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Thank you Thiago for your excellent reply to the query from Tess regarding the politicization of the DDA model. Prima facie (a fleeting glance) the DDA sounds orthodox enough as far as good practice in public administration - closer to the grassroots, accountable to local people, etc. Time will tell whether it works or not, but the weight of evidence from PNG and elsewhere doesn't seem in its favour. Perhaps what will be more profound is the writing of a new chapter in PNG governance, and the change to a quasi-federal structure made up of 89 semi-sovereign entities with different approaches to governing. From communitarian democracies, to feudal princedoms. As usual, fascinating from an academic perspective!

Felicity, The PNG government’s response to the worst drought affecting their nation in the past two decades has been an unmitigated failure. As social media shows multiple cases of people literally starving in Western Province to argue that a ‘targeted’ response of a meagre 25 million Kina is not bad news is indefensible and offensive to the citizens of Papua New Guinea. The untargeted and unmanaged response through DSIP, where an MP from East New Britain has the same amount to spend as one from Hela or Western also needs much clearer justification. Is this the level of response the people of PNG should come to expect from their elected officials? Of course, I would be the first to admit PNG is in a very challenging fiscal situation, but this is where donors can help. External actors are poised to assist, and anywhere else in the world we would be calling this a humanitarian disaster. But lack of a diverse donor community in PNG, combined with a cautious Australian government has muted external criticism. There should be no shame in PNG admitting it needs external assistance to manage a disaster of this scale. Even developed country governments welcome external offers of cooperation in times of disaster. Meanwhile, families in Western Province and other drought struck regions will continue to suffer because of the PNG government’s pride in assuming it can do everything unassisted. The drought response in PNG has been nothing but bad news, and to say otherwise is an insult to those that have needlessly suffered in rural and remote parts of the country. Jonathan

Great work Ashlee! I managed to ace the quiz, but I think I have an advantage in that I was involved in much of this data collection, but I doubt I could have made it anywhere near as accessible as you have. So again, well done.

Thanks for these excellent resources, DevPolicy. This serves a range of different purposes for different audiences. For the record, at 66% on the quiz I'm an aid novice.

Oxfam report stated that alcohol and drug abuse is one of the of causes of gender based violence, I am one of the few like voice in the wilderness trying to assist to reduce the problem. However, international donors like Oxfam pour a lot of money into HIV AIDS programs and not drug awareness and rehabilitation programs. Can International donors change their policy and assist in drug awareness and training as well. To create a sober environment, free from drug problems would also reduce gender based violence and create happy families. Philip Kai Morre director Alcohol and Drug Rehab Kundiawa Simbu Province.

Thanks Devpolicy. This is an excellent resource. I enjoyed the Aid101. I obviously need to read the rest of the site, as I only got 44% in your quiz on Australian aid!

I agree with you Ian. Innovation can of course be a good thing, however the main reason people are still hungry, millions of people are still dying from preventable and treatable diseases and children are not learning enough in schools is not a deficit of knowledge or effective strategies. We know how to defeat all these problems and programs around the world have had great success. The main reason these problems are still with us is that politicians in developing and developed countries have not been willing to adequately fund programs. By far the most important innovation required is to increase the empathy and commitment of politicians to the poor.

I discussed some of these issues with <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-25/no-women-win-seats-in-vanuatu's-snap-general/7111448" rel="nofollow">Pacific Beat</a>

In an interesting development, Oro Governor Gary Juffa has recently been reported as starting to identify and publicize public funding wastage and corruption including possible malfeasance in distributing DSIP funding. Wantok. What are your thoughts on Governor Juffa's action Thiago?

Indeed, connectivity creates opportunities, awesome post.

Great insight, very informative.

Great insight, While nations wrangle over a new global treaty on climate change, the question on many minds is: What happens next? Some are focusing on curbing deforestation and boosting renewable energy sources. Several nations are experimenting with cap-and-trade plans: Regulators set mandatory limits on industrial emissions, but companies that exceed those "caps" can buy permits to emit from companies that have allowances to spare. In some cases, it's not clear that countries are doing much to meet their stated climate goals. What is clear is that the pledges currently on the table aren't legally binding, and they fall far short of what would be required to stabilize the planet's atmosphere.