. Presentation: How?

Presentation is at the heart of reciprocity. How something is presented embraces two key concepts: 1) utmost humility, and 2) utmost ambition. These fundamentals of reciprocity highlight the receiver’s generosity through presenting ambitious resources together with the highest degree of humility back to the giver. Such presentation is accomplished through sharing lack.

In the Pacific the value of generosity is about sharing lack rather than sharing abundance. There is a saying in the Pacific that “when we have little, we share; when we have much, we eat freely [give thought only to oneself].” Reciprocating from the perspective of lack demonstrates the depth of the receiver’s appreciation for the gift received by sharing something of value from among the receiver’s own limited resources. The value of the item reciprocated is calculated by considering the degree of “sweat” required for the receiver to have obtained it. The receiver also does not want to inadvertently one-up the giver by reciprocating something exceeding the value of the original gift given. Thus the receiver demonstrates humility and shows respect for the giver by reciprocating appropriately, which simultaneously maintains balance in the relationship.

Where are we today?

Dr. Funaki’s research into overseas development aid (ODA) in the Pacific spotlights a breakdown in the gift-giving cycle which he argues has contributed to dysfunction and a loss of balance in ODA donor-recipient relationships. The breakdown has also resulted in the loss of dignity and self-respect currently afflicting the peoples of the Pacific. This breakdown can be traced back to norms introduced during the colonial period that appear to have erased some of the key pillars of reciprocity. Fortunately, a high proportion of indigenous knowledge, including the values of reciprocity and generosity, has survived in the PICs and can be reintegrated into today’s social value system. But more, these Pacific values have the potential to restore balance to all types of relationships within the community of nations, including donor-recipient relationships. DPI’s mission is to introduce the Pacific values of reciprocity and generosity globally with the vision of strengthening the contemporary socioeconomic system worldwide.