A lost decade? Service delivery and reforms in Papua New Guinea 2002 – 2012

Abstract

Papua New Guinea has experienced an unprecedented resource boom over the last decade that has led to a rapid rise in revenue and subsequent increases in public expenditure. The PNG Government and its donors have also implemented major reforms aimed at improving access to basic services across the country. However, the question remains as to whether our nation’s booming mineral wealth has translated into services for ordinary people. In an effort to provide some answers to these important questions, the joint NRI-ANU Promoting Effective Public Expenditure (PEPE) Project completed extensive expenditure tracking and facility surveys across eight provinces at the end of 2012. Survey teams visited 216 primary schools and 142 health clinics from the nation’s capital to some of PNG’s most remote and isolated communities. Altogether 1,276 interviews were completed, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive service delivery surveys completed in PNG. The PEPE survey was subject to difficulties and logistical problems associated with the large scale of the survey and the need for survey teams to operate in very remote parts of the country. The success of the survey was dependent not only on extensive planning but on the dedication, commitment and effort of the surveyors. Many of the same schools and health clinics were visited in a similar survey conducted in 2002 that was also undertaken by NRI. By combining findings from both surveys, this report can compare changes in schools and health clinics between 2002 and 2012. The aim is to provide the basic information, which not only the Government of Papua New Guinea but also the people need to assess progress and suggest changes for better spending in the future. This report and the unique data set on which it is based will be an invaluable resource for PNG’s policy makers and people.