Devpolicy News (August 1): 2014 aid & development policy workshop | Stakeholder survey | Debating value for money in aid and other events

By Development Policy Centre
1 August 2013

Australasian Aid and International Development Policy Workshop
February 13-14, 2014
Australian National University

In February 2014 the Development Policy Centre, together with the Asia Foundation, will be hosting the first Australasian Aid and International Development Policy Workshop. The convenors of this multidisciplinary workshop, Professor Stephen Howes, Director of the Development Policy Centre at ANU and Dr Joel Negin, Senior Lecturer in International Public Health at the University of Sydney, welcome papers on a range of topics relating to aid effectiveness, the political economy of aid, aid from non-traditional donors, international public goods, the international development architecture, international climate change policy, and migration and trade.

Abstracts should be submitted to devpolicy@anu.edu.au. For more information, click here.

The Australian aid stakeholder survey

The Australian aid stakeholder survey is our effort (as explained here) to obtain feedback on the effectiveness of the Australian aid program, and suggestions for its improvement. Whether you are involved in the aid program or simply interested in it, whether you live in Australia or overseas, and whether you are on the giving or the receiving end of the aid relationship, we are interested in hearing from you. The survey will be open until the end of August. Results will be released after the Australian federal election.

We have had over 200 responses to the survey so far. If you haven’t participated yet, you can fill out the survey here. It only takes about 15 minutes.

Value for money in aid
Tuesday 6 August @ 4-5.30pm
Weston Theatre, Level 1, JG Crawford Building 132, Lennox Crossing, ANU

Aid agencies increasingly stress the importance of “value for money,” but what does this mean? Could a managerial focus on results actually undermine aid effectiveness, or simply result in aid confusion? Cathy Shutt from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and Russell McKay from GRM’s Effective Development Group will address this question from different perspectives. Register here.

Perspectives on Global Development 2013: industrial policies in a changing world
Mario Pezzini, Director of the OECD Development Centre
Thursday 8 August @ 4-5pm
Molonglo Theatre, Level 2, JG Crawford Building 132, Lennox Crossing, ANU

The renewed interest in industrial policy in developing countries poses new challenges and opportunities for policy makers. Mr Mario Pezzani, Director of the OECD Development Centre, will explore these issues in a lecture based on the 2013 report, Perspectives on Global Development 2013: industrial policies in a changing world. Register here.

Child protection in Afghanistan
Kerry Boland, UNHCR and UNICEF consultant
Thursday 15 August @ 12.30pm
Brindabella Theatre, Level 2, JG Crawford Building 132, Lennox Crossing, ANU

Kerry Boland, a consultant to UNHCR and UNICEF, and author of Children on the Move, about children of Afghan origin moving to western countries, will talk about her experience building formal and informal mechanisms for child protection in Afghanistan. Register here.

Goals for people: a review of post-2015 proposals, and some suggestions
Robin Davies, Associate Director, Development Policy Centre
Thursday 29 August @ 12:30-1:30pm
Barton Theatre, Level 1, JG Crawford Building 132, Lennox Crossing, ANU

Until recently, discussions on a new post-2015 framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals mostly revolved around general principles or else very particular features of a possible landscape. Now, several proposals for an integrated post-2015 agenda have emerged. Most prominent among these is the illustrative framework offered by the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel (HLP) of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Robin Davies will give a comparative assessment of the frameworks on offer, identify some pervasive defects, and suggest ways of repairing these. For more information contact us here.

2013 Australian aid evaluation workshop
Monday 2 September @ 9am-2.30pm

In 2012 Devpolicy hosted the first Australian aid evaluation workshop, which promoted analysis and review of recent evaluations released by AusAID’s independent evaluations unit the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE). A year on we will repeat the exercise, looking at more recent reviews from ODE (on HIV/AIDS in PNG and on law and justice), debate the future of evaluation in Australian aid, and hear from ODE head Dereck Rooken-Smith and Independent Evaluation Committee chair Jim Adams. For more information contact us here.

September PNG budget forum
Thursday 19 September
Port Moresby

Our next budget forum jointly organised with PNG’s National Research Institute (NRI) will be held on Thursday, 19 September at NRI. Preliminary findings from our survey of more than 200 schools and close to 150 health facilities from across PNG will be presented at the forum. For more information contact Colin Wiltshire or Andrew Mako.

Blog summary

You can find a summary of all posts since our last newsletter on July 1 in the list below.

Aid

Julie Bishop signals support for selective approach to Pacific integration, seasonal workers and Enterprise Challenge Fund by Ashlee Betteridge.

Is there a role for foreign development assistance in middle income Asia? by Rosita Armytage.

Global development policy

Careers in development: Robin Sherbourne discusses the ODI Fellowship Scheme by Robin Sherbourne.

What is of real value by Kamalini Lokuge.

The Pacific

RAMSI: Solomon Islands in transition by Matthew Allen and Sinclair Dinnen.

RAMSI: moving forwards by asking the right questions of the past by Clive Moore.

RAMSI: only part of the picture by Graham Baines.

Less can be more when small isn’t always beautiful by Tobias Haque.

RAMSI: finding the road to peace and reconciliation by Louise Vella.

RAMSI: Solomons saved from sinking, but drifting and taking in water… by Tony Hughes.

The Pacific Plan and the future of Pacific regionalism by Seini O’Connor.

PNG

Negotiating asylum and settlement in PNG: who has snookered whom? by Michelle Nayahamui Rooney.

The aid implications of the PNG solution: what isn’t, is, and might be happening by Stephen Howes.

Rampaging soldiers at the Moresby medical school: implications for Rudd’s PNG solution by Stephen Howes.

More about the development contributions of mining and petroleum companies in PNG by Margaret Callan.

In brief

Call to increase cap for New Zealand’s Pacific seasonal worker scheme

Tracking progress on the MDGs

Parke announces ambassador for disability-inclusive development

Ugandans farewell ‘Mama Irene’

Minister for International Development speaks at AusAID, heads to Sols

The ‘unquantifiable cost’ of the PNG asylum deal

‘Reasonable progress’ at UN agencies: DFID MAR update

Australia unties aid for African food research

Humanitarian aid takes a hit in 2012

Global Corruption Barometer released for 2013

Bill to increase transparency of US aid could still face roadblocks

Simon Scott: Does development assistance have a future?

Slowing growth in developing Asia

Comms for dev: big potential in the Pacific?

Asylum seeker issue shouldn’t stop frank Australia-PNG discussions

Of Jeffrey Sachs, the Millennium Villages Project, and evidence

About the author/s

Development Policy Centre

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