The Strategic Use of Election Violence. Roughly a quarter of national elections around the world are accompanied by the use of deadly violence. While the frequency of violence has remained almost constant for decades, researchers are only beginning to explore comparatively the myriad causes of election violence and what can be done to prevent it. Therefore, the proposed research focuses on answering two fundamental yet unanswered questions: why do various types of election violence occur, and wh ....The Strategic Use of Election Violence. Roughly a quarter of national elections around the world are accompanied by the use of deadly violence. While the frequency of violence has remained almost constant for decades, researchers are only beginning to explore comparatively the myriad causes of election violence and what can be done to prevent it. Therefore, the proposed research focuses on answering two fundamental yet unanswered questions: why do various types of election violence occur, and what interventions are most effective at preventing them? The research design centres on analysing data on specific election violence events (perpetrators, victims, and method) and data on election interventions to test hypotheses on underlying causes and effective interventions.Read moreRead less
Improving effectiveness of Australian aid to the island-Pacific. Improving the effectiveness of aid to the island Pacific so as to secure peace and prosperity within our immediate neighbourhood is in Australia's own national interest. This research investigates issues of state functioning and state failure with a view to improving the effectiveness of external interventions and of bolstering state capacity in the South Pacific. It is now widely acknowledged that ?failed states? can generate ref ....Improving effectiveness of Australian aid to the island-Pacific. Improving the effectiveness of aid to the island Pacific so as to secure peace and prosperity within our immediate neighbourhood is in Australia's own national interest. This research investigates issues of state functioning and state failure with a view to improving the effectiveness of external interventions and of bolstering state capacity in the South Pacific. It is now widely acknowledged that ?failed states? can generate refugee flows and create havens for organised crime or terrorist groups, thus becoming a threat to neighbouring states. Such cross-border spillovers have major implications for Australia's national security and have been the primary rationale for the recent interventions into Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.Read moreRead less