As we sit in the union parishad office, Rina tells us about her son, Mintu Mia. Back in 2015, like the many millions of young Bangladeshis who struggle to find a job at home, Mintu tried to arrange the documents to get himself a job overseas. On his first effort he fell victim to a scam. A...
Category - Aid and Asia
How foreign intervention paradoxes have harmed Afghanistan
The international community has played a significant role in Afghanistan since 2001, which can be delineated into three distinct phases. The period from 2001 to 2018 is characterised as an era of intervention, reconstruction, and state-building. The period from 2017 to 2021 saw efforts to minimise...
Indonesia’s elections and what they mean for Australia’s Development Partnership Plans
Results of the 14 February elections in Indonesia suggest that voters chose to be led by the current Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto and his Vice President, the sitting President’s son. Two presidential contenders, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, have challenged the results, with their...
Mangroves, migration, and family reunions: a story of resilience
The village of Cendi Manik is nestled on the southwest coast of Lombok, a stunning island in eastern Indonesia, situated just a few miles west of its more famous neighbour, Bali. Positioned in Selamat Bay near the Lombok-Bali ferry port, this village is highly susceptible to disasters owing to its...
The Rohingya crisis and Bangladesh’s economic downturn
In August 2017, a deadly ethnic clearance operation, backed by the Myanmar military against the...
Harold Mitchell: thank you and vale
The death of “adman” and philanthropist Harold Mitchell AC on February 10 has been widely mourned...
Impacts of the Taliban’s ban on women’s work and...
Upon reclaiming power, the Taliban banned girls from schools above year six and women from work...
How Southeast Asia pioneered female leadership, and lessons for...
This is an edited version of a keynote address delivered at the 2023 Australasian AID Conference on...
Lessons in urban development from Jakarta’s mass rapid transit...
As Southeast Asian economies mature, their development needs are changing. Indonesia, having...
From little things big things grow: using data to drive...
What does it take for data to inform policy? Without effective communication and political support...