The World Bank’s 2019 World Development Report studies how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. It argues that in light of the disruption from technological change, a new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. As a first priority, significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s life-cycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to be able to retool existing skills - or be better from the start. In addition to investments in human capital, the changing nature of work demands updates to social protection systems. Governments will also need additional revenues to fund the investments demanded by the changing nature of work. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.

On October 17, guest Michal Rutkowski spoke at the Australian launch of this much anticipated report.

Michal Rutkowski is the Senior Director for Social Protection and Jobs, overseeing the World Bank’s work in developing systems that protect the poorest and most vulnerable from crises and shocks, and supporting private sector-led growth. He served as an Advisor to the 2019 WDR. Mr Rutkowski holds an MSc and PhD from Warsaw School of Economics and finished his post-graduate studies at the London School of Economics.

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Never have questions of honesty and integrity in Australia’s national government been more important. This seminar reviewed proposals for what should be involved in any new federal anti-corruption reforms. Analysis was drawn from the current Australian Research Council-funded National Integrity System Assessment of Australia, and new public attitude research conducted through Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer survey, which was recently piloted in Australia.

The results offer new insights into how corruption perceptions and experience can be measured around the world, their relationship with trust and confidence, and their meaning for currently proposed reforms.

A J Brown is Professor of Public Policy and Law in the Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Griffith University; a board member of Transparency International and Transparency International Australia; former senior investigation officer for the Commonwealth Ombudsman; former Associate to Justice G E Tony Fitzgerald AC, Queensland Court of Appeal; Member of the Commonwealth Government’s Ministerial Expert Advisory Panel on Whistleblowing; and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.

This seminar was jointly hosted by the Transnational Research Institute on Corruption and the Development Policy Centre.

The 2018 Mitchell Oration was delivered by Professor Sir Richard Feachem on the topic ‘Reengineering the aid industry: a priority for the 21st century’.

Sir Richard is Director of the Global Health Group at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Institute for Global Health Sciences and Professor of Global Health at both UCSF and the University of California, Berkeley.

Watch the video here.

Aliko and Ambai is a new feature film from Papua New Guinea that takes its audience into the world of two young women navigating the hurdles of poverty, violence, forced marriage and abuse as they endeavour to build a future for themselves.

The film was produced by the Centre for Social and Creative Media at the University of Goroka.

The making of the film engaged young, talented Papua New Guineans interested in writing, producing, and directing.

Both the production project and the film have the aim of inspiring young people to overcome the obstacles in their lives and persevere to reach their goals. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Assistant Producer, Theresa Meki.

This event was supported by CARE Australia, Femili PNG, Buk Bilong Pikinini, PNG Canberra Student Association and Capital Wantoks.

Further information about the Development Policy Centre: devpolicy.anu.edu.au

This forum, jointly organised by the Development Policy Centre and the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE), was the latest in a series on the evaluation of Australian aid.

It focused on the recent evaluation, which assessed the effectiveness and credibility of support for advocacy for disability-inclusive development by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It looked at on advocacy in global policy processes; building the capacity of other advocates; improving data collection on disability; influencing partner agencies; and building and working in coalitions. The Australian aid program has had strategies to support disability-inclusive development since 2009, and the evaluation found that Australia is seen and valued as a leader in disability inclusion in the development process.

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ODE is an operationally independent unit within DFAT that measures and reports on the effectiveness of the Australian aid program. Further information about the Development Policy Centre: devpolicy.anu.edu.au

Ambassador Luis CdeBaca shared insights from his distinguished career as a lawyer, diplomat and now researcher, combatting labour exploitation and human trafficking in global supply chains. Ambassador CdeBaca discussed decent work as a development and counter-trafficking objective, providing a case study of the renowned Coalition of Immokalee Workers Fair Food Campaign in the United States.

This event was co-hosted with the Transnational Research Institute on Corruption.

Ambassador CdeBaca graduated from Iowa State University (BA, 1990) and attended the University of Michigan Law School (JD, 1993) where he was editor of the Michigan Law Review. He is the recipient of the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Honor Award, the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, the Attorney General’s John Marshall Award, and the Director’s Award from the Executive Office of United States Attorneys.

Ambassador CdeBaca served in the Obama administration as ambassador-at-large and senior advisor to the Secretary of State on trafficking in persons. One of the country’s most decorated federal prosecutors, he has built his litigation record into policy, transforming US anti-trafficking efforts and including voices of victims, workers, and communities in decision-making.

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Nick Danziger is one of the world’s most renowned photojournalists. Much of his life has been dedicated to documenting the social and political issues that define our times in best-selling books, award-winning documentaries and photography.

In this lecture, Nick provided a human face to development issues and shared his experiences documenting the lives of people in some of the poorest countries of the world. Nick also gave insights into his own life and career, his advocacy efforts, and reflections on the global development agenda as seen from the ground.

Some of Nick’s stories drew on his Revisited 2005-2010-2015 project, which will be exhibited in Canberra at ANU Drill Hall Gallery from Thursday 15 February to Sunday 8 April 2018 with the support of the Development Policy Centre. Revisited tracks communities and individuals in eight countries across four continents over ten years to assemble a stark and extraordinary portrait of life on the fringes. The lecture was followed by an advance viewing of the exhibition, and a cocktail reception.

This event formed part of the 2018 Australasian Aid Conference. This event was free and open to the public — for details on the rest of the conference, which required registration, visit http://bit.ly/2w2FCY6.

Nick Danziger’s photographs have appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide, toured museums and galleries internationally, and are held in numerous collections, including the National Portrait Gallery, London. He has won many awards for his outstanding photojournalism, including an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society, and the Royal Geographical Society’s Ness Award in recognition of raising public understanding of contemporary social, political and environmental issues through documentary films and photography.