Strategic Partnerships to Strengthen the Four Strands of the BA (PNG & International Studies)

-

 by Bernard Yegiora

Strengthening the BA (PNG & International Studies) program requires more than mentoring systems within the four strands. It also requires forging strategic partnerships with organisations whose work aligns directly with the disciplines outlined in our PSD—International Relations, Political Studies, Community Development, and Culture Studies. These partnerships ensure that our units remain relevant, applied, and connected to the nation’s evolving development and governance landscape.

Categorization of units in the Program Specification Document

For the International Relations strand, government institutions responsible for diplomacy and national security are essential partners. The Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Prime Minister & National Executive Council (PM&NEC), and the National Intelligence Organization provide critical exposure to foreign policy formulation and national security coordination. Regionally, organisations such as the Pacific Islands Forum, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, and academic partners like the Pacific Regional Security Hub at the University of Canterbury create opportunities for policy engagement, collaborative research, and student development within the broader Indo-Pacific context.

International organisations and think tanks also play a vital role in strengthening the IR strand. Partnerships with UNDP, IOM, ADB, Australian DFAT, the World Bank, and policy institutes such as the Lowy Institute and the ANU’s Department of Pacific Affairs support internships, policy simulations, visiting lectures, and applied research. These linkages ensure that students gain exposure to real-world diplomacy, development cooperation, and regional security thinking.

The Political Studies strand requires collaboration with national institutions responsible for governance, accountability, and political development. Key partners include the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission, the Ombudsman Commission, Transparency International PNG, the Registry of Political Parties and Candidates, and the National Parliament. These agencies provide grounded insights into institutional reform, public leadership, democratic processes, and the broader political system.

Strengthening Political Studies also involves working with organisations involved in electoral governance and decentralisation. The Electoral Commission, the National Research Institute, and the Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs can support staff and students to engage directly with policy development, election management, and subnational governance. These partnerships reinforce the analytical and institutional foundations of the strand.

The Community Development strand depends heavily on partnerships with organisations working directly with communities. NGOs such as World Vision, Save the Children, CARE International, Oxfam, Caritas, and the PNG Council of Churches bring practical experience in community mobilisation, social change, and grassroots program delivery. Development agencies like UN Women, ChildFund, and the National Volunteer Service also provide pathways for applied learning, field exposure, and practical development training.

The Culture Studies strand requires strong relationships with institutions responsible for preserving and interpreting Papua New Guinea’s cultural heritage. The National Museum and Art Gallery, the National Cultural Commission, the National Archives, the Institute of PNG Studies, and various cultural NGOs offer access to expertise, collections, oral histories, and field-based research opportunities. These linkages support the anthropological, historical, and cultural depth required to deliver all six Culture Studies units effectively.

Ultimately, these partnerships are not optional. They are a strategic imperative if we aim to maintain the academic integrity of the four strands and deliver a program of national significance. Recruitment and mentorship will build internal capacity, but external partnerships will ensure that our curriculum remains credible, outward-looking, and aligned with the needs of PNG’s public institutions, communities, and cultural heritage sector. The long-term strength of the BA (PNG & International Studies) program will depend on our ability to cultivate and sustain such relationships.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Commercial liberalism and the six norms

-
Image
Liberal internationalism is defined by Griffiths, O'Callaghan and Roach (2008, p.190) as a project to transform international relations so that they conform to models of peace, freedom, and prosperity allegedly enjoyed within constitutional liberal democracies. The same scholars go further by dividing liberalism into three distinct groups. They say these are the three ways to implement the project. The way they present liberal internationalism as a project makes their work interesting. Three distinct groups Firstly, commercial liberalism is about free trade between states. States bilaterally or multilaterally via a platform like APEC pursue the goal of trade liberalization. Griffiths, O'Callagahan and Roach (ibid.) argued that economic interdependence would decrease the likelihood of going to war. Republican liberalism is about democratic peace. The scholars argued that the spread of democracy among states so that governments will be accountable to their citizens makes it di...
Read more

FPA: Organizational Process Model

-
This model centers on the fact that different bureaucracies have different standard operating procedures. These procedures are made in order to allow day to day operations to be carried out. Thus, a foreign policy decision is made based on these standard operating procedures. It is hard for a bureaucracy to make a decision or let alone function out of character or contrary to their standard operating procedure. The reading Chapter 4: Foreign policy shares a straight forward explanation of the OPM: "An alternative to the rational model of decision making is the organizational process model. In this model, foreign policy decision makers generally skip the labor-intensive process of identifying goals and alternative actions, relying instead for most decisions on standardized responses or standard operating procedures. For example, the U.S. State Department everyday receives more than a thousand reports or inquiries from its embassies around the world and sends out more than a ...
Read more

Allison's rational actor model

-
There are 3 common models of foreign policy decision making according to Graham Allison: rational actor model organizational process mode government politics model.  We will discuss the 3 models and compare them with the 3 levels of analysis. However, I challenge you to use your own initiative to learn about the other models of decision making. This will help you as future decision makers or analysts to understand how decisions are made and the processes. When one wakes up from bed he or she decides whether or not to brush their teeth, comb their hair and have a shower. These decisions are paramount, they affect and influence how the individual interacts in a social setting. This highlights the fact that as human beings we make decisions every day. Decision making is defined as the thought process of selecting a logical choice from the available options. In the case of the ‘Kibung peles boy’ analogy; the male student had a choice of approaching the girl to ask he...
Read more