General

Central to our model of engagement with policy stakeholders is active communication strategies. We believe that if key policy stakeholders have access to a Pacific wide network to share knowledge and experiences, and are able to make better use of quality information, then the level of public debate on important issues will improve.  This can then energise the identification and application of practical solutions to social, economic and environmental development challenges.

PiPP engages and connects principal stakeholders, promoting fraternity between the Pacific island countries and regional neighbours such as New Zealand and Australia. We add value by improving information flows and policy dialogue. Our model delivers a long overdue, inclusive forum for public debate and engagement in national and regional development matters.

We synthesise research findings to draw out practical applications that advance development programs. Information is shared using innovative, people centred communication processes. Written material is published in user relevant formats and languages, and complemented using other media including audio and video pod casts, community theatre, internet and email, social networking, press, radio and television.

Our communications programmes include:

Pacific Policy Dialogue Series

A series of discussion forums, each focussing on a specific policy topic and held on a rotating basis in different Pacific capitals. Discussions highlight relevant research findings, and include presentations by researchers and international experts, and by Pacific policy practitioners (including from government, donor agencies, international organisations, and NGOs).Discussions concentrate on actions and ideas to work toward addressing policy problems.

Policy Briefs and Background Papers

A range of policy papers, background briefing papers, working papers, opinion pieces and other papers are released on an ad hoc basis on matters of current importance to the Pacific.  These are written by in-house and partner researchers and professionals, and are widely disseminated through the PiPP network, regional media and made available freely on our website.

Research Communications

PiPP assists researchers, consultants and development agencies to deliver research findings to a wide variety of audiences.  We also works with stakeholders at the initial scoping stage of new projects to incorporate communications mechanisms that will allow the outcomes of the study to be widely and effectively distributed to targeted audiences.

Media Packs and Briefings

PiPP works with local and international media to disseminate new research findings and stimulate discussion on policy issues. In addition, PiPP assists partner organisations including government, international and local organisations and NGOs to develop comprehensive media strategies.  Comprehensive media packs are prepared on selected topics and available on request.

We currently have no vacancies

We work with elected leaders, political advisors, public servants, development agencies (intergovernmental organisations, multilateral and bilateral aid donors, international NGOs, regional forums and networks), academia (universities, colleges and technical experts) and civil society (community based organisations, NGOs, churches and the media).
PiPP offers a unique bridge between partners. We bring together the right people with the latest thinking and information. By tapping into existing national and regional networks, we avoid duplication and strengthen the influence of stakeholders in development policy.
Our impartiality allows us to mediate policy debates, prevent or ameliorate misunderstanding and most importantly stimulate action to deliver practical outcomes.
As we grow, we hope that so too does the opportunity for people to share ideas and experiences because it is through such sharing that creative solutions to problems are found. Creative solutions that are steeped in cultural and political relevance. Creative ideas that respond not just to problems, but also that seek to steer policy in new directions based on visionary thought and empirical evidence.
We are indebted to the people and organisations that continue to support us. In particular, we are grateful to our core funding and commissioned research partners that include: Australian Government, Government of the Cook Islands, Government of the Federated States of Micronesia, Government of New Zealand, Government of Samoa, Government of Vanuatu, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNIFEM, the Australian Political Parties for Democracy Program and the Asian Development Bank.

In addition to funding we have been most fortunate to have received in-kind support and work closely with a number of international organisations including:
Overseas Development Institute
Caribbean Policy Research Institute
Lowy Institute
University of the South Pacific.

We would especially like to recognise the support of the Government of Vanuatu, allowing us to locate our headquarters here against the prevailing thought that regional offices can only be located in Suva.

The Advisory Council provides advice to the Board and Management on issues of strategic and policy importance, including setting research and policy priorities for the Institute. Members of the Advisory Council are also called upon to provide peer review and support, including information dissemination and discussion for PiPP programs and initiatives. The Advisory Council comprises international scholars and policy practitioners with expertise in Pacific affairs. Current members include:

H.E. Ati George Sokomanu

Mr Hannington Alatoa

Mr Angus Barnes

Mr Ben Bohane

Chief Vincent Boulekone

Ms Virisila Buadromo

Mr Michael Burrell

Dr Satish Chand

Dr Simon Feeny

Dr Dan Gay&

Mr Ben Graham

Mr Mark Harradine

Mr Adrian Hewitt

Mr Aunese Makoi Simati

Ms Pricilla Maruariki

Mr John McWilliams

Ms Anna Mendiola

Professor Vijay Naidu

Mr Greg Rawling

Mr Benjamin Shing

Ms Tea Tira

Ms Paula Uluinaceva

Mr Ashley Wickham

Mr Chris Yankello

Mr Nikunj Soni (Chair)

Nikunj Soni is the Board Chair of the Pacific Institute of Public Policy, which he founded in 2007. He has worked extensively on economic and public financial management issues across the Pacific since 1996, and has authored papers on a wide variety of topics ranging from revenue reforms, expenditure management, macroeconomic modelling to more general development papers on issues like drivers of change and governance reform. Nik has held a wide variety of senior advisory and in line positions in the region including as the Director General of the Ministry of Finance in Timor-Leste. He has an MPhil from Oxford, and outside of public policy is also the chair of the largest renewable energy NGO in Vanuatu. He is currently a senior treasury advisor to the Vanuatu Government.

Mr Odo Tevi

Mr Tevi is serving his second term as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu.

Mr Kalio Tavola

Mr Tavola served as Fiji’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and prior to that as Ambassador to Belgium (also accredited to France, Portugal, Spain, Luxembourg and Greece, as well as to UNESCO and the WTO).

Mr Afamasaga Toleafoa

Mr Toleafoa served for 20 years as a diplomat and then Member of Parliament in Samoa. He currently provides consulting services in public sector reform and governance and is a regular contributor to the regional media.

Dr Stephen Howes

Dr Howes is a Professorial Fellow at the Crawford School of Economics and Government at the Australian National University. Prior to that he was Chief Economist for AusAID has also worked as a Lead Economist at the World Bank. He spent most of 2008 working on the Garnaut Climate Change Review.

Mr Rick Houenipwela

Mr Houenipwela served three terms as Governor of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands (1993-2008) and currently serves as an advisor to the World Bank Executive in Washington.

Derek Brien, Executive Director

Derek Brien is co-founder and executive director of the Pacific Institute of Public Policy. With an academic and professional background in development planning, Derek has provided policy and strategic planning advice to governments in Australia, Britain and the Pacific over the last fifteen years. Prior to establishing PiPP, he ran his own consultancy practice focusing on strategic communications, stakeholder engagement and the reform of government systems. In his current role, Derek has led a range of research communications initiatives to stimulate and support policy debate in Pacific island countries on issues relating to trade, economic growth, infrastructure, governance and political systems, the aid relationship and climate change. Derek is regularly called upon to provide advice to governments, development agencies and academia, and is a regular commentator on public policy issues in the Pacific.

Ben Bohane, Communications Director

Ben is a photojournalist, television producer and media consultant with over 15 years experience in the Pacific. He has worked for many of the world’s major news organisations and his work is collected by institutions such as the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum and the Australian War Memorial. He joins PiPP as Communications Director to oversee the output of research material for wider public awareness and debate. He has a Masters Degree in Melanesian religion and conflict. More background on Ben’s work can be found via the photo collective www.degreesouth.com and www.wakamedia.net

Dr. Tess Newton Cain, Director of Operations

Tess has lived and worked in the Pacific island region (based in Vanuatu) since 1997, first as a Lecturer in Law at the University of the South Pacific (1997-2001), then as a freelance consultant and now (since February 2012) as a member of the PiPP team.  Tess has an academic background in law and criminology and her professional experience covers a wide range of areas including organisational development, strategic planning, private sector development  and monitoring and evaluation. Within PiPP Tess is responsible for co-ordinating activities to ensure delivery of strategic objectives.  She is also a member of the PiPP editorial team and provides support to the Executive Director in relation to planning and reporting.

Anna Naemon, Senior Research Officer

Anna is responsible for the institute’s research program. Prior to joining PiPP in July 2010 she was a research fellow at the Papua New Guinea National Research Institute (NRI). In this role she was responsible for research management, coordination and supervision of the National Department of Health and NRI HIV Behavioral surveillance surveys program. She has experience in research management and research processes including ethics and risk management. Anna holds a Masters in Applied Arts (Social Science Research) from the Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand.

Ellen Bitalau, Executive Assistant

Ellen joined PiPP in July 2008 bringing a rich history of experience working in both Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands that included the Equity Investment Group Ltd, Vanuatu National Statistics Office, the Vanuatu Sustainable Forest Utilization Project, Solomon Airlines and the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education.

Talita Tu’ipulotu, Senior Communications Officer

With her media and communications background, Talita joined PiPP in July 2010. Talita worked as a broadcast journalist for five years, including acting as Editor for the News, Sports and Current Affairs Department for the Tonga Broadcasting Commission. She has also worked in the area of communication and public relations for the Constitutional and Electoral Commission, the Royal Constituency Boundaries Commission and the Royal Land Commission in Tonga. Talita holds a Masters degree in Journalism from the University of Westminster, United Kingdom.

Mary Kaviamu, Programme Officer

Mary joined PiPP in 2010 to implement the Drivers of Change communication programme in Vanuatu. Mary has ten years experience working as a provincial planner and community project coordinator in Tafea Province. She brings to the team excellent community relations skills, knowledge and experience.

Brida Bani, Communications Officer

Frida initially joined PiPP under the research internship programme working on the socio-economic assessment of telecommunications liberalisation in Vanuatu. Since becoming a full time member of the team Frida has had an active role in the institute’s communication outreach programmes, with a special focus on engaging community stakeholders. She plays am important supporting role in the ongoing development, implementation and quality assurance of the institute’s communication activities.

Erika Morishita, Research Officer

Erika joined PiPP as a Research Officer in September 2011. Prior to this, Erika had completed a 6 month internship with the European Union Delegation to Vanuatu. She has also worked as a Public Relations director in the Colombian private sector and as an advisor in area of cooperation and trade in the Colombian Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Erika holds a Master degree in International Conflict Studies form King´s College London.

Toby Ley, Research Associate

Toby joined PiPP as a Research Associate in March 2012. Prior to this, Toby had completed a 6 month Internship with the UN ESCAP Pacific Office in Suva, Fiji. Toby has a Masters of International Studies from the University of Sydney.

In addition to undertaking detailed research projects, our research team also ensures timely response to contemporary and pressing policy issues across the Pacific. In addition to our in-house research staff, we draw on our Advisory Council members and work with partner organisations to to support evidence based policy making.

All of our research projects are undertaken in accordance with our Ethics Framework and our are peer reviewed.

Research reports

PiPP works with local, regional and international partners to carry out relevant research to support evidence based policy making. Our Research Reports detail the findings and policy advice, and are often supported by Policy Briefing Papers and other communications initiatives in order to widely engage policy stakeholders. All of our research methodologies and findings reports are peer reviewed.

Policy briefs

The Institute’s Policy Briefs are short papers on matters of current importance to the Pacific. The papers seek to present a balanced analysis of the policy issues and outline possible courses of action to resolve problems. Our Policy Briefs are written by in-house and partner researchers and peer reviewed through our Advisory Council – although the views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the individual members of the Institute’s Board of Directors or its Advisory Council. The papers are are widely disseminated through the PiPP network, regional media and made available freely on our website.

Working and background papers

PiPP working and background papers are intended to convey preliminary results of ongoing research and or provide further reading on issues covered in our policy brief series. The research described in these papers may be preliminary and as such has not been subject to the rigourous review process for our final research publications. The views expressed in these papers are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the individual members of the Institute’s Board or Advisory Council.

Our existing stock of publications may be downloaded from the INFORMATION section of our website.

We welcome feedback from readers on all of our research publications.

Small can be beautiful, but only when trade policy is tailored to the needs of the islands.

Tiny states have for too long been forced to adopt one-size-fits-all trade models. The Pacific Institute of Public Policy (PiPP) has released another in its series of trade briefing papers in an attempt to identify new ways of engaging the small economies of the Pacific in trade deals that are both relevant and beneficial.

Dr Dan Gay, PiPP Advisory Council member and trade expert, says the Washington Consensus model largely ignores the diseconomies of scale, distance, geographical fragmentation and vulnerability of the Pacific island states.He adds that a new perspective isn’t going to emerge overnight, but we should be striving to find what works, recognise that aid spending can have a major macroeconomic impact, that markets often fail and efforts to build productive capacity should focus on equity, infrastructure, disaster insurance and mitigating the effects of distance.

The beauty of smallness is flexibility and the global market presents a host of new opportunities. The challenge for governments, donors and the private sector is to identify and promote niche Pacific industries and services that are in demand in the global economy.

According to Dr Gay, the recent global financial meltdown has shown what happens when we rely solely on the magic of markets. Donors and governments should recognise the need to intervene in productive areas to compensate for market failures and help regional companies add more valueThe PiPP paper notes that Pacific island governments have an interest in negotiating effective trade agreements that move beyond just market access. Promoting regionalised trade facilitation measures while recognising country-specific demands are essential elements of any negotiations. Given the limitations on negotiation capacity of the tiny island states, perhaps the best approach is to keep things simple by focusing on a few key areassays Dr Gay.

Small can be beautiful, but only when trade policy is tailored to the needs of the islands.

The Pacific Institute of Public Policy is an independent, non-partisan and not-for-profit think tank based in Port Vila, Vanuatu and exists to stimulate and support policy debate in the Pacific.

Download copy of briefing paper here

Trade Negotiations Insights • Volume 8 • Number 3 • MARCH 2009

A trade deal between the world’s largest economic region, the European Union – and the world’s smallest – the Pacific – was never going to be easy. But it may not be just a case of bullying by the big guys. The Pacific countries could have prepared better, ensured that their interests were properly represented, and collaborated more appropriately. Reflecting on this experience and where missteps were taken, the Pacific should now apply the lessons learnt to ensure a strong outcome for their EPA negotiations and a positive way forward for the region.

READ HERE

Pacific Islands News Association, 25 MARCH 2009 READ HERE

Solomon Star, 26 MARCH 2009 READ HERE