PNG Update
The 2015 PNG Update (18-19 June at the University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby) is less than two weeks away. An updated program [pdf] is now up on the web. Among other prominent keynote speakers, former World Bank VP Jim Adams will be speaking on reform lessons from Africa and Asia, while the UPNG-Devpolicy combined economics team will be presenting a comprehensive overview of the PNG economy. There are also about 50 papers over 15 sessions on topics as diverse as gender, mining, migration, the private sector, decentralisation, corruption, the macroeconomy, urban development, agriculture, land, forestry, education, poverty and IT. Don’t miss PNG’s premier policy forum, supported by UPNG, ANU, the Australian aid program and the Asian Development Bank. Free and open to the public. Register here.
2016 Australasian Aid Conference
We are pleased to announce that the Australasian Aid Conference will be returning on 10-11 February 2016, once again in partnership with the Asia Foundation.
Our call for papers is now open. We welcome papers from academics and practitioners on aid effectiveness; the political economy and politics of aid; aid and security; aid and non-traditional donors; aid and gender; aid and the environment; migration and international trade policy; and international and development architecture.
For more details on how to submit an abstract, visit the website.
New discussion paper: technology, trade and adjustment to immigration in Israel
This week, we published a new discussion paper by Anthony Swan, titled “New evidence on technology, trade and adjustment to immigration in Israel”. The paper looks at the impacts of a broad increase in education on an economy, namely at the impact of the mass migration of educated Russian Jews to Israel in the 90s. Israel’s case provides sound lessons on how other economies can maximise their returns from investments in education through the promotion of reforms to promote the most efficient use of skilled labour. You can read a summary blog here.
Roundtable on labour mobility and visit from journalists
Last week Devpolicy, in collaboration with and at the request of the Solomon Islands High Commission, hosted a roundtable on the participation of Solomon Islanders in Australia’s Seasonal Worker Program. The roundtable was joined by experts from ANU, by senior Australian government officials, and by the World Bank. Also participating were the Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of the Solomon Islands, The Hon. Milner Tozaka, as well as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade, and officials from the country’s Labour Mobility Unit.
We also recently met with a group of journalists from the Pacific, participating in an Asia Pacific Journalism Centre fellowship program, to discuss issues such as labour mobility, service delivery to survivors of gender-based violence, economic development in the Pacific, climate change and more.
New podcast platform
We’ve just migrated our podcast over to Soundcloud, which makes it easier to find and share old episodes. You can also now download our episodes to your mobile devices through the Soundcloud app. Our iTunes and Feedburner RSS options are still available, and will still be up-to-date with the all latest episodes.
Upcoming events
Global inequality: are the world’s poorest being left behind?
Dr Martin Ravallion. Tuesday 9 June, 5.30pm – 6.30pm. Register here.
2015 PNG Update
18-19 June, University of Papua New Guinea. Details here.
2015 Pacific Update
15-17 July, University of the South Pacific, Suva. Details here.
Blog highlights
How to rebuild the case for Australian aid.
Is development work a profession?
Modest increases for NZ aid.
On the blog
A public-private partnership tackling law and order in PNG by Julian Whayman
Education and economic development: evidence from mass migration to Israel by Anthony Swan
Where Australia’s case for aid went wrong – and what we can do to rebuild by Matthew Morris and Julia Newton-Howes
Professional development? By Jo Spratt
The age of inequality by Marc Purcell
The way we were: mean and getting meaner by Paul Flanagan
The ups and downs of New Zealand aid: budget 2015 by Terence Wood
Credit rating a dark cloud for PNG, policy corrections a possible silver lining by Paul Flanagan
Neglected disease research and development: a smart use of aid dollars by Dale Halliday
A tough nut to crack: legislating for Papua New Guinea’s informal economy by Busa Jeremiah Wenogo and John Conroy
Zeroing in on preventable child deaths in the Pacific by Nancy Waites and Hayley Channer
In brief
Funding to multilateral organisations hits a new high
BRAC and the Australian aid program
Devpolicy hosts roundtable on Solomons’ labour mobility
This is the fortnightly newsletter of the Development Policy Centre at Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University, published every second Friday.
