Comments

Terence, I'm strictly an aid amateur, having done a few very short-term assignments though Australian Business Volunteers, and getting more and more uncertain about what it is we business consultants supposedly deliver. I find this DevPolicy blog really interesting and your contributions in particular accessible and often very much to the point of much of what I wonder about as an interested amateur. Thanks for that.

Hi Bob, Thanks for your feedback. You weren't wrong, these are very tough questions! I'll attack them one at a time: 1. It's true that more countries are graduating from aid and (rightly so) more nationals are getting hired to work on development projects in recipient countries. That isn't to say that the market is shrinking for expats working in the industry (and I think I am using the term 'development industry' much more loosely than your interpretation), as the (broader) industry for expats is largely based in developed countries (donors, NGOs, academic bodies, etc). The industry itself, for that matter, doesn't seem to be shrinking either and will likely only grow in importance as our generation faces escalating global challenges (inequality, climate change, international governance architecture issues, provision of global public goods etc) that add to the already considerable challenges we face today in the field of development. So on this point I think it's safe to say that the development industry, whilst evolving, is growing at a rate that both expats and nationals can enjoy employment. That isn't to say everyone who wants to work in development will get a job, and that's not the point my paper is trying to make. This is a competitive industry with finite demand, but demand that is still wide open for expats and members of developing countries. 2. This is an important question, and a challenging one. If you are asking me what proficiencies you think I could take to a job in a developing country? I would have to say not much. That's not to say I would have a negative impact, I certainly think I could do some good working on a development project or in an NGO working in an administrative role in a developing country. But I am certain I can have more of an impact in my current position here in Canberra, which plays to my already acquired critical/analytical and research strengths. As I pick up more skills, through my studying economics and through working at Devpolicy, maybe I can have a greater impact in a developing country (through the ODI Fellows scheme or some other program). But to be clear, I have no intention of working in a developing country any time soon based on the comparative skills advantage I have working here in Canberra. If I were a doctor, an engineer, or a country expert then of course my answer would be different. I do, however, think it's important for young people (as long as they are having a non-negative impact on development) to spend some time working in a developing country to understand some of the complexities of development and spark/drive their passion to work in the industry. As we get older and our comparative advantage (of skills acquired, be it more vocational as you discuss or more administrative/academic as I seem to be heading) for working in a developed vs. developing country grows then I think the question of where you work becomes a lot more important. I hope that I have somewhat answered the questions you have posted. I think the most important point I would make is that it is important to remember that a huge part of the development industry operates in developed countries, and it is likely to stay that way for (at least) my generation. Thanks again for your comments. Jonathan

Hi Ashlee, Thanks for your great feedback. UNV seems like the second step in a career to me (since, as you say, you need to be over 25 and experience is pretty vital), but I will still add it in. I think your point on learning a strategic language is very important. I had thought of including a section on languages in the paper but ended up neglecting it, much as I have neglected becoming proficient in a second language myself (and I am the first to admit it is likely the biggest gap in my education to date - and one that I hope to rectify). I will incorporate a section on strategic languages into the paper. I mentioned quite extensively in the paper the importance of just moving to a developing country for an extended period of time and seeing what pops up. It's great to have that verified! Finally, what you say about web presence is also interesting, and another thing I have completely neglected in my own career to date. But I do agree that establishing yourself in the social media and online professional spaces can certainly help your chances. Social media, however, particularly in the case of twitter, only has real potential if you are a prolific tweeter and heavily engaged in that space. I'm not sure if I see the value in it if you don't fully commit. Thanks again for your great comments. It's interesting how they are points that I seem to have neglected in my own career, which only further justifies the need for this to be an ongoing conversation from multiple inputs. Jonathan

This is an interesting and important debate, so thanks for sharing it here. One thing that appears to be left out of this debate is the very question of the existence of NGO and their legitimacy. Its assumed that NGO are essential and that all we need to do is make them better, get them back to their "core" function. I am wondering if the issue at hand is not how NGO have been pushed and pulled from this "core", but rather how NGO are actually part of the very power structures that create violence, injustice and inequity, no matter how well they performing their "core" function. Gramsci's work on hegemony and civil society is most important in this regard.

Jo some NGOs (and governments) will chase money because it is there and so dependency has little to do with it, but rather the question should be whether there should be earmarking of funds by donors. The issue of whether NGOs takes money for certain things (which do not make sense) because the money is there is a little bit about earmarking (earmarking though is in the eye of the beholder gender justice programs ‘good’ security programs ‘bad’ sort of argument), but it is arguably more about poor appraisal processes on the part of both the donor and the NGO. If the NGO could not undertake the project well and it was outside its capacity, values, or principles, then that should have been identified in both places. Whether these things are the priority of the local people is one NGOs struggle with. The local people is not an amorphous mass so some (women) may like anti-domestic violence programs while the men might say is it a donor intrusion. Government donors have these issues as well. I tend to think some earmarking of funds is good to ensure human rights, social justice, and environmental issues are addressed. Social justice issues are important, particularly with the marginalised in communities, which the majority in a community may not agree with.

Dear Wesley, Thank you for your very useful comments. I do not disagree with you that some members of the so-called ‘anti-growth coalition’ may be based in Canberra! However, I do think that there is increasing awareness of about the need to break those coalitions. At least in the Pacific, I do get a sense that some governments are prepared to break that anti-growth coalition. The recent MSG agreement on labour mobility is a significant step for deeper and meaningful integration and regionalism amongst the Pacific islands. I agree and have always maintained that Australia has not been responding well to the call for better and extensive seasonal worker scheme for the Pacific Islands. On the use of ICT, I think there is already significant capacity in some of the countries led by Fiji and others will be able to build that capacity in a short period of time. However, further reform in the regulatory environment could help build better ICT infrastructure in the region. There is more room for competition in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. This could see significant cost reduction for internet and use of ICT generally. I agree that unemployment is a significant issue in many countries and looking for sources of growth that would generate more employment would make sense. I think that promoting ICT based services export will complement and indeed help other sectors of the economy as well. I also agree with you that in some of the countries the agricultural sector and to some extent manufacturing based on value addition to agriculture will create more jobs and this should be pursued. I know there have been supply side constraints as well as difficulties to find better markets. The situation with regards to quarantine issues in relation to exports to Australia and New Zealand has always been a barrier but I see some progress is being made to resolve those. Finally I also agree that the Australian and New Zealand governments should urgently review the rules of origin requirements for Pacific exporters. This would go a long way in supporting efforts by Pacific countries to integrate further with ANZ. Pacific governments will also need to cooperate better and take more concrete steps to work with each other to promote deeper and meaningful integration. The fact that Pacific governments and officials are meeting all the time does not mean that they are actually cooperating. Biman Prasad

I neglected to mention in support of my previous comment that you may find some of the ideas in the following study I did helpful in your goal setting, although the content is somewhat dated now: “<a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00597621?null" rel="nofollow">Expatriate ‘experts’ in Indonesia and Thailand: Professional and personal qualities for effective teaching and consulting.</a>” International Review of Education, 37, 4: 453-472.

Jonathan, I read your paper and believe you have done an excellent and thorough job. Congratulations! I am sure it will be of immense practical assistance to others at the same career point as yourself. Let me suggest that you think through some tough questions. Two questions that come immediately to mind are: 1. Why do you believe a career in this area is possible? Given that more countries are 'graduating" from aid, that Australia, among others, is providing scholarships and graduating more and more people from developing countries with specific technical and development expertise, and that posts and projects seem to be recruiting more nationals than expats these days, is it reasonable to expect that a "career" is possible for expats, especially in the medium/longer term? Your answer to this question may help with the next: 2. What knowledge, skills and experience do you bring to this career? Is it administrative ability? Is it a specific set of cultural competencies including a language? As you note, and also as Ashlee points out in her comment, professional training in an area such as health, education, engineering and so on is important. Equally important, I think, is that significant professional experience on top of this is essential. Without this kind of expertise, I worry that you may end up in the kind of unhappy situation, for all parties, that I saw several young people in overseas postings experience where they were attempting to 'manage' activities and people -- both nationals and expats -- with vastly more technical credibility and in-country experience of which they had little or none. In other words, I suggest that you need to do a really "tough-love" analysis of yourself, your goals, and career opportunities over the longer term. The outcome from this analysis may be very much more positive than these questions imply and I hope, given your enthusiasm and commitment, that this is the case! Then there is the more routine and mechanical stuff: networking, keeping CV's right up to date (and in approved formats) for immediate use, monitoring vacancies and opportunities, etc. Finally, I recommend you develop a very tough hide to tolerate the way donors and contractors often behave towards their employees and consultants in this area. Cynical? Sour? Maybe, but I assure you it is realistic and some of your own remarks allude to this!

Hi there Patrick, Great to see a response to my blog. I think your blog covers interesting and important points. But I think it is a shame to have titled it as such, as it is not really a response to my blog. Donor dependence wasn't the key point in my blog. In fact your summary paragraph about shifting a focus from meaningful participation was a central component of what I was saying in the blog (or at least a message I was attempting to get across). I think the discussion on value for money is a crucial one to be had, and its connections with the measureable, quantifiable results-focus of many donor agencies now. (Not that results are bad but the pathway to them is complex.) But on the donor-dependency issue, I think there is a distinction to be made between chasing the money and getting the money: the former can have insidious impacts on NGO-direction similar to getting the money. There is so much more to pull apart in this discussion and I hope other writers can share their perspectives too.

Thank you Patrick. I'm looking forwards to reading your paper. Are you aware of anything similar done in the Pacific? Kind regards Terence

Some years ago I did some similar work in India with 15 NGOs but rather than look at poltical work per se I looked at empowerment (which most NGOs claim to do) in relation to their accountbailty to the aid recipients, and I found a clear statistical correlation, which generally supports the broader argument of this blog. The paper can be found as "Accountability for Empowerment: Dilemmas Facing Non-Governmental Organizations" also in World Development and is linked to at http://def.acfid.asn.au/resources/development-approaches/participatory-empowerment/Accountability-World%20Development%20Final.pdf

Great paper Jonathan. I would add UNV to the volunteering opportunities (however it is pretty competitive and you have to be over 25...). My tip would be to learn a strategic language. In many Australian schools and universities, there still isn't enough focus on language. When I was still a journalist, at 23 I was lucky enough to land a job working in Indonesia. When I arrived, I didn't speak a word of Bahasa Indonesia, but after two years I had reasonable proficiency. That (plus a masters degree and my professional experience and overseas experience) has opened further doors to NGO and think tank work in Timor-Leste and Indonesia. If you are looking at international job ads, multilaterals often require working proficiency in French or Spanish on top of English, even for desk jobs. So I would say, be careful not to neglect language. Many of the top schools in the US offering masters in development-related fields require you to demonstrate professional proficiency in a second language in order to graduate. Even if you want to work in another country where your second language isn't spoken, having a second language in itself demonstrates your capacity to be multilingual. Another strategy young people can use is just moving to a cheap (safe) place where there are lots of NGOs and then volunteering/interning/building networks at various places until a job comes up. It's much cheaper for NGOs to hire someone who is already in the country and who already has understanding of the language and context (AYAD and other volunteer programs are also a good vehicle for this with less risk - many people stay on to work in-country after doing a volunteer assignment and building their networks). Don't do it without a safety net of savings though and make sure you have appropriate health and travel insurance and know the visa rules. Also, reach out to networks before going and do your research. Even if it doesn't result in a job, it will probably be fun anyway and boost the CV... and it is one of those things that is much easier to do when you are young and not with family/mortgage etc. (This may be a controversial suggestion -- a whole bunch of clueless people showing up in a fragile/least developed country could obviously create more problems than good - also short term 'voluntourism' stints are rarely very helpful). I would also say, once you have experience and skills you can offer, don't be afraid to ask to be paid! There are a whole lot of people in their 20s who are seemingly interning forever at the moment. The economic situation in the US etc is compounding this... it is very much the culture in DC as well. Get in, prove yourself, get value from it, but don't intern for the sake of interning. You need to be getting something - either professional development and skills training, an exciting life experience, some kind of fulfillment, contacts/referees... or money. If you can't come out of an internship able to say that you have contributed to certain projects or learned new skills then it probably isn't worth your time. Do a time/cost/benefit analysis. I've seen people making photocopies with an impressive Masters degree. I've also seen a number of job ads for unpaid internships (with no living or support allowances) that last for as long as a year in large organisations that could probably afford to pay their interns something. If you are skilled enough to be value-adding to an organisation for a year, you probably deserve at least a basic living allowance. It's easier said than done, I know. Another thing to consider is that there are some large private companies out there handling development work as well through contracting etc. And diverse skills are needed in many countries, so having professional training in an area in health, construction, hospitality, education, engineering (especially for WASH) etc can be an extremely valuable way to contribute to development. I'd also add that a (positive) web presence is helpful in being recruited these days - LinkedIn, relevant writing on blogs or in newspapers, an online CV, an interesting Twitter feed on development... these things can all help and can be a way of reaching out to new networks. I'm no expert though (I'm also in my 20s and early in my career too) so I'd be really interested to see what suggestions others (especially those who are older and wiser) have to share.