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. Chair: Anthea Mulakala, Senior Director for International Development Cooperation at The Asia Foundation Panellists: Jonathan Pryke, Director, Pacific Islands Program, Lowy Institute Dr Terence Wood, Research Fellow, Development Policy Centre H.E. John Kali CMG OBE, High Commissioner for Papua New Guinea to Australia Stephanie Copus Campbell, CEO, Oil Search Foundation

Development Policy Centre Podcast

2020 Australasian AID Conference - Keynote panel - Australian aid: PNG and transparency

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 advocate Chair: Dr Jeni Klugman, Managing Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security

2020 Australasian AID Conference - Keynote address: 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, ACT Dr Lant Pritchett, Research Director, RISE Programme; Fellow, Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University Dr Jyotsna Puri, Head, Independent Evaluation Unit, Green Climate Fund Professor Stephen Howes, Director, Development Policy Centre, ANU (Chair)

2020 Australasian AID Conference - Keynote panel: Debating RCTs and impact evaluation

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

Development the Aga Khan way

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 University of Papua New Guinea. Joshua Goa is a Tutor at the University of Papua New Guinea Social Work Strand. Dunstan Lawihin is a Lecturer in Social Work and Coordinator of Field Education at the University of Papua New Guinea.

Men’s perspectives on addressing family and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea

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 performance in developing country governments and organisations that provide foreign aid.

Navigation by judgment: why and when top down management of foreign aid doesn’t work

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.

Australian aid: building a robust performance culture

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.

Tax pirates and tax fairness

Chinese development cooperation in Asia and the Pacific is growing rapidly. In this keynote panel at the 2019 Australasian Aid Conference, Chinese experts shared their insights on the rationale, aspirations and challenges of Chinese development cooperation, particularly in relation to the Belt and Road Initiative, responsible investment, the new development cooperation agency, and China's engagement in the Pacific. Panellists: Anthea Mulakala, The Asia Foundation (Chair) Hongbo Ji, The Asia Foundation Yujia Shen, Sun Yat-sen University Jinghang Jia, Ministry of Finance, China Xiuli Xu, China Institute for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

2019 Australasian Aid Conference - Keynote panel: China's development cooperation in focus

Masood Ahmed, President of the Center for Global Development, gave a keynote address at the 2019 Australasian Aid Conference on 20 February. He discussed growing debt in low-income countries, and asked whether we are heading for another debt crisis. He also spoke about whether this is different from the debt crisis 20 years ago, what is driving debt growing in low-income countries, what can be done to reduce the risk of a crisis, and what policy could limit the possibility of a prolonged crisis. The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

2019 Australasian Aid Conference - Keynote address: Contemporary challenges in development finance

Donald Kaberuka, former President of the African Development Bank and former Minister of Finance for Rwanda, presented the 2019 Mitchell Oration on 19 February at the 2019 Australasian Aid Conference. He spoke on the topic of 'Africa and the global landscape: emerging trends and the way forward'. The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

2019 Australasian Aid Conference - 2019 Mitchell Oration: Africa and the global landscape

This panel reviewed and reflected on the on-the-ground experience of using a gender lens in the impact investment ecosystem in Asia and the Pacific. Panellists: Amy Haddad, DFAT (Chair) Joy Anderson, Criterion Institute Amanda Jupp, Pacific RISE Sally Moyle, CARE Australia Will Scott-Kemmis, SecondMuse (Frontier Innovators and Incubators) James Soukamneuth, Investing in Women The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

2019 Australasian Aid Conference - Panel 2a: Using a gender lens to influence impact finance

This panel brought together key players in the Australian aid sector to discuss best practice to approach the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse in the aid sector, as well as safeguarding issues. It also provided a platform for organisations to learn from and share their approaches and experiences. Panellists: Kate Sutton, Humanitarian Advisory Group (Chair) Juliette Brassington, DFAT Sarah Burrows, ACFID Rosie Wheen, WaterAid Thida Seng, WaterAid Australia Maaike Moller, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

2019 Australasian Aid Conference - Panel 5c: Prevention of sexual exploitation in the aid sector

This panel highlighted the need for an increased focus on mental health and psychosocial disability within the disability-inclusive development agenda, and provided some best-practice examples and learnings for development practitioners. Panellists: Teresa Hall, University of Melbourne (Chair) Becca Allchin, Monash University Aleisha Carroll, CBM Australia Bhargavi Davar, Transforming Communities for Inclusion Helen Fernandes, TEAR Australia The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

2019 Australasian Aid Conference - Keynote panel: Mental health and psychosocial disability

On 29 March, Senator Richard Di Natale, Leader of the Australian Greens, launched the Australian Greens' full aid and development policy for the 2019 federal election at a public event at ANU.

Australian Greens' aid and development policy: towards the 2019 election

The Development Policy Centre is a think tank for aid and development policy based at Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University. We undertake independent research and promote practical initiatives to improve the effectiveness of Australian aid, to support the development of Papua New Guinea and the Pacific island region, and to contribute to better global development policy. Our events are a forum for the dissemination of findings and the exchange of new ideas. You can access audio recordings of our events through this podcast, as well as interviews from the Devpolicy Blog (www.devpolicy.org).

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Development Policy Centre Podcast

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