In 2022, the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) and The Australian National University (ANU) conducted a joint call for research proposals from early career researchers—final year PhD up to maximum five years post-PhD – to conduct empirical economics research on Pacific Island countries. The three main goals of the call were to (a) encourage the use of promising new microdata for the region, (b) encourage early-career economists to take an interest in and work on the region, and (c) grow the evidence base related to pertinent development issues. The Workshop on the Microeconomics of Development in the Pacific shares the seven selected papers from emerging scholars, provides an update on recent developments in the Pacific data ecosystem, and offers two exciting international keynote presentations of frontier research in development economics.

Program

Day 1: Tuesday 14 February

9.00–9.15am – Opening remarks

Paul J. Burke, Professor of Economics, Head of the Arndt-Corden Department of Economics, and Deputy Director of the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU

Ryan Edwards, Deputy Director, Development Policy Centre, ANU

Daniel Suryadarma, Research Fellow, ADBI

9.15–10.00am – Keynote: The psychology of poverty

Victoria Baranov, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Melbourne
» view presentation

Moderator: Paul J. Burke, ANU

10.00–10.45am – Paper 1: Mother education and child well-being: evidence from four Pacific countries

Joseph Marshan, ANU
» read paper
» view presentation

Moderator: Paul J. Burke, ANU

Discussant: Tristram Sainsbury, ANU
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10.45–11.10am Morning tea

11.10–11.55am – Paper 2: Family size and domestic violence: an instrumental variable analysis in the Pacific

Dyah Pritadrajati, ANU
» read paper
» view presentation

Moderator: Huiyuan (Sharon) Liu, ANU

Discussant: Daniel Suryadarma, ADBI
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11.55am–12.40pm – Paper 3: Does biomass cooking fuel use affect early childhood development? A case study from Kiribati

Ashar Awan, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir
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» view presentation

Moderator: Huiyuan (Sharon) Liu, ANU

Discussant: Debasish Das, ANU
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12.40–1.50pm – Lunch

1.50 – 2.35pm – Data Session 1: Introducing the Pacific Observatory

David Gould, Lead Economist, World Bank
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Utz Johann Pape, Senior Economist, World Bank

Moderator: Daniel Suryadarma, ADBI

2.35 – 3.20pm – Paper 4: Global value chains in the Pacific Island countries: patterns and structure

Upalat Korwatanasakul, Waseda University
» read paper
» view presentation

Moderator: Daniel Suryadarma, ADBI

Discussant: Abyaya Neopane, ANU

3.20–3.40pm – Afternoon tea

3.40–4.25pm – Paper 5: How does the Vessel Days Scheme impact tuna catch in the Pacific?

Champa Bati Dutta, University of New South Wales
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Moderator: Daniel Suryadarma, ADBI

Discussant: Eko Sumando, ANU

4.25 – 4.30pm – Closing

Daniel Suryadarma, Research Fellow, ADBI

6.30pm – Conference dinner (by invitation only)

Lemongrass Thai, Melbourne Building (65 London Circuit)

Day 2: Wednesday 15 February

9.00–9.10am – Welcome

Professor Helen Sullivan, Dean of the College of Asia and the Pacific, ANU

9.10 – 9.50am – Keynote: Cash Transfer Timeliness, Mental Health, and Food Insecurity in Pandemic Times

Teresa Molina, Associate Professor of Economics, University of Hawaii at Manoa
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Moderator: Daniel Suryadarma, ADBI

9.50 – 10.35am – Paper 6: The UN-REDD Programme for conserving tropical rainforests in Papua New Guinea

Warnakulasooriya Lakmini Priyanthi Fernando, Institute of Policy Studies
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» view presentation

Moderator: Daniel Suryadarma, ADBI

Discussant: Ryan Edwards, ANU
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10.35–11.00am – Morning tea

11.00–11.45am – Paper 7: Natural disasters, extension, and agricultural productivity in Papua New Guinea

Rifai Afin, Doctoral School of Economics, Institute of Statistical and Mathematical Modeling, Corvinus University of Budapest
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Moderator: Ryan Edwards, ANU

Discussant: : Thomas Wangi, ANU
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11.45am–12.30pm – Data session 2: Situation and possibilities for the Pacific Data Hub Microdata Library

Peter Ellis, Director, Statistics for Development Division, Secretariat of the Pacific Community
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Moderator: Ryan Edwards, ANU

12.30–1.45pm – Closing, followed with lunch

Ryan Edwards, ANU

END OF WORKSHOP

2.00–3.30pm – Special ACDE Seminar, open to the public (optional)

Weston Theatre

Using technology to prevent fraud in high stakes national school examinations: evidence from Indonesia
Daniel Suryadarma, ADBI

Moderator: Ryan Edwards, ANU