The Development Policy Centre works in partnership with a number of other research organisations. It has provided advice and analysis to, or worked in conjunction with, the
Asian Development Bank,
The Asia Foundation,
AusAID (now
DFAT),
CARE (relief agency), the
Center for Global Development, the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, the
Lowy Institute for International Policy,
Oxfam, the
Pacific Institute of Public Policy, the
Government of Papua New Guinea, the
World Bank,
World Vision,
OECD Development Assistance Committee, Overseas Development Institute, PNG’s National Research Institute , the
University of Papua New Guinea and
DFAT's Office of Development Effectiveness. In addition to its core research agenda, Devpol runs several key projects and has a number of formalised partnerships with academic and research institutions in Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea Budget Project Together with PNG's National Research Institute, Devpol completed the Promoting Effective Public Expenditure (PEPE) Project to better understand how PNG allocates its public funds, and how funds are provided to and used by those responsible for delivering basic services. In 2012, 360 primary and health care clinics across eight provinces were surveyed. In 2014, the final report of the project was published.
Partnership with the University of Papua New Guinea Devpol has had a strong and deepening relationship with the
University of Papua New Guinea, in particular the School of Business and Public Policy. This partnership includes the co-hosting of the annual PNG Update conference, and initiatives to strengthen research and teaching of economics and public policy at UPNG, such as academic placements and exchanges. In 2022,
Papua New Guinea: Government, economy and society was published by ANU Press. It is the result of the longstanding ANU-UPNG partnership. The book is edited by Devpol director Stephen Howes and dean of UPNG School of Business and Public Policy Lekshmi N. Pillai, with most contributors from the ANU and UPNG.
PNG Databases Devpol has established open access databases for the PNG budget, for elections, members of parliament, and economic data. Databases are maintained by Devpol researchers for analysis and policy recommendations. The databases are freely available to researchers.
Femili PNG Devpol provides pro-bono institutional support to Femili PNG, a local NGO in Papua New Guinea, which runs case management centres in Lae, Port Moresby and Goroka. Femili PNG works with clients, partners and communities to improve responses to family and sexual violence through case-management, partner support, training, monitoring, research and advocacy.
Pacific Research Program The Pacific Research Program (PRP) consortium is led by the ANU Department of Pacific Affairs, in partnership with the Development Policy Centre and the
Lowy Institute, and is co-funded by Australia’s
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the consortium partners’ parent bodies. Devpol leads the PRP’s research into economic development and Pacific labour mobility, is co-host of the annual Pacific Update conference with the University of the South Pacific, and edits the
Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies journal. The Pacific labour mobility team undertakes research, and provides evidence-based policy advice, on the social and economic impacts of temporary labour migration programs between Pacific Island countries, and Australia and New Zealand. Work focuses on Australia’s Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) and Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) now known as the
Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme (PALM), and New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, and considers these temporary migration programs alongside other migration pathways open to Pacific Islanders within the region and other temporary migration programs globally.
Australian and New Zealand Aid Stakeholder Surveys In 2013, Devpol launched the Australian aid stakeholder survey, and repeated the survey in 2015 and 2018, expanding it to cover New Zealand. The survey was designed to obtain feedback on the effectiveness of the Australian and New Zealand aid programs, and provide suggestions for their improvement. A full report of the 2013 survey, the 2015 survey, and the 2018 survey results was published, and it identified several areas where the Australian aid program could make improvements.
Greg Taylor Scholars Devpol offers fellowships named after Greg Taylor AO (former Executive Director of the
International Monetary Fund for both Australia and Papua New Guinea, and secretary of various Australian Government Departments) for research on economic development related to PNG or the Pacific for a period of two to three months. Devpol invites applications from students already studying at The Australian National University or elsewhere in Australia, and from emerging economics scholars in the Pacific and PNG.
Other research Other key areas of work for the centre include infrastructure maintenance and funding in PNG and the Pacific, Australian aid and public opinion, analysis of the Papua New Guinean economy, corruption perceptions in Papua New Guinea, and work on global issues such as a climate change and development financing. ==Funding==