| dc.description.abstract | This study examines Australia's aid diplomacy in supporting Nauru's health
and education sectors during 2019-2020, coinciding with the Pacific Step-Up policy
implementation. Using Carol Lancaster's foreign aid theory, this qualitative
research analyzes the multifaceted purposes of Australia's assistance through
government reports and international organization publications. Australia provided
AUD 25.8 million in total aid, with AUD 5.2 million (20.1%) allocated to health
sector focusing on non-communicable diseases and healthcare infrastructure, and
AUD 3.9 million (15.1%) to education through teacher training, curriculum
development, and scholarships. The findings reveal that Australia's aid serves dual
functions: promoting genuine development through infrastructure support and
capacity building, while strengthening strategic regional influence amid
geopolitical competition. The study demonstrates humanitarian response, through
medical supplies and vaccine distribution. This research concludes that Australia's
aid diplomacy exemplifies multifunctional foreign assistance, successfully
integrating developmental outcomes with diplomatic objectives. The findings
validate Lancaster's framework, showing how aid serves both humanitarian and
strategic purposes while highlighting tensions between development goals and
donor dependency in small island developing states. | en_US |
