Assessing the Nation's Infrastructure: The Role of Financial and Non-Financial Information. Presently governments do not disclose information about the condition of legacy infrastructure, and the extent of projected (often, non-discretionary) expenditure to repair or upgrade the functionality of those assets. This project builds on an analytical framework developed by Walker Clark & Dean (2000). It examines the viability of alternative proposals for providing information to external stakeholders ....Assessing the Nation's Infrastructure: The Role of Financial and Non-Financial Information. Presently governments do not disclose information about the condition of legacy infrastructure, and the extent of projected (often, non-discretionary) expenditure to repair or upgrade the functionality of those assets. This project builds on an analytical framework developed by Walker Clark & Dean (2000). It examines the viability of alternative proposals for providing information to external stakeholders, on either an agency or ?whole of government? basis. Using a combination of case studies and stated preference data, the study seeks to derive an optimal reporting framework which can assist governments better measure and more effectively manage the nation's infrastructure.Read moreRead less
The Kids in Communities Study: national investigation of community level effects on children's developmental outcomes. This project (a cross-disciplinary collaboration) will investigate community level factors influencing early childhood developmental outcomes using a mixed methods approach in up to 10 communities across Australia. This will result in a potential set of measures or indicators that reflect communities that are good for children.
Advancing the Ecological Footprint for Application to Policy Development. To be effective, policies that promote Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) must operate at many levels. For example, it is of little consequence if individual consumers are empowered to achieve greater sustainability but the capability of corporations and governments to do so remains limited. Our carefully chosen industry collaborations will ensure that effective environmental policy development can be implemented a ....Advancing the Ecological Footprint for Application to Policy Development. To be effective, policies that promote Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) must operate at many levels. For example, it is of little consequence if individual consumers are empowered to achieve greater sustainability but the capability of corporations and governments to do so remains limited. Our carefully chosen industry collaborations will ensure that effective environmental policy development can be implemented at the global, national, state and corporate level. This will allow us, as a nation, to better protect the resources upon which the environment and the economy rely. This research will also allow Australia to be a world leader in the implementation of sustainable development.Read moreRead less
Integrating measures of Indigenous land management effectiveness. Land management is the fastest growing Indigenous employment sector in Australia yet methods for assessing its effectiveness are poorly developed. This project will work with Indigenous land managers and their major environmental service delivery partners to develop and agree on measures of land management effectiveness to meet multiple objectives.
Stuck here forever? The dynamics and social consequences of long-term private renting in Australia. A new Generation Rent is emerging in Australia. Already one in 12 Australian households, many families among them, find that private renting no longer leads to home ownership but is a long-term or permanent reality, exposing them to such risks as forced moves at short notice. Despite the group's large and growing size, little is known of its characteristics or the consequences for children and adu ....Stuck here forever? The dynamics and social consequences of long-term private renting in Australia. A new Generation Rent is emerging in Australia. Already one in 12 Australian households, many families among them, find that private renting no longer leads to home ownership but is a long-term or permanent reality, exposing them to such risks as forced moves at short notice. Despite the group's large and growing size, little is known of its characteristics or the consequences for children and adults. The project will probe why people become long-term renters, how far they are able to make a home and exercise some control over their circumstances and the ways in which long-term renting affects their wellbeing. Yielding new analytical insights into the long-term effects of housing insecurity, the study will also inform housing policy.Read moreRead less
Social Capital and Sustainable Development: An International Study. A collaborative international study of social capital and sustainability in local communities will address the following objectives: 1. to characterize the properties of networks that generate social capital and of network formation; and 2. to analyze the mechanisms by which social capital contributes to sustainable development. The project will involve intensive comparative case studies of five communities, three in Canada and ....Social Capital and Sustainable Development: An International Study. A collaborative international study of social capital and sustainability in local communities will address the following objectives: 1. to characterize the properties of networks that generate social capital and of network formation; and 2. to analyze the mechanisms by which social capital contributes to sustainable development. The project will involve intensive comparative case studies of five communities, three in Canada and two in Australia. Within each case community, an intensive qualitative and quantitative analysis will be conducted of the theorized mechanisms for the development of social capital and its mobilization for reconciliation of the ecological, economic and social imperatives required for sustainable development.
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Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102787
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Building a green economy? The politics of green infrastructure stimulus in the wake of the global financial crisis. A considerable amount of government stimulus spending following the Global Financial Crisis was directed to 'green infrastructure'. This project analyses the successes and failures of several countries' green stimulus packages. Results will inform policy on future public investment in infrastructure that will be needed to address climate change.
Interactions between Social, Economic and Regulatory Aspects of Residential Household Water Consumption. Water security is at crisis point in many Australian regions and overseas. This research will engage citizens in water conservation and management, and will have a number of significant outcomes that will benefit national and community interests. These include (1) devising effective water management strategies that are acceptable to residential customers in two contrasting water service regi ....Interactions between Social, Economic and Regulatory Aspects of Residential Household Water Consumption. Water security is at crisis point in many Australian regions and overseas. This research will engage citizens in water conservation and management, and will have a number of significant outcomes that will benefit national and community interests. These include (1) devising effective water management strategies that are acceptable to residential customers in two contrasting water service regions, (2) a generalisable and replicable model of residential household water consumption that highlights the issues of public trust in current water governance arrangements, and (3) recommendations for communication and behaviour change interventions that promote water-use efficiency and conservation, and are sensitive to regional differences.Read moreRead less
Rethinking the public inquiry on science, technology and environmental change. The project aims to strengthen public inquiry as a policy tool in governance transitions about controversial science and technology. The adequacy of public inquiry in Australia as an authoritative ‘advisory mechanism’ on the promising benefits and (socio-) environmental effects of ‘big’ science and technology is a growing public policy problem. The project will review whether the public inquiry is too decoupled from g ....Rethinking the public inquiry on science, technology and environmental change. The project aims to strengthen public inquiry as a policy tool in governance transitions about controversial science and technology. The adequacy of public inquiry in Australia as an authoritative ‘advisory mechanism’ on the promising benefits and (socio-) environmental effects of ‘big’ science and technology is a growing public policy problem. The project will review whether the public inquiry is too decoupled from governance and environmental change. Through transdisciplinary participatory conduits, a deeper inquiry capacity is expected to address important national challenges of sustainability, economic and social prosperity, energy security, climate change and international competitiveness.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100511
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$354,190.00
Summary
Rethinking collaborative governance for urban sustainability and resilience. There is a pressing need to improve the resource sustainability of cities and their resilience to hazards. Increasingly, governments seek to achieve such improvement by engaging directly with businesses and citizens. Whilst this collaborative city governance holds promise for transforming resource use and the resilience of cities, little is known about its performance benefits and effectiveness. The project aims to addr ....Rethinking collaborative governance for urban sustainability and resilience. There is a pressing need to improve the resource sustainability of cities and their resilience to hazards. Increasingly, governments seek to achieve such improvement by engaging directly with businesses and citizens. Whilst this collaborative city governance holds promise for transforming resource use and the resilience of cities, little is known about its performance benefits and effectiveness. The project aims to address this knowledge gap through a systematic empirical analysis of a series of collaborations in four global cities. The project aims to help refine theories of collaborative governance, and provide policymakers and practitioners with lessons on how to improve sustainability and resilience of cities in Australia and elsewhere.Read moreRead less