Evaluating the evaluator: our ODE blogs
We have recently run a series of six blog posts on recent Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE) evaluations, all of them critical. Tracey Blunck critiqued the 2012 law and justice evaluation for not substantiating its claims around whole-of-government aid. Cheryl Che, Ruth Tay and Stephen Howes criticised the 2012 PNG HIV/AIDS evaluation for using the wrong set of numbers. Robin Davies set out the deficiencies of the 2013 Lessons for Australian Aid report. And Stephen Howes argued in a three-part series that the main claims in the recent evaluation of the Australian Volunteers program around capacity building were not substantiated and were undermined by the report’s own data.
We are big supporters of aid evaluation, and would rather be discussing what ODE evaluations mean for Australian aid, rather than the quality of the evaluations themselves. But there is clearly a need for the quality of ODE’s reports to be raised. We’re not asking for randomized control trials, simply a more rigorous approach.
If you are interested, you can also download the discussion from our recent ODE Evaluation Forum as podcasts via Feedburner or iTunes.
Devpolicy seeks Research Fellows
We are currently recruiting for one or more Research Fellows to join the Development Policy Centre. We are looking for outstanding early or mid-career researchers with a strong commitment to high-quality, policy-based research; a PhD in economics, public policy or a related field; and expertise in one or more of the three fields in which the Centre specialises (Australian aid effectiveness, development in PNG and the Pacific, global development policy).
We are particularly interested in anyone who might have an interest working on and in PNG.
More details on selection criteria and the application process are available at ANU Jobs. If you have questions, contact us at devpolicy@anu.edu.au.
Aid policy: insights for policymakers and practitioners
Devpolicy Director Stephen Howes will be teaching a one-day Executive Course at the Crawford School on May 16 introducing aid policy and literature and the major debates. Watch a short video of Stephen explaining the course here, read about it here or get registration details here. It’s an excellent opportunity for those working on aid in the newly integrated DFAT, or in other government departments, to gain an understanding of the issues in aid policy.
Sign up to our daily emails
We were recently made aware that in the DFAT integration, some of the media and blog roundups that used to be circulated at AusAID and that used to often highlight Devpolicy content have been scrapped. Make sure your colleagues (both new and old) aren’t missing out by letting them know about our daily email subscription or our newsletter. Sign up on the blog at devpolicy.org.
Australian aid stories
We are still looking for your ripping aid yarns as part of our Australian Aid Stories project. What has and hasn’t worked in Australian aid should influence thinking about what should be done now and in the future, but too often the innovations and achievements, as well as the failures, vanish without a trace. This is our attempt to collect those stories.
If you have a story to share, either leave a comment on the blog or send us an email at devpolicy@anu.edu.au.
Upcoming events
2014 Aid Budget Breakfast
The Federal Budget will be handed down on May 13, and we will once again be holding an event the very next morning to break down what it means for aid. Register here.
The Age of Choice
Annalisa Prizzon from ODI will present case studies illustrating how developing countries are managing the new aid landscape in an event on May 22. More details in our next newsletter.
2014 PNG and Pacific Update
The PNG Update will be at the University of PNG in Port Moresby on June 12-13 and the Pacific Update will here at ANU on June 16-17. More details on both here.
Blog highlights
The Kiribati Australia Nursing Initiative: too expensive to be worth it.
PNG anti-corruption agencies are showing their teeth.
Big questions for the Pacific from Alf Simpson.
How MSF is responding to violence in PNG.
Blog summary
You can find a list of all posts since our last newsletter on April 1 in the list below.
Australian aid
The Australian volunteer evaluation and the capacity building straitjacket (part 1) by Stephen Howes
The Australian volunteer evaluation and the capacity building straitjacket (part 2) by Stephen Howes
The Australian volunteer evaluation and the capacity building straitjacket (part 3) by Stephen Howes
The first Lessons from Australian Aid report: a flawed flagship by Robin Davies
Public support of development NGOs: a journey through the ages by Patrick Kilby
Pacific & PNG
A sinking atoll nation and quarter million dollar nurses: where to next for the Kiribati Australia Nursing Initiative (KANI)? By Jesse Doyle
Resources, regional architecture and leadership: Alf Simpson on some big questions for the Pacific by Tess Newton Cain and Alf Simpson
Lessons not too late for the learning: posting of the full WCWL report by Tony Hughes
PNG anti-corruption agencies show their teeth by Grant Walton
PNG’S violence epidemic and the medical response: in conversation with MSF’s Paul Brockmann by Ashlee Betteridge and Paul Brockmann
Global development policy
Paradigm shift or aid effectiveness adrift? Previewing the first High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership by Benjamin Day
In brief
USAID launches Global Development Lab
Government funding of development NGOs: what’s the right amount?
Submissions to DFAT on benchmarks: proceed with caution
More procurement irregularities uncovered in PNG health
Better little read than dead: AusAID’s blog goes quiet
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