Education, child health, and mining: evidence from Papua New Guinea

This paper examines sustainable development challenges in Papua New Guinea, focusing on education and child health. Regional disparities between mining and non-mining areas are assessed and the economic potential and social concerns associated with mining are reviewed. Using data from the Demographic and Health Survey, the results of the study indicate that mining provinces exhibit poorer outcomes on proxies for human capital, child health, asset ownership, access to public goods and state capacity. In addition, a comparative analysis with Papua, Indonesia sheds light on the multifaceted challenges faced by Papua New Guinea in achieving sustainable development.