About Mary Venner

Mary Venner is a technical consultant in developing and post-conflict countries. She has lived and worked in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo. Libya, the Philippines, Somalia, East Timor, Solomon Islands and Ukraine.

Before that, she was a public servant in Canberra, Australia.

'Donors, Technical Assistance and Public Administration in Kosovo' is an academic book based on her work in post conflict Kosovo from 2000 to 2003.

'Where Are You This Time?' is a personal memoir of the challenges of working in developing countries. Proceeds from sales if this book will be donated to charities that are working to improve life for people affected by conflict and poverty.

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Where Are You This Time?: Making a Difference in Places from Kabul to Kiev, Kosovo to Kazakhstan and Kismayo to Qatar Nov 20, 2019

by Mary Venner

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Mary Venner gave up a secure job to travel to the other side of the world to work in foreign aid. She soon discovered that it isn’t always about feeding the hungry and tending the sick. It’s also about red tape and regulation, spreadsheets, computers and accounting.Mary arrived in Kosovo in the aftermath of the Balkan Wars and found a new career providing advice to politicians and government officials on how to manage their country’s finances. With a wry sense of humour, she describes the strange working conditions, the daily security challenges, and the lively social life of expats living in cities that tourists avoid. This book provides a first-hand account of the devastation caused by war, the hardships created by government corruption and incompetence, and the problems that need to be solved to make life better in these places. It also provides insights into the lives of the locals who live with the consequences after the foreigners have moved on.

Donors, technical assistance and public administration in Kosovo (Humanitarianism: Key Debates and New Approaches) Sep 1, 2016

by Mary Venner

$114.00

The reconstruction of Kosovo after 1999 was one of the largest and most ambitious international interventions in a post-conflict country. The United Nations, other major multinational organisations and many large bilateral aid donors all played a role in restoring stability and establishing governance in the territory. This book looks beyond the apparently united and generally self-congratulatory statements of these international actors to examine what actually happened when they tried to work together in Kosovo to achieve this goal. It considers the interests and motivations, and the strengths and weaknesses of each of the major players and how they contributed to the creation of new institutions in public finance and public sector management. Although in general the international exercise in Kosovo can be seen as a success, in the sphere of public administration the results have been mixed. More than fifteen years later, some institutions of government perform well while others face ongoing challenges. The book argues that much of the current day performance of the Kosovo government can be traced to the steps taken, or not taken, by these international actors in the crucial first years.

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