Democratizing the Middle East: implications of Washington's policies. Regime change has been justified by the coalition of willing as beneficial to the promotion of democracy and stable governance in the Middle East. It is, therefore, important to examine how effective this project has been. Australia's foreign policy towards the region resembles that of the United States, including military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. This involvement warrants an assessment of the way state building h ....Democratizing the Middle East: implications of Washington's policies. Regime change has been justified by the coalition of willing as beneficial to the promotion of democracy and stable governance in the Middle East. It is, therefore, important to examine how effective this project has been. Australia's foreign policy towards the region resembles that of the United States, including military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. This involvement warrants an assessment of the way state building has set these two societies on a democratic trajectory, and whether they are serving as beacons of democracy in their neighbourhood. It is in Australia's national interests to have a realistic assessment of its foreign policy impact in the Middle East and Central Asia. Read moreRead less
Debating the Impact of International Trade Agreements on Transnational Higher Education: A Comparative Study of Australia, Malaysia, Canada and Greece. In the past decade, education provision across national borders has grown dramatically. However, the governmental frameworks for regulating such programs are yet to solidify, with rival approaches hotly contested. Governments are enmeshed in, and influenced and constrained by existing and emergent regulatory structures and trade agreements at nat ....Debating the Impact of International Trade Agreements on Transnational Higher Education: A Comparative Study of Australia, Malaysia, Canada and Greece. In the past decade, education provision across national borders has grown dramatically. However, the governmental frameworks for regulating such programs are yet to solidify, with rival approaches hotly contested. Governments are enmeshed in, and influenced and constrained by existing and emergent regulatory structures and trade agreements at national, regional and global levels. This project will identify issues of central concern to key actors in four countries with significant involvement in transnational higher education, and analyse how debates in these countries utilise divergent models of likely implications of trade agreements.Read moreRead less
Central Asia between Islam and the Great Powers: The Implications of September 11. The so-called 'Islamic threat' has become a significant but elusive factor in the politics of Central Asia. It now also looms large in official thinking in Beijing, Moscow and Washington. By combining diverse and complementary research skills and backgrounds, this study will shed new light on the impact of Islam in this emerging centre of geopolitical rivalry and beyond. The analysis will centre on the unexplored ....Central Asia between Islam and the Great Powers: The Implications of September 11. The so-called 'Islamic threat' has become a significant but elusive factor in the politics of Central Asia. It now also looms large in official thinking in Beijing, Moscow and Washington. By combining diverse and complementary research skills and backgrounds, this study will shed new light on the impact of Islam in this emerging centre of geopolitical rivalry and beyond. The analysis will centre on the unexplored but critical interaction between the domestic and foreign policies of the Central Asian republics on the one hand, and the complex and evolving relationship between them and the great powers on the other.Read moreRead less
Australian Public Policy Responses to Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Comparativist and Historical Perspectives. Furnishing the first comprehensive history of Australia's response to refugees and asylum seekers, the project will enhance our understanding of the genealogy of current Australian policy and inform debate in an area of intense concern to policy makers and the general public. The project will put the Australian response into context by comparing it with that of New Zealand and by analysi ....Australian Public Policy Responses to Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Comparativist and Historical Perspectives. Furnishing the first comprehensive history of Australia's response to refugees and asylum seekers, the project will enhance our understanding of the genealogy of current Australian policy and inform debate in an area of intense concern to policy makers and the general public. The project will put the Australian response into context by comparing it with that of New Zealand and by analysing it against the backdrop of the evolution of the international refugee regime.Read moreRead less
COUNTER-MAPPING GENDER AND POLITICS: WOMEN, DEMOCRATIC RECONSTITUTION, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN EAST TIMOR AND THE PHILIPPINES. This project examines counter-mappings to conventional approaches in the analysis of political and social transformations in East Timor and the Philippines. It analyses the ways in which women's political subjectivities are constituted in the complex interplay of indigenous belief systems, nation-state building, modernity, development, and the intervention of int ....COUNTER-MAPPING GENDER AND POLITICS: WOMEN, DEMOCRATIC RECONSTITUTION, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN EAST TIMOR AND THE PHILIPPINES. This project examines counter-mappings to conventional approaches in the analysis of political and social transformations in East Timor and the Philippines. It analyses the ways in which women's political subjectivities are constituted in the complex interplay of indigenous belief systems, nation-state building, modernity, development, and the intervention of international organizations. How do poor women redefine and expand conventional approaches to governance, local and international security, and sustainable development? It explores the mechanisms that produce and reproduce women's empowerment and/or marginalisation with particular attention to resilient local knowledges that open-up possibilities for democratic reconstitution of society.
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Local government, mining companies and resources development in regional Australia: meeting the governance challenge. Sustainable regional development and continuing growth of the resources sector are key national priorities. The current resources boom is placing significant pressure on the physical, social and governance infrastructure of mining-intensive regions. Unless these issues can be better managed, new resource projects risk being delayed or deferred and the trend to fly-in fly-out oper ....Local government, mining companies and resources development in regional Australia: meeting the governance challenge. Sustainable regional development and continuing growth of the resources sector are key national priorities. The current resources boom is placing significant pressure on the physical, social and governance infrastructure of mining-intensive regions. Unless these issues can be better managed, new resource projects risk being delayed or deferred and the trend to fly-in fly-out operations will be accelerated, with deleterious consequences for sustainable regional growth. This project will contribute to a more effective response to these challenges by investigating the changing nature of local level governance in mining intensive regions and how these arrangements can be improved.Read moreRead less
A study of the scholarship on Indonesia in Australia and its implications for foreign policy. This project explores Australia's scholarly engagement with Indonesia and the impact of disciplinary, political and moral influences on their interpretations and knowledge. The importance of Indonesia for Australia has never been more acute. The impact of instability in Indonesia on Australia's own security and place in the region cannot be understated. It is essential that we have the tools for interpr ....A study of the scholarship on Indonesia in Australia and its implications for foreign policy. This project explores Australia's scholarly engagement with Indonesia and the impact of disciplinary, political and moral influences on their interpretations and knowledge. The importance of Indonesia for Australia has never been more acute. The impact of instability in Indonesia on Australia's own security and place in the region cannot be understated. It is essential that we have the tools for interpreting and understanding cultural, religious and political differences. Australian scholars have a deep and lasting engagement with Indonesia. Investigation of the debates within the field of Indonesian studies will help us to interpret better the perceptions and politics informing our study.Read moreRead less
Workers of the world: International labour movement responses to globalization. Industrial relations was the most significant issue in the 2007 federal election. The return of the Labor Government suggests the majority of Australians wished to preserve workers' rights to bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions. This project speaks directly to such concerns by analysing the global forces that have prompted anti-worker policies internationally and the worldwide responses on th ....Workers of the world: International labour movement responses to globalization. Industrial relations was the most significant issue in the 2007 federal election. The return of the Labor Government suggests the majority of Australians wished to preserve workers' rights to bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions. This project speaks directly to such concerns by analysing the global forces that have prompted anti-worker policies internationally and the worldwide responses on the part of labour movements. It will also incorporate Australian scholarship and subject-matter into a major comparative study for an international audience, at a time when the global political pendulum has swung in the direction of confronting corporate excesses and improving employees' living and working standards.Read moreRead less
Activating states: transforming the delivery of 'welfare to work' services to the long-term unemployed in Australia, Great Britain and the Netherlands. With declining unemployment, the possibility of labour force shortages in future years, and an annual expense of $20 billion on income support in Australia, policy makers are concerned with increasing the economic participation of social security recipients. This project will provide policy makers and service providers with important comparative ....Activating states: transforming the delivery of 'welfare to work' services to the long-term unemployed in Australia, Great Britain and the Netherlands. With declining unemployment, the possibility of labour force shortages in future years, and an annual expense of $20 billion on income support in Australia, policy makers are concerned with increasing the economic participation of social security recipients. This project will provide policy makers and service providers with important comparative assessments of the way policies designed to promote economic participation are executed by frontline staff and will provide essential data for designing policy which is more effective in assisting the unemployed to find sustainable paid employment. It will address the National Research Priority of promoting and maintaining good health through strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less
The pivot of government? Understanding the Australian prime minister: The office and its holders. This study offers the most comprehensive study of Australia's prime ministership to date and will greatly augment our understanding of the conduct of the office over time. Ideally, it will promote a more informed understanding of the exercise of leadership, feeding directly into public education about this key aspect of our political system (through the Prime Ministers' Centre/proposed Museum of Dem ....The pivot of government? Understanding the Australian prime minister: The office and its holders. This study offers the most comprehensive study of Australia's prime ministership to date and will greatly augment our understanding of the conduct of the office over time. Ideally, it will promote a more informed understanding of the exercise of leadership, feeding directly into public education about this key aspect of our political system (through the Prime Ministers' Centre/proposed Museum of Democracy in Canberra), leading to better citizen appreciation of the role, possibly to better leadership practices and, if our research shows it to be necessary, providing an evidence base for consideration as to whether there is a need for institutional reform.Read moreRead less