Appropriate Development Interventions to Violent and Hateful Extremism. This project investigates how the international development/humanitarian activities of Plan International should best address violent and hateful extremism (VHE). VHE impacts about 70% of Plan’s $1bn global activity, and around USD80bn foreign aid globally. This project thoroughly examines VHE impacts on their work in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Philippines and Indonesia, to develop new situation assessment tools and indicators, in ....Appropriate Development Interventions to Violent and Hateful Extremism. This project investigates how the international development/humanitarian activities of Plan International should best address violent and hateful extremism (VHE). VHE impacts about 70% of Plan’s $1bn global activity, and around USD80bn foreign aid globally. This project thoroughly examines VHE impacts on their work in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Philippines and Indonesia, to develop new situation assessment tools and indicators, in order to facilitate mainstreaming VHE into project planning and design and offer recommendations for primary (population), secondary (at-risk) and tertiary (those involved) interventions. Reduced VHE will benefit not only individuals participating in programs, but societies in those countries plus regional stability.Read moreRead less
Creating better pathways into civic participation for young homeless people through sustainable accommodation and support program models. A sustained independent living environment is a significant contributor to health and well being. This project will offer new insights into how young homeless people use and experience supported accommodation and programs. It will recommend practical models for policy development, practice and service delivery.
Reading the Social Future of the Australian Red Cross Blood Service. This project investigates how and if the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) is building social capital. It does this by interrogating existing practices and operations at the ARCBS and by surveying donors and non-donors. This project aims to develop a Deleuzian critique of the notion of social capital.
A Land Fit for Heroes. A Social, Cultural and Environmental History of Soldier Settlement in New South Wales, 1916-1939. The digger has an iconographic status in Australian society; thousands of families have charted the service records of relatives who served in the first AIF. This project will recover the returned soldier as important an historical entity as the men (and women) who went to war. It will look at ways our society tried to recover from the trauma of war, examine our veterans' r ....A Land Fit for Heroes. A Social, Cultural and Environmental History of Soldier Settlement in New South Wales, 1916-1939. The digger has an iconographic status in Australian society; thousands of families have charted the service records of relatives who served in the first AIF. This project will recover the returned soldier as important an historical entity as the men (and women) who went to war. It will look at ways our society tried to recover from the trauma of war, examine our veterans' return to Australia and their difficult readjustment to civil society. Soldier settlers faced a new battle in opening up the land. Like many in regional NSW today, they struggled against isolation, drought and financial hardship. This project will evaluate the role soldier settlement played in populating remote districts and assess its long-term environmental costs.Read moreRead less
Children, Community and Social Capital in Australia. Contributing to our understanding of children's roles and contributions to their communities in Australia, this research will strengthen the basis for policies and interventions relating to social inclusion, community strengthening, children's well-being and family policy. Currently, there is a strong policy focus on children's issues in Australia, but children's own experiences and perspectives are often missing from policy deliberations. T ....Children, Community and Social Capital in Australia. Contributing to our understanding of children's roles and contributions to their communities in Australia, this research will strengthen the basis for policies and interventions relating to social inclusion, community strengthening, children's well-being and family policy. Currently, there is a strong policy focus on children's issues in Australia, but children's own experiences and perspectives are often missing from policy deliberations. This research will provide the foundation for policy and interventions that are inclusive of children and value children as community members and citizens. Read moreRead less
Investigating Innovative Applications of Digital Media for Participatory Journalism and Citizen Engagement in Australian Public Communication. This project benefits the Australian community by undertaking the first comprehensive audit of collaborative online news production, and linking this to prototypes developed with leading industry partners such as SBS and Cisco Systems, to promote greater citizen participation in news production and public communication. It marks the first sustained applic ....Investigating Innovative Applications of Digital Media for Participatory Journalism and Citizen Engagement in Australian Public Communication. This project benefits the Australian community by undertaking the first comprehensive audit of collaborative online news production, and linking this to prototypes developed with leading industry partners such as SBS and Cisco Systems, to promote greater citizen participation in news production and public communication. It marks the first sustained application of an open source framework to understanding the future of journalism and news media, and public communication in a democratic society, through the development of user-generated content derived from online user communities and peer-to-peer interaction. It promotes smart innovation use through collaboration and user-led innovation in digitally networked online environments. Read moreRead less
Understanding and Addressing Informal Voting in Victoria. Victoria's informal vote rate is high and rising. In order to combat the problem of hundreds of thousands of 'lost votes' at Victorian state and local government elections we must first understand it. This collaboration with the Victorian Electoral Commission addresses the problem at both state and local levels over 3 election periods using 4 distinct studies. We combine experimental data, aggregate-level data and individual-level data to ....Understanding and Addressing Informal Voting in Victoria. Victoria's informal vote rate is high and rising. In order to combat the problem of hundreds of thousands of 'lost votes' at Victorian state and local government elections we must first understand it. This collaboration with the Victorian Electoral Commission addresses the problem at both state and local levels over 3 election periods using 4 distinct studies. We combine experimental data, aggregate-level data and individual-level data to provide a thorough and multi-dimensional picture of informal voting. We will then propose remedies to be trialled and assessed. Taken together, our studies will represent the first multi-dimensional analysis of informality to be conducted in any Western democracy.
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Exploding the Myth of Change Resistance in Public Service Organisations: New Models of the Determinants of Successful Organisational Transformation. Large scale organisational change is costly as 80% of change efforts fail due to institutional stability, organisational resistance and cultural inflexibility. In the public sector change resistance has become particularly problematic as governments have demanded radical and rapid structural and cultural changes within public organisations. This pro ....Exploding the Myth of Change Resistance in Public Service Organisations: New Models of the Determinants of Successful Organisational Transformation. Large scale organisational change is costly as 80% of change efforts fail due to institutional stability, organisational resistance and cultural inflexibility. In the public sector change resistance has become particularly problematic as governments have demanded radical and rapid structural and cultural changes within public organisations. This project will develop models of change to extend theory and practice regarding the institutional, organisational and cultural environment necessary for public organisations to undergo large scale change and thus assist public organisations in facilitating successful large-scale change. An innovative approach is used to incorporate geographically dispersed, multi-functional and stratified workforces.Read moreRead less
Creating and Analysing a Citizens' Parliament: Exploring the Public's Deliberative Capacity. This project will contribute to public understanding of Australia's institutions of government, and to debates about possibilities for their reform. It will also demonstrate the contributions to governance that large-scale forums composed of typical citizens could make. In so doing, the project will illuminate the possibilities for more effective citizen participation and public consultation in Australia ....Creating and Analysing a Citizens' Parliament: Exploring the Public's Deliberative Capacity. This project will contribute to public understanding of Australia's institutions of government, and to debates about possibilities for their reform. It will also demonstrate the contributions to governance that large-scale forums composed of typical citizens could make. In so doing, the project will illuminate the possibilities for more effective citizen participation and public consultation in Australia's democracy. The project will develop applied expertise on these issues, and solidify Australia's standing as a leader when it comes to innovative democratic reform.Read moreRead less
Evaluating Community Consultation: Criteria and Tools for Assessing Processes and Outcomes. Planning agencies are expected to include community consultation as an element of the decision-making process. Past research has focussed on developing effective consultation techniques. Little research attention has been given to guidelines for evaluating consultation activities. The proposed project will contribute fundamental knowledge on evaluation of consultation programs. It will do this through ....Evaluating Community Consultation: Criteria and Tools for Assessing Processes and Outcomes. Planning agencies are expected to include community consultation as an element of the decision-making process. Past research has focussed on developing effective consultation techniques. Little research attention has been given to guidelines for evaluating consultation activities. The proposed project will contribute fundamental knowledge on evaluation of consultation programs. It will do this through assessing a major regional planning exercise (SEQ 2021). It will develop and test comprehensive evaluation criteria and tools. The project will result in ready-to-use evaluation materials for SEQ 2021, and for other planning and decision-making authorities in Australia, representing a significant breakthrough in evaluation research and practice.Read moreRead less