Securing a New Ordering of Power in Timor-Leste: The Role of Sub‑national Spending

The Timor-Leste Petroleum Fund: From Buying Peace to White Elephants

“…However, they have had long-lasting consequences for government budgets going into the future, raising viability concerns for the Fund and serious implications for Timor-Leste's future prosperity (Doraisami, 2018). Akmeemana and Porter (2015) assert that public spending was the only means available to stabilize the country and bring "into the tent" all political opponents and potential opponents with the capacity to mobilize violence. The "tent" involved significant rewards for these various actors, calling it an "independence" dividend to the broad populace; however, this dividend affected the viability of the Fund.…”