Productivity is the single most important driver of long-term wage growth, improvements in living standards and national competitiveness. Yet, until now, Papua New Guinea has lacked robust, sector-specific measures of productivity to guide wage setting and economic policy. A new study, the first of its kind, fills that gap. Commissioned by the Employers Federation of ... Read moreAbout the author/s Martin Davies Martin Davies is Professor of Economics at Washington and Lee University, Visitin...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
On 4 June 2025, with the support of the Shifting the Power Coalition and ActionAid Australia, I had the honour of presenting a heartfelt testimonial about our work at the Hauskuk Initiative — through the power of poetry — during a high-level, multi-stakeholder plenary session titled “Leave No One Behind” at the 8th Session of ... Read moreAbout the author/s Naomi Woyengu Naomi Woyengu is the Founder and Executive Director of the Hauskuk Initiative Association based in Madang, PNG, whi...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
In the Pacific, food is more than sustenance — it is identity, culture and community. Yet for many Samoan families, food has increasingly become a source of concern rather than comfort. In Samoa, the Cost of the Diet Analysis in Samoa report, by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the United Nations World Food ... Read moreAbout the author/s Alpha Bah Alpha Bah is Representative and Country Director of the United Nations World Food Programme's Pacific Office. Seuseu Joseph Tauati ...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
A person I respect deeply uses the phrase “soft bigotry of low expectations” to describe problems besetting Papua New Guineans working in the development sector. In other words, there is a pernicious assumption that Papua New Guineans are capable of less because of their background and they can get patronised to high heaven when they ... Read moreAbout the author/s Gordon Peake Gordon Peake is a writer, podcaster and consultant, and a campus visitor at the Development Policy Centre. His f...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
In August, we published a progress report on how the successful Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) 2024 ballot applicants had fared, but at that time we only had data up to April. Now we have more recent data from the Department of Home Affairs, up to end of July. (Note that we are writing exclusively about ... Read moreDisclosure This research was supported by the Pacific Research Program, with funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The views are those of the authors only. Abou...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
The 13 September editorial in the newspaper The Australian, provocatively titled “China’s Cultural Revolution forced on to the Solomons”, framed Solomon Islands’ adoption of aspects of China’s “Fengqiao Experience” as a lurch towards authoritarianism. It raised legitimate concerns about surveillance, policing experiments and the erosion of freedom. Yet, in concentrating almost entirely on Beijing’s role, the ... Read moreDisclosure The author is currently employed by the Offi...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
The Seasonal Worker Program (SWP), now under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme as its “short-term” stream, was launched in 2012 with two objectives: “to contribute to economic development in partner Pacific countries” and “to provide benefits to Australian employers and the domestic economy”. There is ample evidence to assess the SWP against its ... Read moreDisclosure This research was supported by the Pacific Research Program, with funding from the Department ...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
With the golden jubilee celebrations having just passed, Papua New Guinea is equal parts festive and reflective. The national broadcasters have played their part in fostering the latter: screening history-themed documentaries and news segments in between the comprehensive live coverage of official events across the nation’s capital. Universities and training centres such as the Somare ... Read moreDisclosure Funding for the Revitalising the PNG Dictionary of Biography project is provided by...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
As Papua New Guinea celebrates 50 years of independence, we reflect on progress made in improving health and strengthening relationships. Our experience through a major program on maternal and child health, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies (HMHB), is that having strong, resilient health systems is a key foundation for independence — and the partnerships that sustain ... Read moreAbout the author/s James Beeson Professor James Beeson is a Deputy Director (Research Strategy) and Head of the Mal...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
Polopa means “go ahead, I will come after you”. It is the name given to the Polopa-speaking people of the Southern Highlands Province — a population of about 10,000 people living in the Erave local level government area. They live in nine council wards: Kerabi, Balowei, Tiri, Waraga, Waposale, Kele, Puputau (Mt Tawa), Sirigi and Sopuse. ... Read moreAbout the author/s Busa Jeremiah Wenogo Busa Jeremiah Wenogo is a Papua New Guinean development economist who specialises in issues relati...| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
The story of the relationship between the two national universities is also the story of the relationship between two nations, says Sinclair Dinnen.| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
A factsheet on how to apply for Australia's 2024 Pacific Engagement Visa and ballot.| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
The Murder in the Pacific series reveals wider truths about the sustainability and impact of aid projects, says Gordon Peake.| Devpolicy Blog from the Development Policy Centre
