Comments

Loved it, thank you! It is a challenge to write up serious research about development and not stray into the realms of satire and to reveal the ridiculous nature of what donors and developers alike do in their work.

Orwell's Burmese Days could be read as a brilliant forerunner to this genre.

Thanks, Julian! I must shamefacedly admit I have never heard of this book. The review on Amazon is very enticing but the price much less so! I'm going to try to hunt it down. Do drop me a line if you know where I can get a hold of it or find out more about Nick Storr himself. Also, this is the second occasion I know where a footballer's name is taken as a pseudonym, the first being Luther Blisset with the exceptional novel 'Q'

Great that you mentioned Tales of the Tikongs. I lived in Tonga for 18 months and went on to a career in international development; the stories are brilliant satire and very 'on point' about the contradictions and many shortcomings of the aid and development industry - and should be required reading for all development studies courses!

Not sure if you are aware, but DFAT has invested in private sector development across the Pacific in its "Pacific Step Up". The Market Development Facility (MDF) the program i work with, co-invests with private sector and key market actors in the countries we work with in the Pacific on innovation that unlocks economic growth in key sectors (https://marketdevelopmentfacility.org/). I work to facilitate DFAT funds to support the development and establishment of private sector led Business Development Services that create an eco-system that nurtures MSMEs to grow. We also publish the results we have gathered (using the DCED approach) that are showing indications of success of this approach, including amongst vulnerable communities and women-led businesses (Eg. Read our report published in 2020: https://marketdevelopmentfacility.org/partners/women-at-work/). There are criticisms of the approach to Aid in the Pacific. But investing with private sector is something that has been explored over the last decade.

Gordon - thank you! But you missed out my favourite book by the late, great Will L.B. Bogarde (aka Nick Storr) who gave so much to development that it did him in. https://www.amazon.com/Times-Price-Haircut-Will-Bogarde/dp/0754109607

Well said!

For the whole world, the whole world excluding China, and for many, many individual countries the period since the 1970s has been one of major improvements in living standards. I would direct any readers interested in this claim to the information on Our World in Data, in particular that on poverty globally, by region, and country. https://ourworldindata.org/extreme-poverty Their website is very helpful, and covers other living standards indicators although I find the extreme poverty discussion particularly helpful. I am sure the authors can answer any questions on the DHS if they wish, but I would also just like to please flag that the alternative repeated (not panel but repeat cross section), namely the census (if you wanted to rely on less ideal proxy variables, like housing or population) or the HIES, do not take us through to the present (rather, around ten years ago), so the DHS is not only the best source but the only source that can do this quantitatively in a nationally representative way. With best wishes, Ryan

Great perspective. As an international aid worker based in PNG this post resonates with me. The nature of our work is complex at the best of times, but COVID has added multiple additional lawyers of complexity. And all too often, the personal cost of families separated and living in an environment of endless uncertainty and separation can take its toll.

And the reason for choosing the last two decades is? A bit more casual empiricism: `The best source to answer it is the PNG Demographic and Health Surveys for 1996, 2006 and 2016–18'. I do hope there will be comparison with other countries when for so many in so many countries the period since the early 1970s is not one of major improvements in living standards. Why should conditions for the bulk of PNG's population be any different might be worth asking.

I am a migrant in Tatana and been living for nearly 11 years and agree with you on that ... the community in Tatana do not see a link between education and employment. If that link is defined well to give meaning to sustain and improve their well-being I believe it will be a powerful factor to harness and use association with business arm to involve the community to take ownership ... I am aiming to do that ...

Thank you Stephen for another insightful and accurate dive into the issues we confront. It's always important to see all sides of a story, especially one that has and continues to cause so much disruption and has a strong ripple effect throughout our cohorts. We as AE's and the AEA have long rallied all in power to fix the loopholes that drags these things out. Thank you also to Mark and Johnathon for providing valuable comment across the spectrum. From our side, as a major AE, we fully support strong governance and a strong cop on the beat who thoroughly investigates and deals decisively with proven issues. We AE's also often feel battered and bruised, probably never more so than in recent times. Maybe our mantra of the good and happy stories far, far outweighing those verified sad and injust acts has got a little lost.