Pathways to better governance in Papua New Guinea

Add to Calendar 2025-05-09 12:30:00 2025-05-09 13:30:00 Pathways to better governance in Papua New Guinea Much research and commentary has been devoted to the problems that poor governance causes in Papua New Guinea. Over the years researchers focusing on the country’s politics have also provided explanations of why PNG is poorly governed. In recent years, these explanations have often focused on the political economy of clientelism in Papua New Guinea and how it affects governance. Yet for all this analysis, there has been little academic work on how Papua New Guinea might transform itself from a poorly governed state to a country where governance is good enough to improve development outcomes. To the extent that solutions have been proposed, they have tended to be vague ideas such as “changing people’s mentality” or aid-funded attempts at improving governance through technical assistance, which have not been transformative. In this ANU-UPNG seminar Terence Wood will discuss possible, feasible, pathways to better governance in Papua New Guinea. These proposed pathways draw on insights from political theory, the political history of other countries, and previous attempts at political reform in Papua New Guinea. The purpose of this presentation will not be to provide a solution per se, but to stimulate discussion of the potential avenues for change. The monthly ANU-UPNG seminar series is part of the partnership between the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and the UPNG, supported by the PNG-Aus Partnership. This a hybrid seminar held at ANU, UPNG's School of Business and Public Policy MBA Suite and online via Zoom. Seminar time: 12.30 - 1.30pm AEST and PGT. Seminar room 1, WEH Stanner, ANU ANU COLLEGE OF ASIA & THE PACIFIC cap.web@anu.edu.au Australia/Sydney public

The seminar will discuss feasible pathways to better governance in Papua New Guinea and stimulate discussion on potential avenues for change.

Much research and commentary has been devoted to the problems that poor governance causes in Papua New Guinea. Over the years researchers focusing on the country’s politics have also provided explanations of why PNG is poorly governed.

In recent years, these explanations have often focused on the political economy of clientelism in Papua New Guinea and how it affects governance. Yet for all this analysis, there has been little academic work on how Papua New Guinea might transform itself from a poorly governed state to a country where governance is good enough to improve development outcomes. To the extent that solutions have been proposed, they have tended to be vague ideas such as “changing people’s mentality” or aid-funded attempts at improving governance through technical assistance, which have not been transformative.

In this ANU-UPNG seminar Terence Wood will discuss possible, feasible, pathways to better governance in Papua New Guinea. These proposed pathways draw on insights from political theory, the political history of other countries, and previous attempts at political reform in Papua New Guinea. The purpose of this presentation will not be to provide a solution per se, but to stimulate discussion of the potential avenues for change.

The monthly ANU-UPNG seminar series is part of the partnership between the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and the UPNG, supported by the PNG-Aus Partnership.

This a hybrid seminar held at ANU, UPNG's School of Business and Public Policy MBA Suite and online via Zoom.

Seminar time: 12.30 - 1.30pm AEST and PGT.