How governments innovate: Networks, normative frames and leadership styles. This project addresses the national research priority goal of promoting an innovation culture and economy. Understanding the development and uptake of innovative ideas is critical for maximising Australia's creative capability. Improving our understanding of how policy leaders frame innovation, who they source innovative policy ideas from and how, and what individual and collective resources they draw upon is key to unde ....How governments innovate: Networks, normative frames and leadership styles. This project addresses the national research priority goal of promoting an innovation culture and economy. Understanding the development and uptake of innovative ideas is critical for maximising Australia's creative capability. Improving our understanding of how policy leaders frame innovation, who they source innovative policy ideas from and how, and what individual and collective resources they draw upon is key to understanding the factors conducive to innovation and its acceptance. This project will provide vital information on structures and processes for encouraging and managing innovation, and will lead to more responsive pathways for innovation, better governance systems and better policy outcomes.Read moreRead less
Mapping the policy advisory capacity of the Australian federal government: assessing transformations in the policy advising role of the Australian Public Service. Governmental effectiveness depends to a significant extent on the availability of high quality information, analysis and advice. This project therefore addresses a matter of crucial national importance, namely the ability of the Australian Public Service to support decision-making through its policy advising functions. The project is s ....Mapping the policy advisory capacity of the Australian federal government: assessing transformations in the policy advising role of the Australian Public Service. Governmental effectiveness depends to a significant extent on the availability of high quality information, analysis and advice. This project therefore addresses a matter of crucial national importance, namely the ability of the Australian Public Service to support decision-making through its policy advising functions. The project is significant for both its theoretical and practical contributions. Its findings will inform better understandings of the policy advising role of the public service and its relationship to decision-makers in an increasingly pluralised governance context. The project will be the Australian contribution to a larger comparative project examining policy advisory capacities in four Westminster-style governments.Read moreRead less
Academic networks and performance frameworks: Comparing the impact of policy on knowledge generation across disciplines and countries. Australian universities are central to the infrastructure that develops and fosters human talent and encourages innovation, through producing research, providing training, and transferring the knowledge they generate to government and the Australian community. This proposal falls with National Research Priority 3 - promoting an innovation culture and economy. It ....Academic networks and performance frameworks: Comparing the impact of policy on knowledge generation across disciplines and countries. Australian universities are central to the infrastructure that develops and fosters human talent and encourages innovation, through producing research, providing training, and transferring the knowledge they generate to government and the Australian community. This proposal falls with National Research Priority 3 - promoting an innovation culture and economy. It will provide an essential framework for immediate use in examining the consequences of the new research performance and funding arrangements being introduced in 2007, and assessing the impacts of policies that encourage collaboration. The comparisons with three other countries with similar policy goals will generate insights on how policy can best support knowledge generation.Read moreRead less
Collaboration as a solution to wicked public policy problems: the example of regional environmental and natural resources policy in Australia. This project contributes to the water national priority by assessing two major national programs to improve Australia's land and water management through innovative collaboration models. It examines whether new collaborations between governments and NGO stakeholders, together with the creation of numerous regional bodies, are likely to achieve better outc ....Collaboration as a solution to wicked public policy problems: the example of regional environmental and natural resources policy in Australia. This project contributes to the water national priority by assessing two major national programs to improve Australia's land and water management through innovative collaboration models. It examines whether new collaborations between governments and NGO stakeholders, together with the creation of numerous regional bodies, are likely to achieve better outcomes than the previous regulatory models. The project will enhance public policy models through analysis of the strengths and limitations of the new program approach. Problems and prospects at the national, state and regional levels will be assessed including how different forms of collaboration are linked to effective and accountable institutional arrangements. Read moreRead less
Resolving patients' complaints about hospitals: Responsive regulation by health ombudsmen. Ombudsmen help ensure integrity and accountability in societal institutions. This study of patients' complaints about hospitals to health ombudsmen in two states, and the responses of hospitals, will produce evidence on strategies for making hospitals more responsive to the public and more accountable for the quality of their care. Australia was a world leader in establishing health ombudsmen and this stud ....Resolving patients' complaints about hospitals: Responsive regulation by health ombudsmen. Ombudsmen help ensure integrity and accountability in societal institutions. This study of patients' complaints about hospitals to health ombudsmen in two states, and the responses of hospitals, will produce evidence on strategies for making hospitals more responsive to the public and more accountable for the quality of their care. Australia was a world leader in establishing health ombudsmen and this study will explore their impact upon the hospital system. Evidence-based strategies are needed to improve the accountability of service providers and regulators. Social and economic benefits flow from empowering patients and from improving hospital performance.Read moreRead less
Westminster Transplanted and Westminster Implanted: Explanations for Political Change. Why have Westminster systems,adopted across the world, been so resilient in different environments? By exploring how different nations have adapted the core executive components of Westminster by combining local traditions with inherited practices, the project will identify what conditions provided the stability and security that often emerged. By comparing performance across nations it will explain why Westmi ....Westminster Transplanted and Westminster Implanted: Explanations for Political Change. Why have Westminster systems,adopted across the world, been so resilient in different environments? By exploring how different nations have adapted the core executive components of Westminster by combining local traditions with inherited practices, the project will identify what conditions provided the stability and security that often emerged. By comparing performance across nations it will explain why Westminster practices were so adaptable. This is the first longitudinal study seeking to explain political development in societies that inherited executive practices from the same source. It has the potential to identify how and why future constitutional transplants might succeed.Read moreRead less
Assessing the Nation's Infrastructure: The Role of Financial and Non-Financial Information. Presently governments do not disclose information about the condition of legacy infrastructure, and the extent of projected (often, non-discretionary) expenditure to repair or upgrade the functionality of those assets. This project builds on an analytical framework developed by Walker Clark & Dean (2000). It examines the viability of alternative proposals for providing information to external stakeholders ....Assessing the Nation's Infrastructure: The Role of Financial and Non-Financial Information. Presently governments do not disclose information about the condition of legacy infrastructure, and the extent of projected (often, non-discretionary) expenditure to repair or upgrade the functionality of those assets. This project builds on an analytical framework developed by Walker Clark & Dean (2000). It examines the viability of alternative proposals for providing information to external stakeholders, on either an agency or ?whole of government? basis. Using a combination of case studies and stated preference data, the study seeks to derive an optimal reporting framework which can assist governments better measure and more effectively manage the nation's infrastructure.Read moreRead less
Fostering Innovation Inside Government: The Role of Structural and Personal Networks in Improving Innovation Performance Among Politicians and Bureaucrats. Innovation is the engine of the new global economy.The Prime Minster's Australia Day Statement 'Backing Australia's Ability' put innovation at the top of the government agenda. Unfortunately most research and public policy ignores the participation of government itself, apart from its fiscal role. This new study takes the innovation question ....Fostering Innovation Inside Government: The Role of Structural and Personal Networks in Improving Innovation Performance Among Politicians and Bureaucrats. Innovation is the engine of the new global economy.The Prime Minster's Australia Day Statement 'Backing Australia's Ability' put innovation at the top of the government agenda. Unfortunately most research and public policy ignores the participation of government itself, apart from its fiscal role. This new study takes the innovation question inside government to map the path to innovation and to analyse how networking determines outcomes. The study considers both structural and personal networks and considers variations in how they are related. Outcomes will include a new model for governmental innovation and methods for performance improvement inside governmental systems.Read moreRead less
Cultural Research for the 21st Century: Building Cultural Intelligence for a Complex World. This project will advance our knowledge of the complex cultural challenges facing 21st century Australia, and how these challenges can be addressed through engaged cultural research. It will promote cultural innovation by enabling public institutions to develop effective responses to the increasing complexity of their operating environments, especially in light of society's proliferating cultural diversit ....Cultural Research for the 21st Century: Building Cultural Intelligence for a Complex World. This project will advance our knowledge of the complex cultural challenges facing 21st century Australia, and how these challenges can be addressed through engaged cultural research. It will promote cultural innovation by enabling public institutions to develop effective responses to the increasing complexity of their operating environments, especially in light of society's proliferating cultural diversity. The project will expand the national innovation system by building the capacity of cultural researchers (and humanities and social science researchers more generally) to conduct collaborative and interdisciplinary research that contributes to the solution of important social and cultural problems. Read moreRead less
Towards Sustainable Regional Institutions: The Nature, Role and Governance Implications of Contemporary Australian Regionalism. This project is the first-ever national description of Australian regionalism, using insights from political and social science, constitutional theory and public administration. Built on successful pilots, this research will equip government, civil society, development agencies and regional policymakers with a region-by-region picture of the links between spatial varia ....Towards Sustainable Regional Institutions: The Nature, Role and Governance Implications of Contemporary Australian Regionalism. This project is the first-ever national description of Australian regionalism, using insights from political and social science, constitutional theory and public administration. Built on successful pilots, this research will equip government, civil society, development agencies and regional policymakers with a region-by-region picture of the links between spatial variations in political culture, civic trust, social capital and challenges of regional institutional design. This new picture of Australian regional attitudes, expectations and possibilities will contribute directly to national environmental sustainability, sustainable urban and regional development, revitalised regional communities and a stronger social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less