Comments

Thanks this good article. However, there are several coordination initiatives including M&E policy spearheaded by the Office of the Prime Minister, the role of National Technical M&E technical working groups and Joint assessment between Development Partners on Half Annual and Annual Government Performance reporting (Cabinet retreats); Government Evaluation Facility on evaluations on Government. There is also Monitoring and oversight sub committee which comprises of Ministry of Finance, National Planning Authority, Ministry of Public Service, etc and the purpose of the subcommittee is among others to streamline M&E in oversight institutions. In addition, sharing of M&E information is already being done by Office of the Prime Minister. It is known as "Barazas" (public information sharing fora). see details here http://www.opm.go.ug/projects/Baraza_Programme.html Otherwise thanks for the good paper.

Hi Jonathan, I'm a few short years into a development career myself. I did a degree in development studies and went off to work in a multilateral, and am now at a donor. I have come slowly to realise what it is I am interested in - something to do with history and languages and social and political change, regardless of where it is. And working on an aid program is a fascinating way to apply and learn about social theory. But I see it as part of a career as a social scientist, not a development worker. And there's something about the idea of wanting a career in development that I find slightly unsettling. If someone are passionate about social justice, then mental health and Indigenous inequality and homelessness are all issues crying out for attention, and they are a damn sight less sexy than a career in aid. But there's much less competition to work in those areas - and it is a hell of a lot easier to make a difference in a culture and society you know than one you don't. Why is a passion for social justice to be selectively applied to exotic places only, particularly when so many of the talented young people competing to work for AusAID could achieve far more if they focused on some of the issues we face in Australia? If they are passionate about a particular country, then they should go and learn the language and live in that country. But the vast majority of expats never even learn the local language properly (obviously there are exceptions) - because they're not committed to the country enough. Indeed, even the career paths in development don't reward you for it. Some people are committed to an issue - health, or law and justice. But then you're not really working in development - you're working in health, and I would say the people I know who fall into this category would happily work on their issue of choice in Sydney or Port Vila or Paris. If we strip away all of these things - it's not really about passion for social justice , it's not about passion for a place, it's not about even having an affinity for a particular technical issue - then what does it mean to want to work in development? I think - and this is where I become really cynical - that it is about people's identity and self-image, that people want to belong to this imagined community of development workers who have a vocation that combines prestige and passion. I realise it's hypocritical of me to be saying this and I'm not by any means attacking you - I've written versions of your article in my head a dozen times. But I do think that this is a conversation that needs to be had. The most provocative thing anyone ever said or did during my degree was to challenge a table of development students to go and work in Indigenous Australia, if they were so fired up about poverty. None of them have. Anyway - this was just some rough thoughts.

Hi Alex, I have been a fan of Chris Blattman and his blog for a some time now (it's always one of the first development blogs I recommend to people, after our own of course!), though I must say I hadn't stumbled across this particular post before. It is good to see that there is a common theme between our two pieces and that I wasn't too far off the mark! I would encourage everyone to look at Blattman's <a href="http://chrisblattman.com/tag/development-jobs/" rel="nofollow">multiple posts</a> on the subject and also this whydev <a href="http://www.whydev.org/career-advice-from-people-smarter-than-me/" rel="nofollow">blog post</a> (which I mention in the paper), both of which are excellent (and likely better) complementary resources. Regards, Jonathan

John, Thanks for the comment. I was unaware that the quote was misattributed. As I said in the paper it was not supposed to be a comprehensive analysis/endeavor and most of the suggestions I made have been drawn out of anecdotal evidence from my own networks and the development experts I know and respect. I will look into removing the quote but still think, based off of the people and knowledge of the sector that I have access to, that the message it conveys is a sound one. Regards, Jonathan

Hi Christina, Thanks a lot for your encouragement. As I mentioned in the post I have written this aimed at what I know, a developed country audience. It is comforting to know that at least some of the points I raise can be useful for you (and hopefully others in a similar situation). Best of luck and thanks again for your encouragement! Regards, Jonathan

Hi John, You raise some important questions and provide very valid points, some of which I have tried to respond to through my reply to Robert below. The next step of this endeavor will be to interview others in the sector and provide a broader narrative on the development sector, so thanks for the encouragement there! Regards, Jonathan

Chris Blattman's <a href="http://chrisblattman.com/2009/04/20/getting-a-job-in-international-development/ " rel="nofollow">thoughts</a> are some of the more original pieces of advice about getting a job in development. I would particularly highlight: 8. Consider a private firm. The most exciting and educational jobs in development could be Celtel (growing gangbusters across Africa) or Ecobank (started in Togo–yes, that Togo–and now in 26 countries). Not too many students are e-mailing them looking for an internship. 9. It’s a numbers game. Sit down every day and aim to write just 5 people. After three weeks, that’s 50 e-mails. Forty-five will go unanswered, three will say “thanks, but no vacancy”, two will say “let’s talk”, and one will turn into a job.

I am conducting a research on Tax Credit Scheme in PNG. Can someone please guide me to resources on PNG tax credit scheme/ or projects funded by TCS? Thank you

I appreciate the paper, but if I were you I'd lose the 2nd hand Churchill quote. Besides, isn't it likely that the older development workers who you have access to are more likely those who chose to come back to Australia later in their careers? (i.e. selection bias is at play) en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill Misattributed If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain. According to research by Mark T. Shirey, citing Nice Guys Finish Seventh: False Phrases, Spurious Sayings, and Familiar Misquotations by Ralph Keyes, 1992, this quote was first uttered by mid-nineteenth century French historian and statesman François Guizot when he observed, Not to be a republican at 20 is proof of want of heart; to be one at 30 is proof of want of head. (N'être pas républicain à vingt ans est preuve d'un manque de cœur ; l'être après trente ans est preuve d'un manque de tête.) This quote has been attributed variously to George Bernard Shaw, Benjamin Disraeli, Otto von Bismarck, and others.

Hi Jonathan I came here through Linked In and I'd like to share my own perspective. I am also a young professional, early in my career and I live in a developing country. The greatest challenge for me has been attaining my Master's Degree as none is not offered locally and it is quite expensive to acquire overseas. It is widespread knowledge here though that a master's will set you apart, mostly because we still have expats being hired for most of our jobs (as is expected because of the lack of experience and qualifications of locals). I find the advice provided by you and those commented to be really useful and relevant to my situation, however, even though I am in a developing country and I look forward to reading more. Chris

Both Jo and Patrick’s blogs are useful contributions to the long and ongoing debates about NGOs: ones that we probably need to have more of. For me, one of Jo’s observations is particularly important: that what has “gained” in NGOs’ struggles to balance the demands of multiple stakeholders and audiences is the “drive for organisational sustainability and growth”. I’d like to see much more discussion of this issue, in particular in relation to the very large INGOs that often dominate civil society engagement in development. In 2010 the five largest INGOs had revenue of $6.7 billion, and around 90,000 staff worldwide. Collectively, the big INGOs –despite all the heartache about declining funding sources – are actually financial powerhouses. Their very major presence in developing countries often crowds out smaller, Southern organisations, both in terms of “on the ground” program delivery, as well as in policy discussions. Yet INGOs are constantly looking for new opportunities to increase their revenue, strengthen their “brand”, and ensure an even stronger local and global presence. Of course,many INGOs do great work - but they need to think more about the implications of their size and scope. In many cases, INGOs might do better by doing less – so that Southern organisations can have a greater presence, and take a greater role in development, both in terms of programs and advocacy.

"Michael Edwards and others argued that NGOs were Too Close for Comfort (to government that is), and they have lived off that assertion ever since." What on earth does that mean Patrick? Please elaborate. "Their argument is based on a romantic view of NGOs as being about broad social change through social movements when most NGO aims are more prosaic and focus on community development and local level empowerment." No, it was based on the self-declared objectives of NGOs such as empowerment and structural change, areas in which their performance continues to disappoint, partly because they are tied so deeply into the foreign aid system. So the argument still stands, I think. What's disappointing is that most NGOs have done so little to face up to it in the intervening years.