Democratic Leadership in Foreign Affairs. This project explores the opportunities and constraints on democratic leaders at the intersection of domestic and international politics. By undertaking a comparative study of the impact of democratic leadership on foreign affairs in ?ve advanced democracies (Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, Germany and France) it will examine how democratic norms (such as transparency, accountability and rights) and democratic institutions (governance structures, par ....Democratic Leadership in Foreign Affairs. This project explores the opportunities and constraints on democratic leaders at the intersection of domestic and international politics. By undertaking a comparative study of the impact of democratic leadership on foreign affairs in ?ve advanced democracies (Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, Germany and France) it will examine how democratic norms (such as transparency, accountability and rights) and democratic institutions (governance structures, parties, electoral cycles, the media) affect leaders’ capacities in foreign affairs. The ?ndings from the research will be published in a series of journal articles and a book with a major academic press.Read moreRead less
Discovering the fundamental metrics of political behaviour: African-Americans and their White Neighbours in an era of revolutionary change. Newly freed from slavery, African-Americans first voted in the 1870s; remarkably, their names and individual political choices still survive in the records of one American state. Using innovative software to track voters and map social networks, this project will reveal the dynamics of black and white voting in this era of revolutionary change.
Government web portals as government actors. This project aims to examine the architectures, rationales, effectiveness and power effects of government web portals, which are conceptualised as spaces of administrative, policy and power contestation. They are the formal public face of online government, but their effectiveness and contribution to government is largely unknown. The project uses digital research methods (hyperlink network analysis and web experiments) to comparatively assess 10 hi-t ....Government web portals as government actors. This project aims to examine the architectures, rationales, effectiveness and power effects of government web portals, which are conceptualised as spaces of administrative, policy and power contestation. They are the formal public face of online government, but their effectiveness and contribution to government is largely unknown. The project uses digital research methods (hyperlink network analysis and web experiments) to comparatively assess 10 hi-tech countries. It expects to contribute to understanding the structure and governance of the state in the 21st century, and provide foundational knowledge to underpin the next generation of government online service strategy.Read moreRead less
Parties and Participation: Evolving Australian Party Membership. The project aims to provide new insights into how political party membership is evolving and how citizens and parties engage with each other today. The decline of party memberships is usually equated with the death of parties as participatory organisations and the erosion of their crucial role as vehicles for democratic linkage. Applying a new theoretical framework integrating individual, party and state perspectives, this project ....Parties and Participation: Evolving Australian Party Membership. The project aims to provide new insights into how political party membership is evolving and how citizens and parties engage with each other today. The decline of party memberships is usually equated with the death of parties as participatory organisations and the erosion of their crucial role as vehicles for democratic linkage. Applying a new theoretical framework integrating individual, party and state perspectives, this project plans to examine how membership is structured, how it is practised, what it means today and why membership is declining. Combining organisational analysis with survey and focus group data in an innovative mixed-methods research design, it aims to evaluate what parties can do to secure their future role in Australian democracy and to foster democratic participation through new modes of partisan engagement.Read moreRead less
Police corruption: an underestimated legitimacy and security risk. This project analyses police corruption in four states and makes recommendations for reducing it. While most states now recognise corruption as a problem, many are reluctant to address the issue of police corruption; yet when police officers collude with organised crime (for example, in drugs or arms trafficking), corruption can be a serious security risk.
Public Interest Advocacy in Australian Policymaking. The project aims to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of public interest advocacy, via the media, in elevating the responsiveness of elected political elites. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how the advocacy and media agendas are set, examine the way elected elites access and ingest news media, and conditions under which advocacy groups access to news changes political priorities. It is expected that the project will pr ....Public Interest Advocacy in Australian Policymaking. The project aims to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of public interest advocacy, via the media, in elevating the responsiveness of elected political elites. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how the advocacy and media agendas are set, examine the way elected elites access and ingest news media, and conditions under which advocacy groups access to news changes political priorities. It is expected that the project will provide an evidence base for citizens and policy makers to assess the effectiveness of public interest advocacy, and deliver benefits such as strengthening the quality of Australia’s representative democracy, and offer scholars new theories on the role of public interest advocacy on policy priorities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101131
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$358,890.00
Summary
The public face of the Public Service: the significance of public bureaucratic leadership in Westminster systems. Public service leaders have become a very visible part of modern government. This project investigates whether the trend towards greater public engagement by public servants fundamentally changes our traditional understandings of how a public service operates within the Westminster system of government.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170100801
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$345,000.00
Summary
Rights of migrant workers. This project aims to study rights abuse of temporary and permanent migrant workers in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, three democracies with globally high rates of temporary migration. These countries now host many temporary migrant workers with variant experiences of employment rights. This project will investigate the exploitation of migrant workers’ rights, considering the role of industry sectors, trade union representation, visa rules, access to justice and mig ....Rights of migrant workers. This project aims to study rights abuse of temporary and permanent migrant workers in Australia, Canada and New Zealand, three democracies with globally high rates of temporary migration. These countries now host many temporary migrant workers with variant experiences of employment rights. This project will investigate the exploitation of migrant workers’ rights, considering the role of industry sectors, trade union representation, visa rules, access to justice and migrant characteristics. This project is expected to formulate policy for migrant protection.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101468
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,379.00
Summary
State formation and external finance: a case study of Somaliland. Somaliland's government receives no direct budgetary support and yet its peace building and developmental achievements dwarf those of Somalia despite the fact that Somalia's government is almost entirely propped up by external assistance. Why does external financial assistance affect the ability of local actors to create peace and prosperity?
Political Engagement Among the Young: The 2016-19 Australian Election Study. This project seeks to understand the declining level of political engagement among the young, with a view to developing measures that will help to re-invigorate their political participation. One of the greatest challenges to democracy in Australia and internationally is to understand the lack of political engagement among the young. Young people today are less likely to vote, to join a political party, or to engage in ....Political Engagement Among the Young: The 2016-19 Australian Election Study. This project seeks to understand the declining level of political engagement among the young, with a view to developing measures that will help to re-invigorate their political participation. One of the greatest challenges to democracy in Australia and internationally is to understand the lack of political engagement among the young. Young people today are less likely to vote, to join a political party, or to engage in interest groups than at any time since democratisation. The 2016–19 Australian Election Study is designed to address this question by surveying a representative sample of voters in the 2016 and 2019 elections. The project is also designed to add to an unbroken series of post-election national opinion surveys which have monitored trends in Australian political behaviour since 1987.Read moreRead less