Nicholas Ferns is a Teaching and Research Associate at Monash University, Australia. His research has been published in Australian and international journals, including The Australian Journal of Politics and History and Diplomacy and Statecraft.

“Ferns’ book … presents an insightful and thoroughly documented assessment of this important topic. … he examines how Australian policy over these years was both consistent and flexible as politicians, bureaucrats, and academics responded and adapted to changing international conditions and intellectual trends. … Ferns’ familiarity with the literature of development, economics, and international relations is strongly evident throughout his book and provides his analysis with a solid knowledge base. … Ferns’ book is nonetheless a timely and necessary contribution to our understanding of Australian political history.” (Jonathan Ritchie, History Australia, August 16, 2021)

• Introduction.- 1. “Stone Age to the Twentieth Century”: Trusteeship and the New Deal for Papua New Guinea, 1945-1949.- 2. “By Every Means in Our Power”: The Establishment of the Colombo Plan, 1949-1957.- 3. “New Codes and a New Order”: Papua New Guinean Development in the Hasluck Era, 1951-63.- 4. “Developed, Developing, or Midway?” Australia at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, 1964.- 5. “We Should Be Doing More Than We Are”: The Colombo Plan, Papua New Guinea, and the Australian External Aid Review, 1957-1965.- 6. Taking up the “Latest Fashions”: International Development in Flux and the Australian Response, 1965-1975.- Conclusion.