From Migrant to Worker: New Transnational Responses to Temporary Labour Migration in East and Southeast Asia. This project compares the nature and impact of civil society initiatives concerning temporary labour migration in Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It provides a model for understanding NGO-union cooperation on migrant labour issues, useful not only in East and Southeast Asia, where foreign workers - and foreign workers' rights - are already matters of serious concern, bu ....From Migrant to Worker: New Transnational Responses to Temporary Labour Migration in East and Southeast Asia. This project compares the nature and impact of civil society initiatives concerning temporary labour migration in Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It provides a model for understanding NGO-union cooperation on migrant labour issues, useful not only in East and Southeast Asia, where foreign workers - and foreign workers' rights - are already matters of serious concern, but in countries like Australia, where skills shortages and ageing populations are increasing pressure on governments to allow large-scale temporary foreign labour. The project's findings will assist government agencies and local and transnational civil society groups to respond more effectively to temporary labour migration.Read moreRead less
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
Rural Migrant Labour in Large Chinese Cities. China's economic and political significance globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, can hardly be exaggerated. China is increasing rapidly in its importance to Australia as a trading partner, source of immigrants and tourists and as a power in Australia's region of influence. The rapid growth of Chinese cities is a critical element in its striking social and economic development and a deeper understanding of this will contribute to Austral ....Rural Migrant Labour in Large Chinese Cities. China's economic and political significance globally, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, can hardly be exaggerated. China is increasing rapidly in its importance to Australia as a trading partner, source of immigrants and tourists and as a power in Australia's region of influence. The rapid growth of Chinese cities is a critical element in its striking social and economic development and a deeper understanding of this will contribute to Australia enhancing economic, social and political linkages with China. It also will develop Australian capacity with respect to Chinese research and develop strong academic linkages with China.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
Migration, Ethnicity and Workforce Segmentation in the Asia-Pacific. Globalisation has produced new polarised patterns in working populations, including ethnically segmented labour. The related dynamics of work, ethnicity and labour segmentation have very significant long-term consequences. Systematic studies are available for advanced economies, but are far less developed for newly industrialised countries. This program investigates these changes in major Asia-Pacific urban-industrial centres. ....Migration, Ethnicity and Workforce Segmentation in the Asia-Pacific. Globalisation has produced new polarised patterns in working populations, including ethnically segmented labour. The related dynamics of work, ethnicity and labour segmentation have very significant long-term consequences. Systematic studies are available for advanced economies, but are far less developed for newly industrialised countries. This program investigates these changes in major Asia-Pacific urban-industrial centres. Innovative analyses from large-scale datasets and from strategic localised case studies will meet this shortfall in knowledge. They will also connect with more extensive ongoing studies of social transformations. Research outcomes and theoretical re-assessments will be presented in two workshops, and published in refereed journals and a book.Read moreRead less
Managing the Border: Migration, Security, and State Policy Responses to Global Governance in Southeast Asia. This project, which aims to inform public discussion and policy development on two important areas, population and migration and security and governance, in Southeast Asia, will contribute to the process of safeguarding Australia through improved understanding of our neighbours' state policies. The scholarly outcomes will also support teaching in refugee and migration studies. An enhanc ....Managing the Border: Migration, Security, and State Policy Responses to Global Governance in Southeast Asia. This project, which aims to inform public discussion and policy development on two important areas, population and migration and security and governance, in Southeast Asia, will contribute to the process of safeguarding Australia through improved understanding of our neighbours' state policies. The scholarly outcomes will also support teaching in refugee and migration studies. An enhanced understanding of, and cooperation on population regulation and the movement of people across and within borders in the region is central to the maintenance of effective bilateral and multilateral relations between Australia and its neighbours.
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Skilled migration and the sustainability of Pacific Island education systems. Teachers' migration and the resulting shortage of teachers at national and local levels have become major concerns in many Pacific countries. This project will investigate the relationship between skilled migration, education systems and economic and social sustainability in Fiji Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The aims are to improve the understanding of skilled migration in the Pacific region and analyse the inter-relati ....Skilled migration and the sustainability of Pacific Island education systems. Teachers' migration and the resulting shortage of teachers at national and local levels have become major concerns in many Pacific countries. This project will investigate the relationship between skilled migration, education systems and economic and social sustainability in Fiji Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu. The aims are to improve the understanding of skilled migration in the Pacific region and analyse the inter-relationships between education-related migration, sustainability of education systems and human resource development in the Pacific Islands. The research will inform policy debates in the Pacific countries and in Australia, which is a major donor of foreign aid to these islands.Read moreRead less
Border Controls and the Movement of People in a Globalizing Asia-Pacific Region: A Cross-National Study of Four Evolving Control Regimes. This project examines emerging border-control regimes in four countries of the Asia-Pacific region - Australia, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Shifting away from traditional images of frontiers, it treats national borders as complex social realities, and argues that the location of ?borders? is increasingly becoming diffused within and outside the territory of ....Border Controls and the Movement of People in a Globalizing Asia-Pacific Region: A Cross-National Study of Four Evolving Control Regimes. This project examines emerging border-control regimes in four countries of the Asia-Pacific region - Australia, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Shifting away from traditional images of frontiers, it treats national borders as complex social realities, and argues that the location of ?borders? is increasingly becoming diffused within and outside the territory of the nation state. It thus contributes to important theoretical debates about globalization and its relationship to migration and national power, while also presenting information directly relevant to cooperation between the nations of the region on issues related to the cross-border movement of people.Read moreRead less
Economic consequences for Australia of global demographic change. In addition to addressing the economic implications of declining fertility and mortality in Australia this study will analyse major changes in demographic behaviour in regions on which Australia's economic health depends and the consequent changes in the flow of migrants into Australia. A new mathematical model of global population change will be integrated into the standard GTAP-dynamic model of global economic performance to pr ....Economic consequences for Australia of global demographic change. In addition to addressing the economic implications of declining fertility and mortality in Australia this study will analyse major changes in demographic behaviour in regions on which Australia's economic health depends and the consequent changes in the flow of migrants into Australia. A new mathematical model of global population change will be integrated into the standard GTAP-dynamic model of global economic performance to provide a useful tool for future analysis of Australia's population and economic policies. The analysis will contribute to policy development and the models will be widely available to policy institutions for their use.Read moreRead less