Deliberative Global Governance. The worldwide movement building deliberative democracy should now address deliberative capacity in whole systems, not just micro innovations such as citizens' juries. This includes global systems such as that addressing climate change; substantial environmental benefits will result. A world populated by more effective democracies - especially in East Asia - is in Australia's national security interest. A century ago, Australia was a world leader in innovations suc ....Deliberative Global Governance. The worldwide movement building deliberative democracy should now address deliberative capacity in whole systems, not just micro innovations such as citizens' juries. This includes global systems such as that addressing climate change; substantial environmental benefits will result. A world populated by more effective democracies - especially in East Asia - is in Australia's national security interest. A century ago, Australia was a world leader in innovations such as the secret ballot and votes for women. Work on deliberative democracy can put Australia back in the forefront of democratic progress, with many associated social, political, and economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Autonomy, Liberalism and the Right to Culture. The question of whether or on what terms cultural diversity may be reconciled with liberal citizenship and national identity is among the most pressing issues confronting liberal democracies today. Australia, long committed to multiculturalism, faces this challenge daily in its law- and policy-making. This project tackles this question by offering a new way of thinking about the place and import of the core liberal value of individual autonomy. Now ....Autonomy, Liberalism and the Right to Culture. The question of whether or on what terms cultural diversity may be reconciled with liberal citizenship and national identity is among the most pressing issues confronting liberal democracies today. Australia, long committed to multiculturalism, faces this challenge daily in its law- and policy-making. This project tackles this question by offering a new way of thinking about the place and import of the core liberal value of individual autonomy. Now under considerable attack in political theory and from some groups for being "too sectarian", the project defends the importance of autonomy to liberal citizenship, while elaborating its moral and political implications for liberals and cultural minorities alike.Read moreRead less
The uneasy alliance between democracy and justice. This project will make a significant contribution to the understanding of our commitment to democratic values and practices, and what it entails for our local, regional and international obligations. It will directly address the challenge of maintaining social cohesion in an era of rapid social, economic and political change. And it will offer a fresh perspective on important public debates to do with Australian national identity and the relatio ....The uneasy alliance between democracy and justice. This project will make a significant contribution to the understanding of our commitment to democratic values and practices, and what it entails for our local, regional and international obligations. It will directly address the challenge of maintaining social cohesion in an era of rapid social, economic and political change. And it will offer a fresh perspective on important public debates to do with Australian national identity and the relation between democratic rights and individual responsibility. The project will also contribute to helping maintain and develop Australian research excellence and innovation in the field of political philosophy.Read moreRead less
Political party financing and democratic consolidation in Indonesia. As Australia's vast neighbour to the north, Indonesia, is of critical importance to Australian national interests. Particularly essential in this regard is the stability of Indonesia's young democracy, which is increasingly threatened by the widespread perception that party politics are contaminated by corrupt, greedy and self-centred politicians. This sentiment is largely fuelled by complaints about questionable fundraising pr ....Political party financing and democratic consolidation in Indonesia. As Australia's vast neighbour to the north, Indonesia, is of critical importance to Australian national interests. Particularly essential in this regard is the stability of Indonesia's young democracy, which is increasingly threatened by the widespread perception that party politics are contaminated by corrupt, greedy and self-centred politicians. This sentiment is largely fuelled by complaints about questionable fundraising practices of political parties. Accordingly, this study will be of great interest to Australian policy-makers, aid officials and businesses that wish to address the deficiencies in Indonesia's political system through political and economic cooperation programs.Read moreRead less
Democratic Leadership: How democracy shapes, constrains and empowers its leaders. A more profound understanding of the authority conferred, and limits imposed, by democracies on their leaders allows us to recognize what is, and is not, possible in democratic politics. It encourages a more subtle appreciation of the onerous demands of leadership, negotiating the extremes of idealism and cynical pragmatism that so often undermine confidence in politics and politicians. It gives greater insight int ....Democratic Leadership: How democracy shapes, constrains and empowers its leaders. A more profound understanding of the authority conferred, and limits imposed, by democracies on their leaders allows us to recognize what is, and is not, possible in democratic politics. It encourages a more subtle appreciation of the onerous demands of leadership, negotiating the extremes of idealism and cynical pragmatism that so often undermine confidence in politics and politicians. It gives greater insight into how democratic institutions and practices can be sustained and improved upon, both domestically, and internationally. Australia's commitment to democratisation in the region makes even more pressing the question of the type of leadership necessary in transitional states.Read moreRead less
Can saying something make it so? Sedition, speech act theory and the status of freedom of speech in Australia. A good grasp of the conceptual underpinnings of sedition laws and conceptual clarity is an essential precursor to law reform in this area. By applying theories of the relation between speech and action drawn from philosophy of language to the assessment of sedition laws, the project will enhance Australia's research skills in political philosophy and clarify a grey and contested area of ....Can saying something make it so? Sedition, speech act theory and the status of freedom of speech in Australia. A good grasp of the conceptual underpinnings of sedition laws and conceptual clarity is an essential precursor to law reform in this area. By applying theories of the relation between speech and action drawn from philosophy of language to the assessment of sedition laws, the project will enhance Australia's research skills in political philosophy and clarify a grey and contested area of law. Any number of groups in Australian society, including writers, journalists, artists, academics, politicians and political activists, could be affected by these laws. Consequently, a clarification of this area is both urgent and vital for national interests.Read moreRead less
The Theological and Ideological Bases of al-Qa'ida's Political Tactics. This research moves beyond the conventional view of Islam and generates new understandings of the many complexities of political Islam, and the role of violence and terrorism; explores the theological and ideological foundations of al-Qa'ida's political tactics; the long-term objectives beyond al-Qa'ida's terrorist activity. It conceptualizes Islamic activism within time and space and, by implication, facilitates the formula ....The Theological and Ideological Bases of al-Qa'ida's Political Tactics. This research moves beyond the conventional view of Islam and generates new understandings of the many complexities of political Islam, and the role of violence and terrorism; explores the theological and ideological foundations of al-Qa'ida's political tactics; the long-term objectives beyond al-Qa'ida's terrorist activity. It conceptualizes Islamic activism within time and space and, by implication, facilitates the formulation of relevant policy responses. As a result, this project contributes to security and counter terrorism works and falls squarely within the National Research Priority, Safeguarding Australia (Terrorism and Transnational Crime). Read moreRead less
Regime interplay: from conflict to integration in overlapping international regimes. This project furthers the National Research Priority of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, particularly the subsidiary goal of meeting Australia's Kyoto targets. The project will recommend ways of improving the integration of international trade and environmental regimes to enable the Australian government to tackle national environmental problems and risks, such as climate change, and encourage the "gree ....Regime interplay: from conflict to integration in overlapping international regimes. This project furthers the National Research Priority of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, particularly the subsidiary goal of meeting Australia's Kyoto targets. The project will recommend ways of improving the integration of international trade and environmental regimes to enable the Australian government to tackle national environmental problems and risks, such as climate change, and encourage the "greening" of Australian industry without fear of retaliatory trade sanctions or unfair competitive advantages accruing to other nations. Successful national environmental policies, particularly in the complex area of climate change, are dependent upon the integration of environmental and economic policies at the international level.Read moreRead less
Irregular migrants and political belonging in global cities. This project investigates impacts of irregular migration in three cities in the Asia-Pacific region. As Australia's role in security and development in Pacific states increases, there is every possibility that irregular labour migration may flow from these ties. This is likely to exacerbate tensions in Australia around multiculturalism and national identity that have surfaced recently in violent public disturbances and in debates on bo ....Irregular migrants and political belonging in global cities. This project investigates impacts of irregular migration in three cities in the Asia-Pacific region. As Australia's role in security and development in Pacific states increases, there is every possibility that irregular labour migration may flow from these ties. This is likely to exacerbate tensions in Australia around multiculturalism and national identity that have surfaced recently in violent public disturbances and in debates on border protection, migration and guest-worker schemes. This project will draw on regional and Australian experiences of irregular migration to inform policy and political questions on these prominent issues of citizenship, migration and globalisation.Read moreRead less
E-Democracy in Theory and Practice. Democratic experiments using the internet are increasingly prevalent in Australia and internationally, promising to make far-reaching changes to the way we understand and implement democracy. It is important that such experiments be undertaken with full appreciation of the nature of the transformations they seek to effect in our democratic institutions and practices. The twofold nature of this project, combining the theoretical and the practical, allow a more ....E-Democracy in Theory and Practice. Democratic experiments using the internet are increasingly prevalent in Australia and internationally, promising to make far-reaching changes to the way we understand and implement democracy. It is important that such experiments be undertaken with full appreciation of the nature of the transformations they seek to effect in our democratic institutions and practices. The twofold nature of this project, combining the theoretical and the practical, allow a more thoughtful and comparative assessment of the nature of e-democracy, and will provide practical guidance regarding the efficacy of its various applications.Read moreRead less