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An earlier version of this blog was published in The Conversation. After publication, the authors received valuable feedback which is incorporated into the revised version below. There was so much money sloshing around in Bougainville during 2024 that the stores ran short of goods and people could be found partying until dawn. The region’s economy […]
This is an edited version of a keynote speech delivered to the 2024 Australasian AID conference by Lady Roslyn Morauta, chair of the Global Fund’s board. Today, I want to share my passion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – an organisation that exemplifies how performance-driven, multilateral aid can be both […]
This blog is an edited version of the Mitchell Oration delivered at the 2024 Australasian AID Conference on December 5. The traditional framework for development cooperation is being challenged today in multiple ways, going well beyond just geopolitical contestation between major powers. While growing rivalry between the US and China, with most developing countries caught […]
The integration of artificial intelligence into international development is beginning to move from speculative discussion to practical application. At the 2024 Australasian AID Conference, one session explored how AI tools are being developed and tested to enhance development policy and programming, with potentially interesting implications for how aid organisations analyse problems and make decisions. Two […]
Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of any effective government program. I am proud to announce the launch of AusDevPortal — a new, online transparency portal dedicated to Australia’s international development work. This transparency uplift is part of the Government’s commitment to ensuring that every dollar of development funding contributes to the outcomes that Australia […]
I recently took a late career change, back to what I had enjoyed the most — frontline development work. I’ve been working in rural and remote communities in the Pacific and Australia ever since. My recent work in international development has been with “facility” managing contractors — companies that manage flexible technical assistance mechanisms. After […]
More than 80% of people in PNG live in rural areas and more than 60% of them are multidimensionally poor. It is therefore reasonable for Andrew Anton Mako to ask why a greater share of budget spending does not reach these people. Part of the answer lies in the practice of patronage. PNG is a […]
Australian aid As conflict in the Middle East widens and the toll on civilians worsens, the Australian Council For International Development’s members have launched a consolidated appeal to help address the humanitarian situation in Lebanon. Australia has allocated $12 million to the humanitarian response in Lebanon since September 2024 and $82.5 million to the Gaza […]
The previous blog looked at some studies of the relationship between China’s aid and its influence that posit a mediating role for domestic political institutions. Early empirical research suggests that this kind of analytic lens is relevant to the Pacific. This is a region that comprises countries with largely open — albeit in some cases […]