Aid & Development

By launching its new digital strategy, Britain’s foreign aid agency DFID hopes to be recognized as a global leader in digital technology and development. Ailin Martinez discusses four reasons for why this new approach is significant. David Guy discusses the benefits of enhancing development

Last month in The Interpreter, Clay O’Brien proposed the creation of a Development Finance Institution (DFI) for Australia’s aid program. This shift in thinking about the way the government could engage in development is most welcome, particularly in Papua New Guinea. More can be done. PNG

Stephan Dercon, Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford, gives a great summary of the 'Big Ideals, Big Egos and Big Thinkers in development'. According to Victoire Girard, the terrible reputation of artisanal mining is not justified (in Burkina Faso, at least). Her paper shows

The Pacific region is making headlines across Australia after Pacific and International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells harshly criticised Chinese aid in the region. 'Useless' is how Fierravanti-Wells has described Chinese aid projects, leading countries to take on debt they can't

Alexandre Dayant, a Research Associate in the Pacific Islands Program, with links on updates across the aid and development field. Puerto Rico’s power grid is still recovering from Hurricane Maria. According to Sasha Israni, the US territory has an opportunity to be a

The World Bank’s Uzma Quresh and Tanya D'Lima examine the economic and social impact of violence against women in Pakistan, and the role that local governments and media in combatting the issue. Earlier this month Niger welcomed the first 504 people from Libya, honouring agreements

Annmaree O'Keeffe gives her opinion on the 2017 Australia Foreign Policy White Paper, saying the report does not provide a clear direction for the aid program and diminishes its role within the department toolbox. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) released its

The Economist details what technology can and, critically, can’t do to help solve Africa’s development challenges. Politico has a fascinating profile on Scott Guggenheim, a development expert and long-time adviser to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The UK aid program is facing

The UK's International Development Secretary Priti Patel has been sacked from her position. The Prospect details the war she waged with her own department. Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has announced a public appeal to raise money for the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, matching

The OECD Development Assistance Council has refined its definition of ‘official development assistance’ – in other words, what international transfers can and cannot be deemed foreign aid. Refugee-related spending such as on detention centres, border security and returning failed asylum

The role of the multilateral development banks (MDBs) and other international financial institutions (IFIs) is back in the policy spotlight. The latest attention comes via the G20 Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Global Financial Governance, formed by G20 Finance Ministers at their meeting

In his recent Interpreter post, Richard Moore provides a handy summary of the work of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) over the past 50 years. He also poses questions about the future of the Bank. Moore is a former ADB Board member, so he is thoroughly familiar with debates about the Bank's role in

Aid officials fear a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ is unfolding in Rakhine State in Myanmar as the government has effectively implemented a blockade of their efforts in the region. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has released a new report, which will become an annual project, to track

SBS reports that Australia and Timor-Leste have reached agreement over a maritime boundary dispute that has significantly eroded the bilateral relationship. Final details will be announced in October. Kennya’s Supreme Court has nullified the country's recent elections, ordering a new poll within

FT Data takes a look at how global income inequality has shifted since the Global Financial Crisis. The Washington Post discusses why it is so much worse in the US than other rich countries. CARE has a sobering and powerful advocacy tool showing how your income compares with the rest of the

Vox has an explainer from Paul Slovic discussing how 'psychic numbing' helps to explain the limits of human compassion. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim shares five TED Talks that have inspired him. Keane Shum discusses the ongoing plight of Rohingya asylum seekers. Wade Shepard

The ABC’s latest episode of Foreign Correspondent covers the work of GiveDirectly’s basic income trial in Kenya – written story here. United Nations Seretary-General António Guterres has outlined his plan to reposition the UN development system to better help achieve the Sustainable

The Economist reports on the growing role of private contractors in the aid sector, citing many cases from Australia. Senate Estimates recently revealed that close to 20% of Australia’s aid program is now being delivered by ten contractors. Michael Kleinman’s article in the Guardian

The New York Times discusses the success of M-Pesa leapfrogging conventional banking in Kenya and how it is continuing to innovate. 'Blockchain' is getting thrown around a lot in development circles this year. Duncan Green provides a handy primer of what it actually means. As the Trump

The Australian Federal Budget 2017-18 will be handed down on Tuesday, 9 May. This is the most important date on the national aid and development calendar and has major implications for the volumes of foreign aid that will be delivered by Australia. It’s been a tough few years for the

New Zealand became ‘the first Western developed country’ to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) when it signed a Memorandum of Arrangement (MoA) during Premier Li’s March visit. For New Zealand, signing up to the BRI was the logical next step in a long-held policy of engagement with

Two-thirds of the population of Yemen are facing severe food shortages, with the ongoing civil war raising concerns of a potential for widespread famine in the country. Priti Patel, UK Secretary for International Development, is giving a speech today that is expected to provide a robust defence for

Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton discusses topics ranging from extreme poverty, opioid addiction, Trump voters, robots, and rent-seeking in this fascinating interview in The Atlantic. The fund to fill the gap left by President Trump’s global gag rule on family planning services has reached $190

This post is part of a debate on Australia’s foreign policy White paper 2017. Click here for other debate posts. The dazzling speed at which Asia has grown in the past 50 years has obscured a fact we often overlook in Australia: most of the countries and people in our part of the world remain