Multilateral Development Bank Accountability: Who Benefits? In 1994 the World Bank adopted an "external accountability mechanism" to assess claims by people all over the world that they were negatively affected by Bank financed development projects. Within a decade this mechanism would become a global model of accountability. Adopted by the African, Asian, European and Inter-American Development Banks, hundreds of claims have now been filed. In probing the creation, proliferation and operations ....Multilateral Development Bank Accountability: Who Benefits? In 1994 the World Bank adopted an "external accountability mechanism" to assess claims by people all over the world that they were negatively affected by Bank financed development projects. Within a decade this mechanism would become a global model of accountability. Adopted by the African, Asian, European and Inter-American Development Banks, hundreds of claims have now been filed. In probing the creation, proliferation and operations of these external accountability mechanisms, this project investigates who benefits from them: project affected people, the Banks, or the Banks' member states, some who pushed for greater accountability, and some who opposed these infringements on their sovereign right to borrow.Read moreRead less
Predicting Language Skills From Early Auditory Speech Discrimination In Infants With Hearing Loss: Implications For Early Management And Intervention
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$706,113.00
Summary
Now that newborn hearing checks are available, hearing loss can be picked up soon after birth and hearing aids are fitted shortly after. Although procedures exist for checking that the devices make sounds audible, there is no way to evaluate their effectiveness for supporting a child’s auditory discrimination. This study aims to 1) develop new clinical tools for assessing infants’ auditory discrimination, and 2) determine whether early discrimination predicts spoken language at 3 years of age.
Financing Human Rights: Global Problems and Possibilities. In global terms, Australia is a rich country with a large aid budget and a strong record of supporting the international advancement of human rights standards, especially in the Asia-Pacific. Australia's private sector also invests heavily in many of our neighbouring states, thereby helping to advance human rights through economic development. But human rights problems persist in many countries in our region. This project seeks to optimi ....Financing Human Rights: Global Problems and Possibilities. In global terms, Australia is a rich country with a large aid budget and a strong record of supporting the international advancement of human rights standards, especially in the Asia-Pacific. Australia's private sector also invests heavily in many of our neighbouring states, thereby helping to advance human rights through economic development. But human rights problems persist in many countries in our region. This project seeks to optimise the impact of the financing of human rights protection in developing countries, and thereby add significantly to the maintenance and promotion of the security, prosperity and welfare of all peoples in our region.Read moreRead less
Global Governance, Eco-Justice, and International Grievance Mechanisms. Despite their global use, there is no evidence that grievance mechanisms provide remedies for people and ecosystems harmed by international development projects. This project aims to investigate whether grievance mechanisms provide eco-justice, where communities seek to be recognised and participate, can lead full lives safe from undue environmental risk, in ecosystems that can regenerate and repair. This is significant give ....Global Governance, Eco-Justice, and International Grievance Mechanisms. Despite their global use, there is no evidence that grievance mechanisms provide remedies for people and ecosystems harmed by international development projects. This project aims to investigate whether grievance mechanisms provide eco-justice, where communities seek to be recognised and participate, can lead full lives safe from undue environmental risk, in ecosystems that can regenerate and repair. This is significant given increasing environmental conflict and deaths at project sites around the world. Examining over 430 original claims to the Multilateral Development Banks’ mechanisms over 25 years, and four case studies, the project aims to determine whether the mechanisms deliver eco-justice, and can improve global rules for remedy.Read moreRead less
The Professions, Human Rights, and the State: law and medicine in the transition from repression to democracy. This study contributes to an ?anthropology of democracy? examining the processes of political transition beyond the state. It investigates the role of the health and legal professions with regard to human rights abuses occurring during and after state repression taking the cases of Argentina and South Africa. It explores the way the legal and health professions extend human rights thro ....The Professions, Human Rights, and the State: law and medicine in the transition from repression to democracy. This study contributes to an ?anthropology of democracy? examining the processes of political transition beyond the state. It investigates the role of the health and legal professions with regard to human rights abuses occurring during and after state repression taking the cases of Argentina and South Africa. It explores the way the legal and health professions extend human rights through their respective ethical responsibilities thereby enhancing citizenship in the post-transition period. It will provide important insights into the roles professions play in mediating between civil society and the state in a transnational context.Read moreRead less
Improving the International Response to Regime-Induced Displacement. This project examines why governments increasingly use force to deliberately displace their own populations on a massive scale, which is termed regime-induced displacement. Through a mix of quantitative and case study research, this project aims to explain why such actions have become rational strategies for regimes to respond to ethnic groups which may be a threat to them and how these regimes try to justify their behaviour in ....Improving the International Response to Regime-Induced Displacement. This project examines why governments increasingly use force to deliberately displace their own populations on a massive scale, which is termed regime-induced displacement. Through a mix of quantitative and case study research, this project aims to explain why such actions have become rational strategies for regimes to respond to ethnic groups which may be a threat to them and how these regimes try to justify their behaviour in order to thwart or delay international action. This is a critical issue as beyond its human cost, regime-induced displacement can lead to state fragility and regional instability as cases from Darfur to Syria demonstrate. Consequently, it directly affects Australia's security interests and international responsibilities.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?
Law And Policy Framework For Remote Sensing In Maritime Enforcement. This project aims to address a gap in national and international law relating to the use of modern technology in fisheries enforcement. It will advance the fight against illegal fishing by developing model legal frameworks to underpin the use of remotely sourced data in fisheries surveillance and enforcement. Expected outcomes include enabling Pacific Island Countries to rely on remotely sourced data to combat illegal fishing, ....Law And Policy Framework For Remote Sensing In Maritime Enforcement. This project aims to address a gap in national and international law relating to the use of modern technology in fisheries enforcement. It will advance the fight against illegal fishing by developing model legal frameworks to underpin the use of remotely sourced data in fisheries surveillance and enforcement. Expected outcomes include enabling Pacific Island Countries to rely on remotely sourced data to combat illegal fishing, conduct enforcement operations and prosecute fisheries offences. This should provide significant benefits, such as reducing the cost of fisheries enforcement, increasing the tools available to combat illegal fishing, and enhancing the capacity of Pacific Island Countries to protect their fisheries and maritime zones.Read moreRead less
Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and well-being impacts in Timor-Leste. This research aims to investigate the impacts of Australia’s Seasonal Workers Programme and South Korea’s Employment Permit System on the well-being of migrant workers and their families in Timor-Leste (East Timor). The contribution of this research to scholarship would be the creation of a sound method to measure the impact of temporary labour migration on well-being across various aspects of life that can be used by r ....Australian Seasonal Workers Programme and well-being impacts in Timor-Leste. This research aims to investigate the impacts of Australia’s Seasonal Workers Programme and South Korea’s Employment Permit System on the well-being of migrant workers and their families in Timor-Leste (East Timor). The contribution of this research to scholarship would be the creation of a sound method to measure the impact of temporary labour migration on well-being across various aspects of life that can be used by researchers in Timor-Leste and elsewhere to evaluate the development impacts of such migration schemes. The data will inform evidence-based policies to improve temporary labour migration schemes, meet urgent development priorities in Timor-Leste, and maximise the benefits of Australian aid funded labour migration schemes.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101540
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$331,000.00
Summary
Waves of Democracy and Secessionist Conflict. What is the relationship between democracy and secessionism? This project aims to investigate the theory that democratisation unleashes secessionist forces that are likely to turn violent in the absence of mature democratic institutions. Thus, waves of democracy yield waves of secessionist conflict. Through a statistical analysis of secessionism combined with case studies in three countries with dissimilar regime types - Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, an ....Waves of Democracy and Secessionist Conflict. What is the relationship between democracy and secessionism? This project aims to investigate the theory that democratisation unleashes secessionist forces that are likely to turn violent in the absence of mature democratic institutions. Thus, waves of democracy yield waves of secessionist conflict. Through a statistical analysis of secessionism combined with case studies in three countries with dissimilar regime types - Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and Spain - the project aims to study the relationship between democratic institutions and secessionist outcomes. The project aims to contribute to our understanding of the unintended consequences of democratisation and inform policy choices regarding the introduction and sequencing of democratic institutions.Read moreRead less