Insights from AIIA QLD’s latest book launch event for ‘A Complicated Inheritance: PNG at 50’ by PNG policy specialist Sean Jacobs
By Rhoen Kennedy
Edited by Eliza Hodge
Papua New Guinea is not just a country to be studied, but one through which all countries can be better understood.
That is the core takeaway of Sean Jacobs’ new book, A Complicated Inheritance: Papua New Guinea at 50.
Papua New Guinean-born Australian writer and public policy specialist Sean Jacobs joined AIIA Queensland earlier this month to introduce his work. Jacobs gave a detailed overview of his insights into Papua New Guinea’s domestic and foreign affairs before handing the mic to audience members. What emerged was wide-ranging discussion on Papua New Guinea’s first fifty years of independence and the challenges and opportunities that now shape its future.
Drawing on his experience working across government, policy, and development in both Australia and PNG, Jacobs presented a nuanced assessment of the country’s trajectory.
A central theme of the discussion was the relationship between economic growth, poverty reduction, and social change, not just in PNG, but in most countries around the world. “Growth is critical,” said Jacobs, “but the price of growth is often that societies break apart.” Mitigating the issues that arise from this, according to Jacobs, is essential.
Despite ongoing challenges in PNG – from energy growth to governance to poverty – Jacobs has an optimistic outlook. He highlighted the resilience of Papua New Guinea’s people, and described the country’s institutions as important ‘shock absorbers’ that have helped the country navigate periods of instability.
However, he argued that the key challenge is not the creation of new institutions, but the development of greater institutional and state capability and capacity to deliver services and implement policy effectively. Furthermore, its reliance on a centralised government structure in a country with a multitude of social groups, regional differences, and cultural pluralism is both a “blessing and a curse,” said Jacobs.
“How do you go about creating social cohesion?” he asked the audience. His perspective was that it can be fostered through localising decision making, outsourcing power to the local level so that there are direct localised benefits of growth. “There are so many people on the ground who are so capable,” he emphasised.
Jacobs also noted PNG’s increased confidence in defining its role and presence in regional foreign policy affairs. “As nations grow, they articulate their intentions. This is a positive sign of democracy,” he said.
PNG’s greatest challenge going forth however, according to Jacobs, is energy poverty. He described it as one of PNG’s most underappreciated development challenges, emphasising that reliable access to electricity underpins improvements in health, education, entrepreneurship, and economic growth.
During a lively audience Q&A, participants discussed decentralisation, governance reform, youth activism, resource development, and security challenges, particularly in the highland provinces. Jacobs emphasised how security is vital for stability, but that this issue is underpinned by economic, governance and policing challenges.
Throughout the evening, Jacobs returned to a consistent message: while progress will be gradual, growing public engagement, particularly in younger populations, gives reason for optimism about the country’s next fifty years.
“They are demanding more from their political leaders. There’s an increasing lack of patience. They are holding them accountable.” he concluded.
