Comments

A quick initial response as I hope that I'll be allowed to give a more detailed response in a future blog. First, we are in furious agreement that there is need for better modelling of the PNG economy - it was in fact a recommendation of the Jubilee Australia report. Second, it is not clear that Mark has read the full report. The issue of underlying growth trends was recognised as the most challenging issue in the report - see lead question in Appendix 2. The report did include key outcomes from a sensitivity analysis of alternative trend assumptions (page 17) indicating alternative realistic figures of underlying growth would not change the report’s conclusions. A blog will go into more details why the conclusions of the JA report should not be treated with a "pinch of salt" - there are fundamental issues about PNG's future path of development. Cheers. Paul

Thanks Tess!

Samuel Ray, your comments are shallow. See the publication via http://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/5972. and confirm the authenticity of his PHD Paper. Indeed the law is weak in PNG. Its very embarrassing.

Thanks for your thoughtful comment Stephen. I'm aware of the per capita calculation but preferred to highlight the low regional share of ODA received by the Pacific, as the region is also the ocean space, the ecosystems and many other aspects which are critical for sustainable development. One of the objectives of my post is to highlight the fact that there is more to the Pacific than the traditional "per capita vision" allows for and to underscore some of the reasons why the Pacific matters and should, in my view, be given greater global consideration.

Many thanks for commenting Mere. I agree with your thoughts on the rich heritage of Pacific peoples.

Thanks for your feedback Nancy. Glad you enjoyed the post.

Thanks for this, it is a very clear explanation for us non-economists. As you say, the real questions are around how this money will be spent - we will all be watching that with interest

I would like To comment you and your org. for helping betteŕ train teachers. In Haïti, this is often lacking as well as teaching materials. With a little creativity, one can manage and add To the participation of students in thé leasing process. I am quite interested in How you do it. Thanks Monique Haggar Éducation Volunteer in Haiti

Thanks for this comment. Moyo's book is very weak, and I don't think she can be described as an economist. But Helen Hughes had a point. Whether or not aid is bad for the Pacific, it doesn't seem to be that good. New approaches are needed, which is why it is so good that the Australian government is now giving much more emphasis to labour mobility, including starting to use the aid program to promote labour mobility. A lot more could should be said in response to your important comment, but I'll conclude for now by saying that we welcome all quality submissions related to aid - positive or negative - and especially from those in recipient countries.

Thank you for the good paper. Finally, we are there... Some comments based on my years of work with rural farmers in remote PNG: Under capacity building, it is suggested that department staff work directly to up-skill farmers. Capacity building of graduates is fine but the staff should work to improve capacity of primary producers as some communities with whom I have worked have never never received any training from DAL! Department should develop proactive links with research centres both local and overseas and assimilate appropriate information useful to PNG producers A key-focus of the department should be not only to promote "new" technologies but also to create an awareness on indigenous technologies, practices and materials. This link I found is missing from DAL but yet an important function given the high bio-diversity of the agricultural sector. Department should examine and disseminate information to reduce the use of agro-chemicals (pesticides, fungicides, nematocides, weedicides and chemical fertilizer). The environment in PNG is fine, unpolluted and organic which should be preserved whilst increasing production. Popularize the use of compost, manures and animal wastes. Department should also supply quality planting materials and seeds to growers. The revamped Department should have a vision and a mission, in addition to the proposed work plan and of course adequate budget. Good luck!

Thanks for the article, Cameron. You don't mention though that on a per capita basis the Pacific gets more aid than any other region. Given this, I really doubt that the Pacific can be regarded as "the poor cousin of international development".

Re the idea of supporting women's rights organisations, that reminded me of Stephen Howes's excellent previous post on the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre and challenging aid orthodoxy - worth a read as a good example of thinking in a different direction to the standard 3 year "gender project" (see https://devpolicy.org/challenging-aid-orthodoxies-20171020/)