Big-Picture Bioethics: policy-making and liberal democracy. We live an era of rapid growth in biotechnology generating new and difficult ethical questions that need to be tackled by bioethicists and politicians. This project goes beyond typical approaches in bioethics to explore the "big picture": how policies are generated in ethically-contentious domains. It is important to examine how the values of different stakeholders are reflected in such processes to ensure that they are in accordance wi ....Big-Picture Bioethics: policy-making and liberal democracy. We live an era of rapid growth in biotechnology generating new and difficult ethical questions that need to be tackled by bioethicists and politicians. This project goes beyond typical approaches in bioethics to explore the "big picture": how policies are generated in ethically-contentious domains. It is important to examine how the values of different stakeholders are reflected in such processes to ensure that they are in accordance with Australia's commitment to fostering a multicultural, pluralistic, democratic society. This project will produce practical recommendations for refining public consultation in healthcare policy-making through an examination of three relevant contentious case studies in Australia with comparison to Canada.Read moreRead less
A study of the Australian thoroughbred and racing industry and the construction of 'nature'. The thoroughbred breeding and racing industry contributes significantly to national export income, regional development and national identity in Australia. Studying the physical and discursive construction and use of 'nature' (including, soil, grass, water, reproduction and the necessity of the unpredictability of nature) in different phases of breeding and racing improves understandings of technology ad ....A study of the Australian thoroughbred and racing industry and the construction of 'nature'. The thoroughbred breeding and racing industry contributes significantly to national export income, regional development and national identity in Australia. Studying the physical and discursive construction and use of 'nature' (including, soil, grass, water, reproduction and the necessity of the unpredictability of nature) in different phases of breeding and racing improves understandings of technology adoption, human-animal relations, sport and nature. Research outcomes will improve our understanding of this traditionally resilient but now vulnerable industry, thereby enhancing its capacity to adapt to change and remain internationally competitive.Read moreRead less
Climate change, place and community: An ethnographic study of the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. The project contributes to the National Research Priority of "An Environmentally Sustainable Australia" and the Priority Goal of "Responding to Climate Change and Variability." The interdisciplinary approach will advance social research on climate change in Australia, enhancing Australia's international profile in this crucial field. The research will contribute to public debates on policy initiativ ....Climate change, place and community: An ethnographic study of the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. The project contributes to the National Research Priority of "An Environmentally Sustainable Australia" and the Priority Goal of "Responding to Climate Change and Variability." The interdisciplinary approach will advance social research on climate change in Australia, enhancing Australia's international profile in this crucial field. The research will contribute to public debates on policy initiatives relevant to global warming and climate change. The regional and community focus of the study has the potential to contribute valuable knowledge about adaptive practices at the local level that can be applied to other locations in Australia and overseas. Read moreRead less
Generating knowledge and avoiding plagiarism: Smart information use by secondary students. Schools and tertiary institutions across Australia and the world are struggling to deal with the increasing problem of plagiarism. Public discussion tends to revolve around detection. By focusing on dealing with the roots of the problem through innovative teaching at the secondary level, the project supports recent school curriculum efforts in all Australian states, in International Baccalaureate schools a ....Generating knowledge and avoiding plagiarism: Smart information use by secondary students. Schools and tertiary institutions across Australia and the world are struggling to deal with the increasing problem of plagiarism. Public discussion tends to revolve around detection. By focusing on dealing with the roots of the problem through innovative teaching at the secondary level, the project supports recent school curriculum efforts in all Australian states, in International Baccalaureate schools and in the educational sector worldwide. The flow-on effect at tertiary levels will contribute to the national benefits from the project. A toolkit that provides positive solutions to plagiarism will benefit any educator who is concerned about plagiarism and knowledge generation.Read moreRead less
ARC Governance Research Network. Institutions and their governance are frequently part of our most pressing problems - not least in our national research priorities. Hence, institutions are invariably a key part of the solutions. GovNet unites three ARC Centres, two existing networks (RegNet, ANZSOG) and several other dynamic centres to create an interdisciplinary network of ethicists, lawyers, political scientists, economists and historians. It will tackle issues of institutional governance, fr ....ARC Governance Research Network. Institutions and their governance are frequently part of our most pressing problems - not least in our national research priorities. Hence, institutions are invariably a key part of the solutions. GovNet unites three ARC Centres, two existing networks (RegNet, ANZSOG) and several other dynamic centres to create an interdisciplinary network of ethicists, lawyers, political scientists, economists and historians. It will tackle issues of institutional governance, from small firms to global institutions - recognising both common governance issues and radically differing contexts. Together with APSEG and government agencies, it will apply cutting edge cross-disciplinary, theory-driven, evidence-based research to governance issues in the region.Read moreRead less
The Normative Value of Unified Agency. We aim to provide a philosophical account of the normative value of agency by showing (1) how those interpersonal relations which are a central source of value structures our agency, and (2) how our morally valuable engagement in social institutions enables agency. Through reflection on cases of psychopathology, we will present an analysis of the essential normativity of agency by examining what happens when agency breaks down. Our findings will have implic ....The Normative Value of Unified Agency. We aim to provide a philosophical account of the normative value of agency by showing (1) how those interpersonal relations which are a central source of value structures our agency, and (2) how our morally valuable engagement in social institutions enables agency. Through reflection on cases of psychopathology, we will present an analysis of the essential normativity of agency by examining what happens when agency breaks down. Our findings will have implications for standard theoretical accounts in moral psychology and for social and legal policy relating to the treatment of those with psychiatric disorders.Read moreRead less
An Integrity System for Victoria Police. Through a critical examination of current integrity systems and sub-systems across a range of police forces, in depth empirical explorations at the primary research site (VicPol)and analyses of practical ethical problems, a high performance integrity system will be designed and tested. The significance of this project is its comprehensiveness, its use of a reliable theory of organisational ethical health, and of a methodology that allows for the full inc ....An Integrity System for Victoria Police. Through a critical examination of current integrity systems and sub-systems across a range of police forces, in depth empirical explorations at the primary research site (VicPol)and analyses of practical ethical problems, a high performance integrity system will be designed and tested. The significance of this project is its comprehensiveness, its use of a reliable theory of organisational ethical health, and of a methodology that allows for the full incorporation of practitioner views. Outcomes of the project will include data generating arrangements that provide evidence of achieved levels of compliance, integrity and performance.Read moreRead less
Ethical Excellence in the Public Sector in New South Wales. The benefits are to the public sector, and to the public at large in dealing with public sector organisations. Ethical performance is commonly identified as a deliverable from the public service; and the public trust in this aspect of public service performance is critical. The project will help to establish and identify ethical best practice, allowing those organisations and the public to be aware of and to refer to indicators and tr ....Ethical Excellence in the Public Sector in New South Wales. The benefits are to the public sector, and to the public at large in dealing with public sector organisations. Ethical performance is commonly identified as a deliverable from the public service; and the public trust in this aspect of public service performance is critical. The project will help to establish and identify ethical best practice, allowing those organisations and the public to be aware of and to refer to indicators and transparent performance. It will produce rigorous analysis, and offer recommendations which will have practical implementations.Read moreRead less
Information Provision and the Valuation of Social Issues. Societies are more than the sum of the transactions in which people engage. Understanding the tradeoffs that people make between social attributes embedded within products and the functional components of those products are critical if we are to value fully the consumption of the society. In particular, to the extent that the social component of consumption is undervalued or biased because of a lack of understanding of what is being pur ....Information Provision and the Valuation of Social Issues. Societies are more than the sum of the transactions in which people engage. Understanding the tradeoffs that people make between social attributes embedded within products and the functional components of those products are critical if we are to value fully the consumption of the society. In particular, to the extent that the social component of consumption is undervalued or biased because of a lack of understanding of what is being purchased, the society will be allocating its consumption dollar in a manner that is both economically and socially inefficient.Read moreRead less
Ethics and Regulation in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Industry. The broad aim of this project is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the current integrity system of the ICT industry, that is, the ethical standards and goals, accountability and disciplinary mechanisms and preventative and promotional processes, eg. ethics training, reduced opportunity for inappropriate behaviour, and to define a new integrity system including standards of professional competency and ethi ....Ethics and Regulation in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Industry. The broad aim of this project is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the current integrity system of the ICT industry, that is, the ethical standards and goals, accountability and disciplinary mechanisms and preventative and promotional processes, eg. ethics training, reduced opportunity for inappropriate behaviour, and to define a new integrity system including standards of professional competency and ethical conduct, and a regulatory model applicable to the whole industry. As ICT becomes ever more ubiquitous, it is vital that a comprehensive and integrated system is developed that recognises the requirements of the ICT industry, the profession and business organisations.Read moreRead less