Devpolicy Talks

The 2013 Pacific and PNG Update provides a forum for the discussion of the latest economic, social and political developments in the region. The Update was hosted by the Development Policy Centre, and supported by: the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Economic Management Technical Assistance Project; and the Asia and Pacific Policy Studies, the flagship publication of the Crawford School of Public...

The 2013 Pacific and PNG Update provides a forum for the discussion of the latest economic, social and political developments in the region. The Update was hosted by the Development Policy Centre, and supported by: the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Economic Management Technical Assistance Project; and the Asia and Pacific Policy Studies, the flagship publication of the Crawford School of Public...

The 2013 Pacific and PNG Update provides a forum for the discussion of the latest economic, social and political developments in the region. The Update was hosted by the Development Policy Centre, and supported by: the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Economic Management Technical Assistance Project; and the Asia and Pacific Policy Studies, the flagship publication of the Crawford School of Public...

The 2013 Pacific and PNG Update provides a forum for the discussion of the latest economic, social and political developments in the region. The Update was hosted by the Development Policy Centre, and supported by: the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Economic Management Technical Assistance Project; and the Asia and Pacific Policy Studies, the flagship publication of the Crawford School of Public...

Papua New Guinea recently completed its second national household consumption survey, potentially enabling poverty comparisons with baseline estimates from 14 years earlier. But the methods used by the recent 2009/10 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) differ in important ways from those of the 1996 PNG Household Survey (PNGHS) which makes poverty comparisons more difficult. This talk d...

Two important trend reversals have taken place in global inequality over the last 25 years: the inequality between countries has started to decrease after two centuries of steady increase and the inequality within many countries has started to rise after a long period of stability, in particular in developed countries. After documenting this evolution, Francois Bourguignon, former Chief Economist...

People with disability are among the poorest and most marginalised in developing countries. One estimate is that there are one billion people with disability worldwide, including 20% of the world’s poorest. The challenge of making development disability-inclusive has traditionally received little attention, but that is now changing. AusAID has been playing a leadership role with its Development fo...

Having achieved historically unprecedented economic growth over recent years, African countries now face the challenge of structurally transforming their economies. However, the politics of how to do this remains controversial. The standard international advice on good governance and the adoption of a ‘golden thread’ of sound institutions is not supported by historical and comparative evidence. Th...

Ume Wainetti is National Coordinator of the PNG Family and Sexual Violence Action Committee (FSVAC), the body charged with coordinating the national response to gender-based violence. She has years of experience in leading PNG’s response to gender-based violence. In this public forum, Ume Wainetti explored the gains made, the promising approaches, and the challenges ahead for an effective response...

In his universally acclaimed and award-winning book The Bottom Billion, Paul Collier argues that fifty failed states-home to the poorest one billion people on earth-pose the central challenge of the developing world in the twenty-first century. In this public lecture, Professor Collier explored how the private sector can engage to help the bottom billion. [Note: Variable sound level as Professor C...

The annual aid budget is the most important event for the aid sector. And it is a time when the entire sector converges on Canberra for the budget lock up. Devpolicy seized this opportunity to host a morning-after aid budget breakfast at the ANU where we provided fresh but in-depth analysis on what the budget means for the sector. Devpolicy's Tony Swan and Stephen Howes delivered their analysis. W...

Devpolicy Research Associate Tess Newton Cain sits down with Sina Retzlaff, Samoa country representative for the Pacific Leadership Program. A full transcript is available here: http://devpolicy.org/pacific-conversations/3.%20Transcript%20of%20interview%20with%20Sina%20Retzlaff.docx Blog post available here: http://devpolicy.org/in-conversation-with-sina-retzlaff-20130522-2/ Devpolicy Talks is the...

Devpolicy Research Associate Tess Newton Cain sits down with Sir Mekere Morauta, Review Leader of the 2013 Pacific Plan Review. A full transcript is available here: http://devpolicy.org/pacific-conversations/2.%20Transcript%20of%20interview%20with%20Sir%20Mekere%20Morauta.doc Blog post available here: http://devpolicy.org/in-conversation-with-sir-mekere-morauta-20130408/ Devpolicy Talks is the pod...

Rachel Kyte, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank, spoke recent at the Development Policy Centre about the risk a 4 degree warmer world poses for development and the impact of sea-level rise, heat waves and extreme weather events globally, and in Australia and Oceania. Everyone will be affected by the changing climate, but the poor and vulnerable will suffer most. She argue...

Frank Jotzo, Senior Lecturer at the ANU's Crawford School of Public Policy, sits down with Rachely Kyte, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank. In this brief but wide ranging interview they discuss the risk a 4 degree warmer world poses for development, Australia's approach to combating climate change (in particular its price on carbon emissions), and the World Bank's role i...

Few would argue that a country’s development trajectory is not crucially influenced by its government’s ability to manage public resources. The stability of the economy, the delivery of basic services such as education and health - even the legitimacy of the state itself - all greatly depend on effective and equitable public finance management. In fragile and conflict-affected states, public finan...

Devpolicy Research Associate Tess Newton Cain sits down with Peter Forau, Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat, discussing their successes throughout 25 years of operation. A full transcript is available here: http://devpolicy.org/pacific-conversations/1.%20Transcript%20of%20interview%20with%20Peter%20Forau.docx A blog post is available here: http://devpolicy.org/peter-fo...

In this podcast Devpolicy Director Stephen Howes sits down with Michael Clemens, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Global Development and migration expert. The main topics covered were: The US Seasonal Workers Program Skilled vs. unskilled migration Fostering skilled migration The Australia Pacific Technical College Devpolicy Talks is the podcast of the Australian National University's Development...

One of the biggest growth opportunities in the world economy lies not in the mobility of goods or capital, but in the mobility of labour. Many people born in low-income countries would like to leave those countries, but barriers prevent their emigration. Those barriers, according to economists’ best estimates to date, cost the world economy much more than all remaining barriers to the internationa...

Timor-Leste, which gained its independence in 2002, is one of the world's youngest countries. Born out of a history of violence and poverty, in recent years Timor-Leste has experienced both social stability and rapid growth, and its development prospects have strengthened considerably. Timor-Leste has also been a pioneer in establishing the g7+, a group of 17 fragile states, which was formed in 20...

Jorgen Randers, Professor of Climate Strategy from the BI Norwegian Business School, is one of the world's most respected and rigorous global systems experts. Forty years ago he co-authored the best-selling environmental book of all time -- The Club of Rome's 1972 Limits to Growth, which set out different scenarios, including ones of overshooting and collapse, out to 2100. Now, 40 years later, Ran...

This full day forum examined recent experience and explore the potential for further aid investment in partnership with business in four areas: inclusive business ventures, service delivery, pro-poor supply chains for internationally-traded products, and product development partnerships in health and agriculture. Session 4 (Product development partnerships) speakers: Dr Mary Moran, Director, Polic...

This full day forum examined recent experience and explore the potential for further aid investment in partnership with business in four areas: inclusive business ventures, service delivery, pro-poor supply chains for internationally-traded products, and product development partnerships in health and agriculture. Session 3 (Pro-poor supply chains for internationally traded products) speakers: Dr D...

This full day forum examined recent experience and explore the potential for further aid investment in partnership with business in four areas: inclusive business ventures, service delivery, pro-poor supply chains for internationally-traded products, and product development partnerships in health and agriculture. Session 2 (Partnerships for service delivery) speakers: Annmaree O’Keeffe, Research F...

This full day forum examined recent experience and explore the potential for further aid investment in partnership with business in four areas: inclusive business ventures, service delivery, pro-poor supply chains for internationally-traded products, and product development partnerships in health and agriculture. Session 1 (Keynote address and inclusive business) speakers: Dr Jane Thomason, Chairp...