Clarifying transparency: Chinese aid and trade in Latin America. Consensual understandings of transparency and good governance are crucial to the international accommodation of China's economic rise. Through a quantitative survey and qualitative case studies, this project aims to clarify how these terms generate misunderstandings and hinder potential for dialogue between key U.S., Latin American and Chinese actors.
The Political Economy of Post-Conflict Violence Against Women. Post-conflict and political transitions are major opportunities for advancing women’s rights and participation. Yet an apparent spike in sexual- and gender-based violence against women hinders these opportunities once armed conflict is stabilised or regime change is achieved. This project aims to explain the causes of that violence and its consequences for women’s economic and political participation in different environments. It wil ....The Political Economy of Post-Conflict Violence Against Women. Post-conflict and political transitions are major opportunities for advancing women’s rights and participation. Yet an apparent spike in sexual- and gender-based violence against women hinders these opportunities once armed conflict is stabilised or regime change is achieved. This project aims to explain the causes of that violence and its consequences for women’s economic and political participation in different environments. It will compare post-conflict, political transition and non-conflict countries across two regions, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and North Africa, examining the gender inequalities, regional patterns, and global forces that appear to heighten violence against women and hinder women’s participation.Read moreRead less
Scaling-up the impact of voluntary sustainability standards. How can global sustainability regulators, such as Fairtrade or the Rainforest Alliance, more effectively tackle large-scale regulatory problems of deforestation, land use conflict and recurring labour rights violations? This project will address this question by analysing and evaluating innovative regulatory schemes that were designed to have broad, sector- or jurisdiction-wide impacts on critical social and environmental problems in S ....Scaling-up the impact of voluntary sustainability standards. How can global sustainability regulators, such as Fairtrade or the Rainforest Alliance, more effectively tackle large-scale regulatory problems of deforestation, land use conflict and recurring labour rights violations? This project will address this question by analysing and evaluating innovative regulatory schemes that were designed to have broad, sector- or jurisdiction-wide impacts on critical social and environmental problems in South-East Asia and Latin America. A new framework will be developed to strengthen the effectiveness and accountability of sustainability regulation - benefiting workers, businesses and the environment and enabling the Australian public to participate in more sustainable systems of production and consumption.Read moreRead less
Islam in Iran's foreign policy: Central Asia and Afghanistan. Understanding the way Iran operates in its (Muslim) neighbourhood is important for the way we engage with Iran and prepare for the regional implications of Iranian policies. This project will explore an important part of the world and its direct impact on Australian national interests.
From famine to food security: the role of international law. This project addresses the pressing question of how the international governance framework might be reformed to avoid future food crises. It will make a major contribution to debates about the role that international law and international institutions can play in addressing current threats to food security.