2020 has been a year of lockdown and closed borders. We couldn’t travel so we wrote, publishing 364 blogs. Thank you to our authors and readers for supporting us throughout our tenth year of blogging.
In case you missed a few, or want to revisit your favourites, here are some of our most popular blogs for the year. Of course, COVID-19 dominated, but it wasn’t the only topic. Scroll down towards the end for summer reading suggestions.
This is our last blog for 2020. Have a relaxing holiday and see you in the new year. We start again on Monday 11 January 2021.
International development
COVID-19, localisation and locally led development: a critical juncture by Chris Roche and Fiona Tarpey
International (development) cooperation in a post-COVID-19 world: a new way of interaction or super-accelerator? by Artemy Izmestiev and Stephan Klingebiel
Time to end the hustle culture in international development by Kate Wilson
The problem with Doing Development Differently by Terence Wood
COVID-19: three ways to support women, girls and vulnerable groups in humanitarian settings by Leisa Gibson and Leda Tyrell
Australian aid
Australian aid in five years’ time by Graham Teskey
Defence and aid: unprecedented divergence by Stephen Howes
COVID-19, and Australian and New Zealand aid to the Pacific by Terence Wood
The aid budget and COVID-19 strategy by Stephen Howes
Oxfam Australia’s woes: a sign of the times? by Stephen Howes and Sherman Surandiran
Asia
Pivoting to respond to COVID-19: early thoughts from the Philippines by Nicola Nixon, Sam Chittick and Jaime Faustino
Vietnam: a COVID-19 success story by Tran Chung Chau, Michael D. Gregorio and Nicola Nixon
Peace and the pandemic: the impact of COVID-19 on conflict in Asia by Adam Burke
Stop widening gender inequalities: Asia’s COVID-19 responses must leave no one behind by Chamaiporn Siangyen
Vietnam’s low-cost COVID-19 battle shows the world what can be done by Misha Coleman and Margaret Sheehan
South Korea’s COVID-19 response: hard lessons on saving lives by Kwang Kim, Kyung-sook Lee and Jaemyung Lee
Taiwan’s experience with COVID-19, and aid to the Pacific by Yun-Ching Tseng, Yan-Tzong Cheng and Chun-Hsuan Sung
Gender equality in China’s labour market: some worrying signs by Jeni Klugman, Limin Wang and Meiyan Wang
PNG
How PNG lost US$120 million and the future of deep-sea mining by Colin Filer, Jennifer Gabriel and Matthew G. Allen
Against amending the Constitution to make PNG a Christian country by Robin Oge
What it takes to change a prime minister in PNG by Michael Kabuni
Not all men are violent – but PNG is not safe for women by Geejay P. Milli
Climate change: a sign of the ‘End Times’ by Lorelle Tekopiri Yakam and Kylie McKenna
PNG’s job crisis and COVID-19 by Stephen Howes and Jotam Sinopane
PNG budget: pluses and minuses by Maholopa Laveil and Dek Joe Sum
Debt financing without development in PNG by Joe Taia Kapa
Pacific and Timor-Leste
Fiji’s economic freefall, and the government’s response by Neelesh Gounder
COVID-19 and Solomon Islands: the first casualties and possible ramifications by Transform Aqorau
Bigger than aid: Vanuatu’s citizenship schemes by Sherman Surandiran and Stephen Howes
Adventures in the East Timorese bureaucracy by Joao Almeida and Gordon Peake
Young in rural Timor-Leste: poor, hungry and bored by Akito Ximenes and Michael Rose
COVID-19: economic damage and Pacific strengths by Stephen Howes and Sherman Surandiran
Tonga’s double whammy: COVID-19 and tropical cyclones by Ofakilevuka (‘Ofa) Guttenbeil-Likiliki
How is Tuvalu securing against COVID-19? by Carol Farbotko and Taukiei Kitara
Do Papuan lives matter? by Arichika Okazaki and Grant Walton
Time for a Pacific Community by Biman Chand Prasad
Pacific labour mobility
For Tonga, Australian labour mobility more important than aid and trade combined by Stephen Howes and Beth Orton
The Pacific remittances boom: it’s for real by Stephen Howes and Sherman Surandiran
Licensed agents: the key to Vanuatu’s SWP success by Joanne Wade
Throwing it all away? Vanuatu’s abolition of licensed SWP and RSE agents by Richard Curtain and Stephen Howes
Pacific Islander communities and employment in Australia by Beth Orton and Ryan Edwards
The PLS: beefing up Australia’s meet industry by Holly Lawton
COVID-19: RSE and SWP by Rochelle Bailey and Charlotte Bedford
Aid to the Pacific
Australian aid to PNG – Part 1 and Part 2 by John Ma’o Kali CMG OBE
Aid to the Pacific is the least value for money by Carolyn Hunt
Australia leaves Fiji to flounder by Stephen Howes
What ails Australian aid to the Pacific? Two Pacific expert views by Sadhana Sen
Comparing China’s and Taiwan’s aid to the Pacific by Denghua Zhang
Summer reading suggestions: 2020 book reviews and more
Aid’s implementariat: national and invisible by Gordon Peake
Behrouz Boochani’s No Friend but the Mountains: an Oceanian lens by Michelle Nayahamui Rooney
Fishing for success: lessons in Pacific regionalism by Bob Warner
PNG on the border: too close to ignore, but what to do? by Stephen Howes
The Watermill: compelling stories of injustice by Gordon Peake
Providing by leaving: a gripping tale by Michael Rose
Personal stories
Growing up in Papua New Guinea: a six-part series by UPNG undergraduates.
Poverty in China: a personal encounter – part one and two by Huiyuan Liu
COVID-19 stories from PNG, Fiji and China
Farewell. We sadly said goodbye in 2020 to some very fine people
Obituary for Simon Tosali by Paul Flanagan
Vale Dr James Scambary by Gordon Peake
Vale Nahau Rooney by Sadhana Sen and Gynnie Kero