Contestation or Regulation - New Politics in Southeast Asia. By providing a greater understanding of the region's polities and societies the study can enhance all forms of Australian engagement with Southeast Asia. It offers insights into differential intra-regional capacities and orientations of political systems to absorb diverse social forces into the political process. This knowledge provides a basis for strategies to promote effective governance reform and other Australian aid programs. It ....Contestation or Regulation - New Politics in Southeast Asia. By providing a greater understanding of the region's polities and societies the study can enhance all forms of Australian engagement with Southeast Asia. It offers insights into differential intra-regional capacities and orientations of political systems to absorb diverse social forces into the political process. This knowledge provides a basis for strategies to promote effective governance reform and other Australian aid programs. It will also assist policymakers seeking to influence the management of, or resolution to, conflicts threatening stability in the region. Read moreRead less
Remaking the poor: poor people's responses to donors' market citizenship programs in Southeast Asia. Contemporary international aid attempts to help the poor participate in the market economy, with highly variable results. Often poor beneficiaries appear not to co-operate with these programs. This study investigates the factors driving the responses of poor people to donors' poverty reduction programs, to offer new models for donor interventions.
The politics of public administration reform: capacity development and ideological contestation in international state-building. Why do expensive international aid programs often fail to achieve public administration reform in fragile states? This study investigates how the beliefs of public servants about the nature of their role reflect societal conflicts and alliances. Understanding this offers aid practitioners a means of designing tactical responses to reform agendas.
Securitisation and the governance of non-traditional security in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific. In recent years, the Australian government has become concerned with managing non-traditional security threats such as terrorism and pandemics in Australia's region. This project compares responses to terrorism and health scares in Southeast Asia and the Southwest Pacific to explain the processes shaping the way security is understood and governed.