Trans/national activism: Organizing for Domestic Worker Rights in Southeast Asia. This project will contribute to the identified national priority, Safeguarding Australia, by providing a better understanding of the issues surrounding labour migration, including the capacity of NGOs and state governments to address the needs and rights of labour migrants in Southeast Asia. By expanding our understanding of the possibilities for democratisation within the region and contributing to theoretical dev ....Trans/national activism: Organizing for Domestic Worker Rights in Southeast Asia. This project will contribute to the identified national priority, Safeguarding Australia, by providing a better understanding of the issues surrounding labour migration, including the capacity of NGOs and state governments to address the needs and rights of labour migrants in Southeast Asia. By expanding our understanding of the possibilities for democratisation within the region and contributing to theoretical developments on the relationship between state and civil society, this research will also contribute to the national interest in influencing institutional reform and democratic transition in Asia. Read moreRead less
Comparative Border Studies. While borders are of increasing interest to Australian scholars and policy-makers, much existing research in Australia is focused on issues of border security or border integrity. There is an urgent need to supplement this work with theoretical and empirical insights drawn from the field of border studies. North America is a key site for international research in this field. Collaboration with North American scholars is thus an important step in developing and expandi ....Comparative Border Studies. While borders are of increasing interest to Australian scholars and policy-makers, much existing research in Australia is focused on issues of border security or border integrity. There is an urgent need to supplement this work with theoretical and empirical insights drawn from the field of border studies. North America is a key site for international research in this field. Collaboration with North American scholars is thus an important step in developing and expanding Australian expertise in border studies. This project will provide the intellectual environment and collaborative networks necessary to establish the first dedicated Centre for Border Studies in Australia.Read moreRead less
Representation and Political Regimes in Southeast Asia. Comprehending drivers and directions of political regimes in Southeast Asia is urgently needed as the global financial crisis and climate change pose new challenges for Australia's regional engagement. Aid strategies to support and promote preferred political and other governance institutions will be enhanced by knowledge of the conflicts and alliances over political representation. Specific coalitions functional for democratic institutions ....Representation and Political Regimes in Southeast Asia. Comprehending drivers and directions of political regimes in Southeast Asia is urgently needed as the global financial crisis and climate change pose new challenges for Australia's regional engagement. Aid strategies to support and promote preferred political and other governance institutions will be enhanced by knowledge of the conflicts and alliances over political representation. Specific coalitions functional for democratic institutions in particular would become clearer. Business interests in trade and investment will benefit from understanding the nature and extent of conflicts over representation and their potential or otherwise to result in trade protectionism and affect political stability.Read moreRead less
The Politics of Accountability Reform in Southeast Asia. Australian foreign policymakers and businesses operating in Southeast Asia derive security and commercial advantages from understanding the direction and drivers of politics in the region. New accountability reforms are integral to this politics and, consequently, Australian aid money is being directed towards support for such institutions. However, depending on their nature and support bases, accountability reforms can enhance or suppress ....The Politics of Accountability Reform in Southeast Asia. Australian foreign policymakers and businesses operating in Southeast Asia derive security and commercial advantages from understanding the direction and drivers of politics in the region. New accountability reforms are integral to this politics and, consequently, Australian aid money is being directed towards support for such institutions. However, depending on their nature and support bases, accountability reforms can enhance or suppress citizens' and investors' powers in relation to public and private authorities. Analysing accountability institutions in this way can thus help refine aid strategies and foreign policy meant to increase scrutiny of how authorities in political and economic governance exercise power. Read moreRead less
Crustal Stress Field of SE Asia. The key project benefit is to advance our fundamental understanding of tectonic processes such as sedimentary basin development and continental collision. It has major implications for natural hazard assessment and resources exploration in SE Asia, consistent with Australia's participation in the APEC Energy Working Group. The project has major ancillary benefits. It will strengthen international links between Australia, SE Asia, the UK, USA and Germany. It will ....Crustal Stress Field of SE Asia. The key project benefit is to advance our fundamental understanding of tectonic processes such as sedimentary basin development and continental collision. It has major implications for natural hazard assessment and resources exploration in SE Asia, consistent with Australia's participation in the APEC Energy Working Group. The project has major ancillary benefits. It will strengthen international links between Australia, SE Asia, the UK, USA and Germany. It will provide high-quality research and training experience for the APD and PhD student involved, whom will spend time with research groups and oil companies in Australia, UK, USA and SE Asia. Finally, the project will increase the institutional capacity for contract research in SE Asia.Read moreRead less
Revitalisation Movements in Contemporary Indonesia: Nativist Reworkings of Custom and Religion in Reaction to Decentralisation, Islamisation and Globalisation. Australia needs to understand the ethno-cultural diversity of its neighbour Indonesia to appreciate the wider pluralist context in which political Islam, including the terrorist fringe (e.g. JI), operates. Understanding of emergent social movements among Indonesian minorities highlights the constraints upon political Islam and divergent p ....Revitalisation Movements in Contemporary Indonesia: Nativist Reworkings of Custom and Religion in Reaction to Decentralisation, Islamisation and Globalisation. Australia needs to understand the ethno-cultural diversity of its neighbour Indonesia to appreciate the wider pluralist context in which political Islam, including the terrorist fringe (e.g. JI), operates. Understanding of emergent social movements among Indonesian minorities highlights the constraints upon political Islam and divergent pressures upon Indonesian national integrity, crucial issues for formulating foreign policy. It also provides comparative understanding of Indonesian movements parallel to those harnessing Indigenous and migrant aspirations in Australia, which is central to domestic policies insuring minority rights in a multiculturalist framework.Read moreRead less
Maid in China: Gendered Mobilities, Internal Migration, and the Translocal Imagination. Internal migration always restructures the spatial imagination, and variably across different social groups. In China, gender, class and power relations are important determinants of both mobility and concepts of place. Studying the phenomenon of the migrant baomu (the domestic maid), this project hypothsises that the emerging translocal practices of rural-urban migrants have significantly reworked the spatia ....Maid in China: Gendered Mobilities, Internal Migration, and the Translocal Imagination. Internal migration always restructures the spatial imagination, and variably across different social groups. In China, gender, class and power relations are important determinants of both mobility and concepts of place. Studying the phenomenon of the migrant baomu (the domestic maid), this project hypothsises that the emerging translocal practices of rural-urban migrants have significantly reworked the spatial imagination of the Chinese people. This project will lead to a new conceptualisation of place and space, with the flow of people and the flow of media images brought into productive interface. It will also generate important cross-cultural perspectives on women, work and migration. Research findings will be communicated in a book, Maid in China.Read moreRead less
Maritime Legal Practice and Policy in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific: Synergies and Challenges for Australian Trade and Security. Analysis of maritime legal practice in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific will bolster Australia's national maritime policy-making and regional capacity to address key maritime concerns, leading to enhanced sustainable management of the ocean environment and its resources, economic security, maritime enforcement and security for trade and shipping. This will d ....Maritime Legal Practice and Policy in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific: Synergies and Challenges for Australian Trade and Security. Analysis of maritime legal practice in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific will bolster Australia's national maritime policy-making and regional capacity to address key maritime concerns, leading to enhanced sustainable management of the ocean environment and its resources, economic security, maritime enforcement and security for trade and shipping. This will deliver profound political, economic and security benefits to the countries concerned. The research will help to safeguard Australia's vital maritime interests as well as those of our maritime neighbours and therefore impact directly on Australia's economic security and prosperity, the protection and preservation of the marine environment and thus the well being of its society.Read moreRead less
State, Class and Islamic Populism: Indonesia in Comparative Perspective. This study will provide a different basis for the assessment of Australian policy responses to Islamic radicalism in Indonesia. It will expose the social foundations of Islamic populism as a particular expression of political Islam and in so doing allow the Australian public and policymakers to understand the complex networks and relationships that generate and sustain Islamic populism, including its radical streams. It wil ....State, Class and Islamic Populism: Indonesia in Comparative Perspective. This study will provide a different basis for the assessment of Australian policy responses to Islamic radicalism in Indonesia. It will expose the social foundations of Islamic populism as a particular expression of political Islam and in so doing allow the Australian public and policymakers to understand the complex networks and relationships that generate and sustain Islamic populism, including its radical streams. It will enable an identification and differentiation of the social forces resisting or advancing democratic governance reforms in Indonesia. With this knowledge, programmes intended to help develop domestic pro-democratic coalitions to stem the rise of radical Islamic groups have a sounder social scientific base.Read moreRead less
Understanding cross-cultural consumer behaviour and implications for effective segmentation, targeting and positioning of Western Australia as a tourism destination. This research extends a model of cross-cultural consumer behaviour suggested by the first CI (Lee, 2000) that provides richer specification of the antecedents of people's actions than previously suggested models. The model will be compared with these models, which have been successful in Western, but less successful in Eastern, cult ....Understanding cross-cultural consumer behaviour and implications for effective segmentation, targeting and positioning of Western Australia as a tourism destination. This research extends a model of cross-cultural consumer behaviour suggested by the first CI (Lee, 2000) that provides richer specification of the antecedents of people's actions than previously suggested models. The model will be compared with these models, which have been successful in Western, but less successful in Eastern, cultures. The model will be tested in the tourism domain to predict intentions and behaviour of potential visitors. Results will be used to improve the effectiveness of Western Australia's tourism marketing. In addition, a method to reduce social desirability bias will be tested, as will two scales measuring aspects of culture. Read moreRead less