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Thanks for this piece State building does not necessarily translate or automate into provision of basic public services like education, health, transport or security. It does at the first instances expand and strengthen state functional institutions to have the governance and institutional capability to effectively deliver basic public services. When state building failed to translate functional institutions into effective governance and institutional capability, then state would failed to deliver its basic primary function of providing public services. This is tantamount to fragile state. How aid is directed into state building is a technical calculation. Is it state building at effecting functional state institutions in governance or institutional capability to deliver basic public services (improving poverty) or is it just state building as the expense of aid is a cause for concern and is evident in fragile state. Therefore, the politics of aid is another important calculation that recipient nations and aid donor needs to understand and reflect on the real purpose of aid. Otherwise donor nation only looking to enhance its political agendas while recipient nation embrace the aid without reflecting on the real purpose. In the end, we see fragile state in heavily aid depended nations without a single improvement in the poverty line. Understanding the politics of aid is important than relying on the value of aid itself.

It strikes me that Tonga faces challenges similar to those that many rural/country towns in Australia and elsewhere face - that the young prefer to live in bigger cities.

I believe we can get it down. - The one belt road and the recent interest in Africa by Europe should drive the world economy. - Growth in the world economy from reduced energy costs in solar as well as competition due to merged trans-continental energy distribution and electrical networks. - Expansion of global markets due to online and mobile ecommerce platforms, crypto-currency as well as the improved global logistics for the distribution of goods and services. - Most importantly world changing events such as the creation of new industries such as space exploration. - AI, cheaper more powerful chips, robotics and the blockchain

Apropos my argument above is this article in the Australian press: '$15b European trade deal doomed if Australia dodges Paris pledge' https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/is-this-a-red-line-for-us-15b-european-trade-deal-doomed-if-australia-dodges-paris-pledge-20180831-p50109.html

Thanks Garth - your comment about "saying next to nothing positive" about Australia's aid achievements did remind me. Neither Senator Ferrovanti-Wells nor Ms Bishop ever attempted to persuade that feared "community" that aid is a good thing. And that we get results amongst the poorest of the world's poor. Anyone remember the 2005 International Year of Microcredit, explicitly endorsed by Prime Minister Howard ? Aid can take years to demonstrate its effectiveness. And DFAT has external and internal evaluation capacity to demonstrate that. Their reports never seemed to receive the Ministerial attention they deserve.

Thanks Grant for your blog. Your research is a high value contribution to understanding this public policy challenge for PNG. Like anything, if we don't even understand the disease, how can we hope to find a cure? Your research has illuminated that we may have, in the early years of anticorruption policy in PNG and elsewhere in the developing world, significantly misdiagnosed corruption in PNG. Deeper understanding will allow PNG policymakers and citizens to improve the efficacy of the response. This is an ongoing challenge in all polities - this article about the Malaysian experience is relevant and interesting (https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/cash-handouts-for-malaysias-needy-must-be-stopped-has-elements-of-corruption-minister) Francis Fukuyama has written a recent article about his mixed views of the Huntington legacy. I suspect Fukuyama would agree with the approach that we should focus on ideas, not personalities, and would include himself and his own work record in that. https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/08/27/huntingtons-legacy/ He says, "Samuel Huntington was not right about everything. Rather, his greatness lay in his ability to conceptualize big ideas in a wide variety of fields."

While it may be a new Prime Minister for Australia, the Liberal party's policy would still be the same, even for Pacific or matters on regional developments. The leadership change in the Liberal party does not automate into a complete or gradual change in the way Liberal party's foreign or regional policies stand. Scott Morrison is not a new person, he is the old same person in the top echelons of power in the Liberal party and Australia ruling government. Pacific countries can stand on their own now and review their foreign policies and regional development. Apart from Australia and New Zealand, other countries stand ready to answer their calls and currently its happening now over the oceans.

You just knew it was going to end badly well before the 2013 election with Julie Bishop: - calling for a review of the aid program - saying Australian aid to Africa was just a Labor bribe to get into the Security Council - calling for vague and undisclosed benchmarks to be met by AusAID before aid would be increased - refusing to give a target date to reach 0.5% - saying aid had to serve our national interests - repeatedly talking about a lack of support in the "community" - expressing concerns that the aid program had grown too quickly and was not sufficiently focused on the Pacific and on trade, and - saying next to nothing positive about what the program had ever achieved. Add LNP policy to increase defence to 2.0% of GDP, Labor leaving the budget in deficit and with growing expenditure and the rest is history.

Sorry Ashlee - the optics of any Minister's occupancy of a position should not be the performance indicator. Andrew Peacock dressed very well, always went to the right meetings and spoke the right words. He was - eventually - derided as a show pony. Going to the right meetings in the Asia-Pacific area does not mean long-term beneficial outcomes for the local recipients of Australia's aid. The amount and professional delivery of that aid was significantly diminished during Julie Bishop's tenure. As just one example, where we committed Australia's troops to defend the Afghan people. Despite Afghanistan’s unpromising future, Australia’s help for its civilians has been steadily declining: from A$131 million in 2014-15 to A$87 million in 2015-16 and currently A$80 million. The linking of aid and Australia's foreign policy was not a good look, either.

I am a PNG academic and have undertaken research and have published papers in journals and conference papers internationally. My comments are nothing about png but research that will contribute to knowledge world wide. I am sure Australia steel industries have benefited from my research. Yaip K Telue BENG Hons 2A PhD Qut

Do not believe Albert schrams story. He has never served as professor and Head of school anywhere and he was wrongly a pointed the unitechs former council for their own selfish reasons. The three of us PNG indigenous professors kept saw it from the beginning that Albert was not the right person to lead unitech. I was professor and Head of Dept at Civil dept unitech and though respect Albert as an individual he was and is not VC material not to appoint him. When Albert turned on the former council they had no one. Some of us read and know the unitech act so when NEC made a decision to appoint a new council we decided to support the unitech couch then as by Law we Know that they were the legitimate council as NEC had no powers to appoint a new council. We did these based on our values and principals. The two of us still around are my self and prof Clestus Gonduan. Both Of us are not on face book, twitter or publish articles though the Internet so Albert ruled the Internet with his inaccurate publications. He came to unitary with all staff and students behind him. When he left he was a very lonely person as every knew him better and all chose not to suppport him when he was terminated by the same new council that supported him 6 years. The chancellor of the new council was related to me by marriage (my wifes first cousin) and the university is in Lae where chancellor is from. I had to leave unitech in December 2014 and set up my own institute. I received a call about a week or two later after Albert was sacked from the chancellor who has since left unitech to stand in 2017 elections on other matters but advised they sacked Albert for not presenting his original PhD certificate. I was employed by University of Sydney in 2005 and this was one of the first things I showed to Prof Kim Rasmussen the Head of school of Civil eng at Sydney University. My observations in hindsight was that Albert used the new council to hang in their as VC with student backing because everyone was against the former council including myself. I was vice president of the uniteach national staff association back in 2007 and we went on strike against the former council. I stood behind them when their decision to appoint albert as VC backfired as they were still the legitimate council under the Unitech ACT and supporting all other students and staff then would be against my values and principals. That is corruption. I did that venue with the expense of my position as Prof and Head of Civil Dept. In 2012 I initiated the revision of the civil dept programs through appointment of a dept academic advisory board to critically look at our programs and help us prepare for acrrediation by Engineers Australia to the Washington accord of our engineering programs. CEO OF water PNG Mr Raka Tavira, fist assistant secretary of Department of Works Mr Erick Siam, current Engineers PNG president Mr Brian Alois reps from within unitech and Professor Mahen Mahendran from Queensland university of Technology was brought up to chair this meeting. Since I left and under Albertsons term as VC unitech enginering programs have not been a credited 6 years on. I have decided to provide these comments to give the other side of the story. Yaip K Telue BENG Hons 2A QUT PhD QUT FIEPNG Registered Structural Engineer PNG

Discussions like these makes a lot more people aware of new government policies.