Geographies of Global Resistance. This project explores recent responses to globalisation, often termed resistance, at global, national and local scales. Institutional and non-institutional responses are explored through contrasting case studies chosen from: first, the organised labour movement in Australia; second, from new social movements involving highly publicised anti-globalisation protests in particular places; and third, other spontaneous internet-based forms of resistance known as 'cult ....Geographies of Global Resistance. This project explores recent responses to globalisation, often termed resistance, at global, national and local scales. Institutional and non-institutional responses are explored through contrasting case studies chosen from: first, the organised labour movement in Australia; second, from new social movements involving highly publicised anti-globalisation protests in particular places; and third, other spontaneous internet-based forms of resistance known as 'culture jamming'. The research will contribute to better understanding the nature of globalisation, relationships between global and local change and strategies of resistance. The research is significant in bringing together insights from new approaches in both economic and cultural geography.Read moreRead less
Beyond the resource curse: charting a path to sustainable livelihoods for mineral-dependent communities. Over 20 million people in developing countries depend on informal mining for their livelihoods, producing large amounts of mineral commodities. This project challenges the current paradigm on informal mining and aims to improve the livelihoods of these people while enhancing environmental sustainability.
Farmers of the Future: the Challenges of Feminised Agriculture in India. Neoliberal economic policies are fundamentally transforming the social landscapes of rural India, causing a deep agrarian crisis. The agrarian changes accentuate the unequal consequences for poor women and men in relation to: production (labour, tenure); livelihood and food security; access to and ownership of assets such as land and water and access to agricultural innovations and institutions. This multiscalar project inv ....Farmers of the Future: the Challenges of Feminised Agriculture in India. Neoliberal economic policies are fundamentally transforming the social landscapes of rural India, causing a deep agrarian crisis. The agrarian changes accentuate the unequal consequences for poor women and men in relation to: production (labour, tenure); livelihood and food security; access to and ownership of assets such as land and water and access to agricultural innovations and institutions. This multiscalar project investigates the causes and consequences of feminisation of agriculture in India’s transitioning economy in order to understand how gender roles and relations are being re-shaped in communities and households in diverse socioeconomic and cultural contexts and agro-ecological areas.Read moreRead less
Capturing value on the margins of the global knowledge economy. This project will explain the basis of competitiveness in knowledge economy industries. It is widely understood that high levels of participation in knowledge intensive activities contribute to economic growth and higher wages. There is a need to develop policies to promote Australia's performance in knowledge intensive industries. As such this project addresses a policy problem by analysing the basis of competitiveness in the medic ....Capturing value on the margins of the global knowledge economy. This project will explain the basis of competitiveness in knowledge economy industries. It is widely understood that high levels of participation in knowledge intensive activities contribute to economic growth and higher wages. There is a need to develop policies to promote Australia's performance in knowledge intensive industries. As such this project addresses a policy problem by analysing the basis of competitiveness in the medical instruments and video production industries as exemplar knowledge intensive industries. The findings will provide a basis for formulating new policy support for the knowledge economy which draws on the most recent theoretical insights derived from global production network research.Read moreRead less
Australia’s role in Global Financial and Production Networks. The project intends to address a major deficit of knowledge about the ways financial centres develop and compete among a network of international centres. Australia’s long-term economic future is closely tied to providing financial services throughout Asia. Yet very little attention has been given to analysing the structures and networks that enable internationalisation, in particular the performance of Sydney and Melbourne as competi ....Australia’s role in Global Financial and Production Networks. The project intends to address a major deficit of knowledge about the ways financial centres develop and compete among a network of international centres. Australia’s long-term economic future is closely tied to providing financial services throughout Asia. Yet very little attention has been given to analysing the structures and networks that enable internationalisation, in particular the performance of Sydney and Melbourne as competitive financial centres within a network of financial centres in East and South-East Asia. Using specialist industry databases and intensive case study methods, this project plans to examine the processes underpinning the growth of this network, map scenarios for the next two decades, and advise on policy implications arising from the 2013–14 Financial System Inquiry.Read moreRead less
Adapting to climate, management and policy driven risks to freshwater supply in Shanghai. This project aims to identify the multiple drivers of risk to freshwater supply in Shanghai, opportunities for adaptation to sustain that supply, and the barriers and limits to these adaptations. The project will combine physical and social science to understanding the barriers and limits to adaptation to climate change.
The globalisation of the resources sector(s) in Australian cities. This project aims to understand how and why resources-related service firms cluster in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Maintaining Australia’s competitive position in global affairs depends on delivering innovative services in established national areas such as mining, energy and agriculture. This project will approach Australian cities’ economies from a ‘global’ perspective using social network analysis, to understand ho ....The globalisation of the resources sector(s) in Australian cities. This project aims to understand how and why resources-related service firms cluster in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Maintaining Australia’s competitive position in global affairs depends on delivering innovative services in established national areas such as mining, energy and agriculture. This project will approach Australian cities’ economies from a ‘global’ perspective using social network analysis, to understand how local firm clusters are internationally networked through branch office and affiliate corporate linkages. This project seeks to better direct urban and economic policy by positioning these sectors to deal with the challenges of the 21st century.Read moreRead less
The geography of labour market dynamics: Competition between new migrants and laid-off workers in China's urban labour markets. The project proposes contributions: 1 To our knowledge of our region, especially of sources of conflict within China, and how Chinese labour markets operate (and are different in different places). 2 To understanding Australian society, by contributing to knowledge about the effects of categories of citizenship on labour market performance. 3 To Australia's place in int ....The geography of labour market dynamics: Competition between new migrants and laid-off workers in China's urban labour markets. The project proposes contributions: 1 To our knowledge of our region, especially of sources of conflict within China, and how Chinese labour markets operate (and are different in different places). 2 To understanding Australian society, by contributing to knowledge about the effects of categories of citizenship on labour market performance. 3 To Australia's place in international social science, by linking western debates about migration and labour markets to the conditions of societies in transition. 4 To closer cultural ties between Australia and China, by collaborative research with scholars in China. 5 To the training of future generations of scholars of China.Read moreRead less
Social conditions of Aboriginal people in rural NSW: rethinking policy failure and future options. This project works with three rural NSW Aboriginal communities to reframe ideas for sustainable Indigenous futures in NSW. By building both academic and community understanding of economic and social change since the mid-1960s it offers a framework for action at several geographical scales to improve outcomes for rural Aboriginal communities.
Employment Relations in Indonesia’s Commercial Fishing Industry. This project aims to investigate the role of the state, supply chain actors and activists in protecting commercial fishers' labour rights in Indonesia, the world’s third-largest source of marine catches and its largest archipelagic state. This multi-scalar study will generate new knowledge about employment relations at sea. Expected outcomes include a conceptualisation of employment relations that better accommodates fishers and wo ....Employment Relations in Indonesia’s Commercial Fishing Industry. This project aims to investigate the role of the state, supply chain actors and activists in protecting commercial fishers' labour rights in Indonesia, the world’s third-largest source of marine catches and its largest archipelagic state. This multi-scalar study will generate new knowledge about employment relations at sea. Expected outcomes include a conceptualisation of employment relations that better accommodates fishers and workers in other non-standard occupations. The project’s findings will benefit governments, global supply chain actors and labour activists by helping them to identify and overcome impediments to more effective regulation of employment relations and work to reduce labour exploitation in commercial fishing globally.Read moreRead less