On the eve of the 2021–22 Federal Budget, Stephen Howes set out three tests for Australia’s aid budget: Will there be any further increases in aid next year? Will the government sustain any aid increases beyond this year and next? Will the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provide an estimate of this year’s and next year’s Official Development Assistance (ODA)? In this ninth edition of Devpolicy’s aid budget breakfast, he answers those questions, provides analysis on the broader budget con...
May 20, 2021•58 min•Season 10Ep. 4
The Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) is a major Australian government foreign aid initiative that commenced in 2008, that has spent over $350 million, and that has turned out over 15,000 graduates with Australian qualifications. In a recent Devpolicy Discussion Paper , Richard Curtain and Stephen Howes analyse graduate tracer surveys and show that employment outcomes for APTC graduate job-seekers have worsened over the last decade. This is mainly because of falling demand for the trad...
Apr 09, 2021•59 min•Season 10Ep. 3
Australian foreign aid has changed considerably in the last 20 years. Dr Terence Wood discusses the findings of a recently published report that examines the changing nature of Australian government aid through the lens of publicly available data on aid flows, which provide evidence of change and allow direct comparisons between Australia and other OECD Development Assistance Committee donors. These comparisons help highlight where Australian aid conforms with international norms of good giving,...
Mar 22, 2021•48 min•Season 10Ep. 2
Charles Scheiner presents the 2021 economic survey of Timor-Leste, outlining the current economic situation, particularly in relation to the state budget, and the dominance of the Petroleum Fund in state finances. He also looks at future oil and gas possibilities, including Greater Sunrise and the Tasi Mane petroleum infrastructure project, and argues regardless of the paths Timor-Leste chooses to follow, investing in its people – through education, health and nutrition – is essential. The prese...
Mar 18, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 10Ep. 1
The economic costs of COVID-19 continue to mount, globally and in the Pacific. But what is the damage in the Pacific, and how are Pacific governments responding? In this webinar, panellists explore the economic damage caused by COVID-19 and the responses Pacific governments are taking. Professor Stephen Howes presents an overview based on the Pacific Covid Economic Database compiled by the Development Policy Centre. Dr Jenny Gordon, Chief Economist at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,...
Aug 28, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Season 9Ep. 13
Historically, Australia has lacked a coherent policy to attract immigrants with less extensive formal training and education, despite the needs of its ageing population and labour market. The Center for Global Development has recently concluded a project with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which has produced two papers. Michael Clemens outlines the findings of the first paper, which estimates the demand for vocational workers in Australia by 2050 will exceed native suppl...
Aug 20, 2020•1 hr 11 min•Season 9Ep. 12
It is time to fundamentally reframe the research agenda on migration, remittances, payments and development. Many policymakers in the developing world, and researchers, tend to view migrant remittances as windfall income, rather than as returns on investment, which is how families with migrants tend to see remittances. Migration is thus, among other things, a strategy for financial management in poor households: location is an asset, migration an investment. Some of the most basic questions abou...
Jun 18, 2020•54 min•Season 9Ep. 11
In this panel event at the 2020 Australasian AID conference, John Langmore makes the case for stronger government and civil society commitment to conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Joanna Pradela argues that Australia should adopt a feminist approach to foreign policy, one that is grounded in gender equality. Pierre van der Eng analyses the rapid expansion of Australia’s foreign aid to Indonesia during the 1960s and 1970s in the context of Australia’s evolving foreign policy towards Asia. An...
Jun 04, 2020•1 hr 31 min•Season 9Ep. 10
In the Pacific over the past three decades, women’s domestic violence services have led advocacy for policy for increased gender equality, women’s human rights and in engaging men and boys as allies and advocates in prevention of violence against women. In partnership with regional governments, development partners and Australia’s aid and development resources, this model has provided agency, leadership and generated a significant shift towards building support and a more strategic approach. Thi...
May 18, 2020•1 hr 28 min•Season 9Ep. 9
In November 2018, the Australian Government announced the Pacific step-up, taking its engagement with the Pacific to a new level. Despite this shift, new research finds that many people in the Pacific are concerned Australia does not know how to engage successfully as part of the Pacific community. This panel event at the 2020 Australasian Aid Conference outlines the key findings of research commissioned by the Whitlam Institute on the views of Pacific islanders from Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solom...
May 07, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Season 9Ep. 8
The welfare gains from increasing cross-border labour mobility are likely to be several times larger than those from complete trade liberalisation, offering significant benefits to migrants, receiving, and sending countries. This panel outlines the case for international labour mobility, summarises the lessons learned from the first year of Australia’s new Pacific Labour Scheme, and provides an overview and initial assessment of recent recruitment reforms in Papua New Guinea. Panellists: Farah H...
May 05, 2020•1 hr 30 min•Season 9Ep. 7
Offering social assistance programs has become an increasingly prominent strategy to alleviate poverty in many parts of the developing world, including in Indonesia. Drawing on Indonesia’s decades-long experience in developing social assistance programs, government officials and a leading evidence-based policy research institution, The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Southeast Asia (J-PAL SEA), highlight proven methods to address key emerging challenges and improve anti-poverty programs. P...
Apr 24, 2020•1 hr 23 min•Season 9Ep. 6
The language and theory of ‘aid’ is outdated. But something like it is still needed as the world faces huge common challenges, new and old. In this keynote address, Jonathan Glennie sets out a new approach for the 21st century: global public investment. He proposes five paradigm shifts for the future of concessional international public finance, as the world of international development moves on from an old-fashioned ‘aid’ mentality. Keynote speaker: Jonathan Glennie, Principal Associate at the ...
Apr 23, 2020•54 min•Season 9Ep. 5
In this keynote address delivered on 19 February at the 2020 Australasian AID Conference, Alex Hawke, Minister for International Development and the Pacific, outlines the key trends in the Indo-Pacific region affecting Australia’s development partners and shaping its new international development policy. He also discusses Australia’s longstanding commitment to the region and its Pacific step-up, and how Australia will continue to support the region and keep it strong. Minister Hawke is introduce...
Apr 23, 2020•53 min•Season 9Ep. 4
Australia’s aid program to PNG is its biggest, its highest profile and most controversial. In this insightful keynote panel at the 2020 Australasian AID conference, Jonathan Pryke outlines the findings of his research into Australia’s aid program to PNG, His Excellency John Kali CMG OBE discusses key changes in the way Australian assistance is being delivered, Terence Wood presents the findings of the third Australian aid transparency audit, and Stephanie Copus Campbell reflects on the panel’s p...
Mar 30, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Season 9Ep. 3
In this keynote address, Dr Radhika Coomaraswamy discusses the evolution of the women, peace and security agenda, from representation and participation of women in peace processes, transformative justice and women combatants to livelihoods and empowerment of women in the post-conflict era and the role women play, and can play, in the prevention of conflict. Drawing on her personal experiences in the field, she explores the dilemmas and day-to-day lived realities of women in conflict and post-con...
Mar 30, 2020•55 min•Season 9Ep. 2
In 2019 the Nobel prize for economics went to three economists who have promoted the use and importance of Randomised Control Trials (RCTs) in development economics and interventions. But how useful are RCTs in the real world of development assistance? And what more generally needs to be done to improve the quality and impact of impact evaluations, and to promote learning in aid? Panellists: The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Member for Fenner, ACT Dr Lant Pritchett, Research Director, RISE Programme; ...
Mar 12, 2020•1 hr 29 min•Season 9Ep. 1
In November 2019, Professor Stephen Howes sat down with Michael Kocher and Matt Reed of the Aga Khan Foundation to discuss the work of the Foundation, one of the ten development arms of the Aga Khan Development Network. Professor Stephen Howes is the Director of the Development Policy Centre at the Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University Michael Kocher is the global General Manager of the Aga Khan Foundation Matt Reed is Chief Executive Officer of the Aga Khan Founda...
Dec 02, 2019•40 min•Season 8Ep. 16
Family is the basic foundation for social and economic development across the world, and particularly in Papua New Guinea (PNG). However, this foundation is often challenged by family and sexual violence (FSV). In order to support policymaking that fosters healthy, safe and secure families, research was conducted in Lae in 2018 and 2019 to better understand men’s and women’s perspectives of FSV. Joshua Goa and Dunstan Lawihin of the University of Papua New Guinea discuss the research findings in...
Nov 26, 2019•1 hr 10 min•Season 8Ep. 15
Should aid programs micromanage their work? Or should they leave staff on the ground the space to decide for themselves? In this presentation Dan Honig will speak to the key findings of his book, Navigation by Judgment, an in-depth attempt at answering these questions. Dan’s book draws on a novel database of more than 14,000 discrete development projects across nine agencies, and eight qualitative studies. He contends that tight controls and narrow focus on reaching pre-set targets can prevent f...
Jul 24, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 8Ep. 14
On Wednesday 1 May, former World Bank Vice President Jim Adams presented his reflections on the performance of the Australian aid program. He is stepping down as Chair of DFAT's Independent Evaluation Committee after seven years in the role, and joined us at ANU to discuss how to build a robust performance culture based on accountability, transparency, learning and appropriate risk management. Read and subscribe to our daily blogs at devpolicy.org. Learn more about our research and join our publ...
May 05, 2019•44 min•Season 8Ep. 13
In a talk at ANU on 12 April, Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP discussed how a Labor government will tackle tax avoidance in Australia and our region, and announced a new policy initiative to help crack down on multinational tax avoidance and restore fairness into the system. Read and subscribe to our daily blogs at devpolicy.org. Learn more about our research and join our public events at devpolicy.anu.edu.au. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram for latest updates on our blogs, researc...
Apr 17, 2019•45 min•Season 8Ep. 12
Chinese development cooperation in Asia and the Pacific is growing rapidly. In this keynote panel at the 2019 Australasian Aid Conference, Chinese experts shared their insights on the rationale, aspirations and challenges of Chinese development cooperation, particularly in relation to the Belt and Road Initiative, responsible investment, the new development cooperation agency, and China's engagement in the Pacific. Panellists: Anthea Mulakala, The Asia Foundation (Chair) Hongbo Ji, The Asia Foun...
Apr 10, 2019•1 hr 26 min•Season 8Ep. 11
Masood Ahmed, President of the Center for Global Development, gave a keynote address at the 2019 Australasian Aid Conference on 20 February. He discussed growing debt in low-income countries, and asked whether we are heading for another debt crisis. He also spoke about whether this is different from the debt crisis 20 years ago, what is driving debt growing in low-income countries, what can be done to reduce the risk of a crisis, and what policy could limit the possibility of a prolonged crisis....
Apr 09, 2019•49 min•Season 8Ep. 10
Donald Kaberuka, former President of the African Development Bank and former Minister of Finance for Rwanda, presented the 2019 Mitchell Oration on 19 February at the 2019 Australasian Aid Conference. He spoke on the topic of 'Africa and the global landscape: emerging trends and the way forward'. The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation. htt...
Apr 08, 2019•55 min•Season 8Ep. 9
This panel reviewed and reflected on the on-the-ground experience of using a gender lens in the impact investment ecosystem in Asia and the Pacific. Panellists: Amy Haddad, DFAT (Chair) Joy Anderson, Criterion Institute Amanda Jupp, Pacific RISE Sally Moyle, CARE Australia Will Scott-Kemmis, SecondMuse (Frontier Innovators and Incubators) James Soukamneuth, Investing in Women The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organi...
Apr 04, 2019•1 hr 31 min•Season 8Ep. 8
This panel brought together key players in the Australian aid sector to discuss best practice to approach the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse in the aid sector, as well as safeguarding issues. It also provided a platform for organisations to learn from and share their approaches and experiences. Panellists: Kate Sutton, Humanitarian Advisory Group (Chair) Juliette Brassington, DFAT Sarah Burrows, ACFID Rosie Wheen, WaterAid Thida Seng, WaterAid Australia Maaike Moller, Victorian Inst...
Apr 03, 2019•1 hr 22 min•Season 8Ep. 7
This panel highlighted the need for an increased focus on mental health and psychosocial disability within the disability-inclusive development agenda, and provided some best-practice examples and learnings for development practitioners. Panellists: Teresa Hall, University of Melbourne (Chair) Becca Allchin, Monash University Aleisha Carroll, CBM Australia Bhargavi Davar, Transforming Communities for Inclusion Helen Fernandes, TEAR Australia The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawf...
Apr 02, 2019•58 min•Season 8Ep. 6
On 29 March, Senator Richard Di Natale, Leader of the Australian Greens, launched the Australian Greens' full aid and development policy for the 2019 federal election at a public event at ANU. Read and subscribe to our daily blogs at devpolicy.org. Learn more about our research and join our public events at devpolicy.anu.edu.au. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram for latest updates on our blogs, research and events. You can send us feedback, and ideas for episodes too, to dev...
Apr 02, 2019•27 min•Season 8Ep. 5
Rapid advances in technology, including mobile communication, artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, psychographics, and biotech, are fundamentally changing economic, political, social, and security conditions in the Indo Pacific region. This panel discussed the impact all this is having on developing countries, and adjustments needed in development policy and practice. Panellists: Sakuntala Akmeemana, DFAT (Chair) William Cole, The Asia Foundation Yixiao Zhou, ANU John Karr, The Asia Foun...
Mar 31, 2019•1 hr 30 min•Season 8Ep. 4
