Development Policy Centre Podcast

Australian foreign aid has changed considerably in the last 20 years. Dr Terence Wood discusses the findings of a recently published report that examines the changing nature of Australian government aid through the lens of publicly available data on aid flows, which provide evidence of change and allow direct comparisons between Australia and other OECD Development Assistance Committee donors. These comparisons help highlight where Australian aid conforms with international norms of good giving, where Australia lags behind the global community, and where it is a global leader.Speaker:Dr Terence Wood is a Research Fellow at the Development Policy Centre. His research focuses on the domestic political economy of aid in donor countries, public opinion about aid, NGOs, aid effectiveness in poorly governed states, and Melanesian electoral politics. >> view presentation>> view reportChair:Ashlee Betteridge, Manager,  Development Policy Centre, The Australian National University Photo Credit: DFAT/Timothy Tobing/CC

Charles Scheiner presents the 2021 economic survey of Timor-Leste, outlining  the current economic situation, particularly in relation to the state budget, and the dominance of the Petroleum Fund in state finances. He also looks at future oil and gas possibilities, including Greater Sunrise and the Tasi Mane petroleum infrastructure project, and argues regardless of the paths Timor-Leste chooses to follow, investing in its people – through education, health and nutrition – is essential. The presentation is a draft of a forthcoming paper in the Pacific Survey series, published in the Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies journal.Speaker:Charles Scheiner is a researcher at La’o Hamutuk, the Timor-Leste Institute for Development Monitoring and Analysis, an independent, non-partisan, Timorese civil society research organisation. He specialises in the effects of oil and gas extraction, including on economics, governance, environment and revenue management. >> view presentation>> view presentation with notesChair:P

The economic costs of COVID-19 continue to mount, globally and in the Pacific. But what is the damage in the Pacific, and how are Pacific governments responding? In this webinar, panellists explore the economic damage caused by COVID-19 and the responses Pacific governments are taking. Professor Stephen Howes presents an overview based on the Pacific Covid Economic Database compiled by the Development Policy Centre. Dr Jenny Gordon, Chief Economist at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, assesses pathways to recovery post COVID-19 in Pacific Island economies. Dr Neelesh Gounder and Maholopa Laveil present their perspectives on Fiji and PNG, respectively.Panellists:Professor Stephen Howes, Director, Development Policy Centre, The Australian National University» view presentationDr Jenny Gordon, Chief Economist, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade» view presentation Dr Neelesh Gounder, Senior Lecturer in Economics, University of the South PacificMaholopa Laveil, Lecturer in Economics, University of

Historically, Australia has lacked a coherent policy to attract immigrants with less extensive formal training and education, despite the needs of its ageing population and labour market. The Center for Global Development has recently concluded a project with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which has produced two papers. Michael Clemens outlines the findings of the first paper, which estimates the demand for vocational workers in Australia by 2050 will exceed native supply by over two million. While there will be ample skilled labour available within Pacific Island countries, facilitating this movement in a managed way that maximises the development potential of migration will be key. To that end, Satish Chand discusses the second paper, which proposes the development of a ‘Pacific Skills Partnership’, a model that would facilitate skills creation across 14 low-income Pacific Island countries, with the greatest development potential lying in Papua New Guinea.Speakers:Michael Clemens is

It is time to fundamentally reframe the research agenda on migration, remittances, payments and development. Many policymakers in the developing world, and researchers, tend to view migrant remittances as windfall income, rather than as returns on investment, which is how families with migrants tend to see remittances. Migration is thus, among other things, a strategy for financial management in poor households: location is an asset, migration an investment.Some of the most basic questions about remittances and their effects remain inadequately answered, in part because of a blinded research agenda. Asking better questions is a step towards better policies, programs and regulations and, above all, to enable people on low incomes to improve their lives.In this webinar, based on the article “Migration and household finances: How a different framing can improve thinking about migration”, Timothy Ogden discusses some of the new and alternative research questions that emerge from the shift of perspective on remitt

In this panel event at the 2020 Australasian AID conference, John Langmore makes the case for stronger government and civil society commitment to conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Joanna Pradela argues that Australia should adopt a feminist approach to foreign policy, one that is grounded in gender equality. Pierre van der Eng analyses the rapid expansion of Australia’s foreign aid to Indonesia during the 1960s and 1970s in the context of Australia’s evolving foreign policy towards Asia. And Dave Green and Kaisha Crupi report on their analysis of Aid Program Performance Reports, including their purpose, how well they deliver on their purposes, the challenges associated with balanced public reporting on program performance, and the tension between public diplomacy and performance management objectives.Presenters:Security through sustainable peace (at 2:50 in)Professor John Langmore AM, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Melbourne, and Dr Tania Miletic, Research Fellow, Melbourne School

In the Pacific over the past three decades, women’s domestic violence services have led advocacy for policy for increased gender equality, women’s human rights and in engaging men and boys as allies and advocates in prevention of violence against women. In partnership with regional governments, development partners and Australia’s aid and development resources, this model has provided agency, leadership and generated a significant shift towards building support and a more strategic approach. This panel of experts discuss their views on how best to engage men and boys for primary prevention of violence against women. Panellists: Melkie Anton, male advocate for ending violence against women and development project adviserAbigail Erikson, Program Specialist, UN Women Amy Gildea, Managing Director Asia and Pacific, Coffey International Development H.E. John Kali CMG OBE, High Commissioner for Papua New Guinea to AustraliaChair: Glenn Davies, Director, Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion Asia and Paci

In November 2018, the Australian Government announced the Pacific step-up, taking its engagement with the Pacific to a new level. Despite this shift, new research finds that many people in the Pacific are concerned Australia does not know how to engage successfully as part of the Pacific community. This panel event at the 2020 Australasian Aid Conference outlines the key findings of research commissioned by the Whitlam Institute on the views of Pacific islanders from Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands on their countries’ and region’s future place in the world. The panel explore how these three island nations perceive Australians and the government’s policies and interventions in the Pacific, and makes some recommendations. >> Read the research report here Panellists:Dr Tess Newton-Cain, Principal, TNC Pacific ConsultingJames Cox, Executive Director, PeacificaDr Geir Henning Presterudstuen, Lecturer, Anthropology, Western Sydney UniversityLinda Kenni, Local Consultant, Vanuatu Chair:Leanne Smith, Director,

The welfare gains from increasing cross-border labour mobility are likely to be several times larger than those from complete trade liberalisation, offering significant benefits to migrants, receiving, and sending countries. This panel outlines the case for international labour mobility, summarises the lessons learned from the first year of Australia’s new Pacific Labour Scheme, and provides an overview and initial assessment of recent recruitment reforms in Papua New Guinea.Panellists:Farah Hani, Senior Policy Analyst, Labor Mobility Partnerships team, Center for Global Development>> view presentation slidesDanielle Heinecke, First Assistant Secretary, Pacific Operations and Development, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Dr Matthew Dornan, Senior Economist, World Bank>> view presentation slidesChair:Dr Ryan Edwards, Senior Policy Fellow, Development Policy Centre, The Australian National University

Offering social assistance programs has become an increasingly prominent strategy to alleviate poverty in many parts of the developing world, including in Indonesia. Drawing on Indonesia’s decades-long experience in developing social assistance programs, government officials and a leading evidence-based policy research institution, The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Southeast Asia (J-PAL SEA), highlight proven methods to address key emerging challenges and improve anti-poverty programs. Panellists: Dr Vivi Yulaswati, Senior Advisor to the Minister of National Development Planning for Social Affairs and Poverty Reduction of Indonesia (Bappenas)>> view presentation slidesDr Elan Satriawan, Chief of Policy Working Group, National Team for the Acceleration of Poverty Reduction (TNP2K) of Indonesia>> view presentation slidesLina Marliani, Executive Director of The Abdul Latief Jameel Poverty Action Lab Southeast Asia (J-PAL SEA)>> view presentation slidesChair:Professor Budy Resosudarmo, Crawford School of

The language and theory of ‘aid’ is outdated. But something like it is still needed as the world faces huge common challenges, new and old. In this keynote address, Jonathan Glennie sets out a new approach for the 21st century: global public investment. He proposes five paradigm shifts for the future of concessional international public finance, as the world of international development moves on from an old-fashioned ‘aid’ mentality.Keynote speaker:Jonathan Glennie, Principal Associate at the Joep Lange Institute, and writer and researcher on poverty and human rights Chair:Elizabeth Peak, First Assistant Secretary, Human Development and Governance Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and TradeIntroduced by: Professor Stephen Howes, Director, Development Policy Centre, The Australian National University

In this keynote address delivered on 19 February at the 2020 Australasian AID Conference, Alex Hawke, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, outlines the key trends in the Indo-Pacific region affecting Australia’s development partners and shaping its new international development policy. He also discusses Australia’s longstanding commitment to the region and its Pacific step-up, and how Australia will continue to support the region and keep it strong.Minister Hawke is introduced by Helen Sullivan, Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy at The Australian National University. Keynote speaker:Alex Hawke, Minister for International Development and the PacificChair:Helen Sullivan, Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU College of Asia & the Pacific, The Australian National University

Australia’s aid program to PNG is its biggest, its highest profile and most controversial. In this insightful keynote panel at the 2020 Australasian AID conference, Jonathan Pryke outlines the findings of his research into Australia’s aid program to PNG, His Excellency John Kali CMG OBE discusses key changes in the way Australian assistance is being delivered, Terence Wood presents the findings of the third Australian aid transparency audit, and Stephanie Copus Campbell reflects on the panel’s perspectives on delivering development outcomes in PNG.Panellists:Jonathan Pryke, Director, Pacific Islands Program, Lowy Institute>> view presentationDr Terence Wood, Research Fellow, Development Policy Centre>> view presentationH.E. John Kali CMG OBE, High Commissioner for Papua New Guinea to Australia>> view transcript (check against audio recording)Stephanie Copus Campbell, CEO, Oil Search FoundationChair: Anthea Mulakala, Senior Director for International Development Cooperation at The Asia Foundation

In this keynote address, Dr Radhika Coomaraswamy discusses the evolution of the women, peace and security agenda, from representation and participation of women in peace processes, transformative justice and women combatants to livelihoods and empowerment of women in the post-conflict era and the role women play, and can play, in the prevention of conflict. Drawing on her personal experiences in the field, she explores the dilemmas and day-to-day lived realities of women in conflict and post-conflict theatres of war, and points to some of the challenges that lie ahead for the women, peace and security agenda in the international community.Keynote speaker:Dr Radhika Coomaraswamy, lawyer, diplomat and human rights advocateChair:Dr Jeni Klugman, Managing Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security

In 2019 the Nobel prize for economics went to three economists who have promoted the use and importance of Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) in development economics and interventions. But how useful are RCTs in the real world of development assistance? And what more generally needs to be done to improve the quality and impact of impact evaluations, and to promote learning in aid?Panellists:The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Member for Fenner, ACTDr Lant Pritchett, Research Director, RISE Programme; Fellow, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford UniversityDr Jyotsna Puri, Head, Independent Evaluation Unit, Green Climate FundChair:Professor Stephen Howes, Director, Development Policy Centre, The Australian National University

In November 2019, Professor Stephen Howes sat down with Michael Kocher and Matt Reed of the Aga Khan Foundation to discuss the work of the Foundation, one of the ten development arms of the Aga Khan Development Network. Professor Stephen Howes is the Director of the Development Policy Centre at the Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University Michael Kocher is the global General Manager of the Aga Khan Foundation Matt Reed is Chief Executive Officer of the Aga Khan Foundation in the United Kingdom Photo credit: AKDN/Danial Shah

Family is the basic foundation for social and economic development across the world, and particularly in Papua New Guinea (PNG). However, this foundation is often challenged by family and sexual violence (FSV). In order to support policymaking that fosters healthy, safe and secure families, research was conducted in Lae in 2018 and 2019 to better understand men’s and women’s perspectives of FSV.Joshua Goa and Dunstan Lawihin of the University of Papua New Guinea discuss the research findings including men’s perspectives of the effects of FSV on their families; how men’s and women’s access and responses to recently established services and laws differ; men’s roles in addressing FSV and its effects on school children; and the strategies men have used for a harmonious home.The discussion is introduced by research project members Miranda Forsyth, Associate Professor at the School of Regulation and Global Governance at The Australian National University, and Dora Kuir-Ayius, Lecturer in social work at the Universi

Should aid programs micromanage their work? Or should they leave staff on the ground the space to decide for themselves? In this presentation Dan Honig will speak to the key findings of his book, Navigation by Judgment, an in-depth attempt at answering these questions. Dan’s book draws on a novel database of more than 14,000 discrete development projects across nine agencies, and eight qualitative studies. He contends that tight controls and narrow focus on reaching pre-set targets can prevent frontline aid workers from using their skills to solve problems on the ground, undermining the performance of foreign aid. He suggests that pressure to demonstrate results can undermine performance, particularly in unpredictable environments where performance is difficult to measure. Dan Honig is an Assistant Professor of International Development at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. His research focuses on the relationship between organisational structure, management practice, and

On Wednesday 1 May, former World Bank Vice President Jim Adams presented his reflections on the performance of the Australian aid program. He is stepping down as Chair of DFAT's Independent Evaluation Committee after seven years in the role, and joined us at ANU to discuss how to build a robust performance culture based on accountability, transparency, learning and appropriate risk management.

In a talk at ANU on 12 April, Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP discussed how a Labor government will tackle tax avoidance in Australia and our region, and announced a new policy initiative to help crack down on multinational tax avoidance and restore fairness into the system.