Multilateral Development Bank Accountability: Who Benefits? In 1994 the World Bank adopted an "external accountability mechanism" to assess claims by people all over the world that they were negatively affected by Bank financed development projects. Within a decade this mechanism would become a global model of accountability. Adopted by the African, Asian, European and Inter-American Development Banks, hundreds of claims have now been filed. In probing the creation, proliferation and operations ....Multilateral Development Bank Accountability: Who Benefits? In 1994 the World Bank adopted an "external accountability mechanism" to assess claims by people all over the world that they were negatively affected by Bank financed development projects. Within a decade this mechanism would become a global model of accountability. Adopted by the African, Asian, European and Inter-American Development Banks, hundreds of claims have now been filed. In probing the creation, proliferation and operations of these external accountability mechanisms, this project investigates who benefits from them: project affected people, the Banks, or the Banks' member states, some who pushed for greater accountability, and some who opposed these infringements on their sovereign right to borrow.Read moreRead less
Improving the International Response to Regime-Induced Displacement. This project examines why governments increasingly use force to deliberately displace their own populations on a massive scale, which is termed regime-induced displacement. Through a mix of quantitative and case study research, this project aims to explain why such actions have become rational strategies for regimes to respond to ethnic groups which may be a threat to them and how these regimes try to justify their behaviour in ....Improving the International Response to Regime-Induced Displacement. This project examines why governments increasingly use force to deliberately displace their own populations on a massive scale, which is termed regime-induced displacement. Through a mix of quantitative and case study research, this project aims to explain why such actions have become rational strategies for regimes to respond to ethnic groups which may be a threat to them and how these regimes try to justify their behaviour in order to thwart or delay international action. This is a critical issue as beyond its human cost, regime-induced displacement can lead to state fragility and regional instability as cases from Darfur to Syria demonstrate. Consequently, it directly affects Australia's security interests and international responsibilities.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101468
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$363,379.00
Summary
State formation and external finance: a case study of Somaliland. Somaliland's government receives no direct budgetary support and yet its peace building and developmental achievements dwarf those of Somalia despite the fact that Somalia's government is almost entirely propped up by external assistance. Why does external financial assistance affect the ability of local actors to create peace and prosperity?
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150101540
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$331,000.00
Summary
Waves of Democracy and Secessionist Conflict. What is the relationship between democracy and secessionism? This project aims to investigate the theory that democratisation unleashes secessionist forces that are likely to turn violent in the absence of mature democratic institutions. Thus, waves of democracy yield waves of secessionist conflict. Through a statistical analysis of secessionism combined with case studies in three countries with dissimilar regime types - Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, an ....Waves of Democracy and Secessionist Conflict. What is the relationship between democracy and secessionism? This project aims to investigate the theory that democratisation unleashes secessionist forces that are likely to turn violent in the absence of mature democratic institutions. Thus, waves of democracy yield waves of secessionist conflict. Through a statistical analysis of secessionism combined with case studies in three countries with dissimilar regime types - Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and Spain - the project aims to study the relationship between democratic institutions and secessionist outcomes. The project aims to contribute to our understanding of the unintended consequences of democratisation and inform policy choices regarding the introduction and sequencing of democratic institutions.Read moreRead less
Creating Accountability: Improving Responses to Forced Displacement Crimes. This project aims to investigate how the United Nations and individual states can respond to forced displacement crimes through seven emerging accountability mechanisms at the domestic, regional, and international levels. The growth of conflict-induced forced migration is at unprecedented levels, driven in part by states that deliberately displace their own populations in contravention of international law. This project ....Creating Accountability: Improving Responses to Forced Displacement Crimes. This project aims to investigate how the United Nations and individual states can respond to forced displacement crimes through seven emerging accountability mechanisms at the domestic, regional, and international levels. The growth of conflict-induced forced migration is at unprecedented levels, driven in part by states that deliberately displace their own populations in contravention of international law. This project will use a comparative and focused approach to examine the effectiveness of the range of current efforts to hold state and individual perpetrators accountable. In so doing, it will directly inform the Australian and international policy-making response to such crimes with the goal of averting future forced migrant movements.Read moreRead less
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
Clarifying transparency: Chinese aid and trade in Latin America. Consensual understandings of transparency and good governance are crucial to the international accommodation of China's economic rise. Through a quantitative survey and qualitative case studies, this project aims to clarify how these terms generate misunderstandings and hinder potential for dialogue between key U.S., Latin American and Chinese actors.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE180100603
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$357,773.00
Summary
Making resource investment responsible in mainland southeast Asia. This project aims to provide an enhanced understanding of resource investment and its effects in Southeast Asia. The project will study Chinese resource investment in the neighbouring region's poorest countries, Myanmar, Lao and Vietnam, to produce new data and policy understanding of how investment in the extractive industries can potentially benefit the sustainable development of host countries. This project endeavours to speak ....Making resource investment responsible in mainland southeast Asia. This project aims to provide an enhanced understanding of resource investment and its effects in Southeast Asia. The project will study Chinese resource investment in the neighbouring region's poorest countries, Myanmar, Lao and Vietnam, to produce new data and policy understanding of how investment in the extractive industries can potentially benefit the sustainable development of host countries. This project endeavours to speak to Australia's strategic interests as a key investor in the region, and the policy priority of understanding the nexus between resource extraction, community rights and environmental justice. Findings are expected to inform future policy making in this area, improve business conduct and strengthen regional resource governance.Read moreRead less
Political leadership in international affairs. This program of research will make a contribution to judging our place in the world by assisting in our understanding of the importance of leadership in international relations; specifically in the various international leaders and persons of influence with whom Australia has of necessity to deal. The examination of regional institutional leadership will provide insights into the importance of international organisations and their potential to augme ....Political leadership in international affairs. This program of research will make a contribution to judging our place in the world by assisting in our understanding of the importance of leadership in international relations; specifically in the various international leaders and persons of influence with whom Australia has of necessity to deal. The examination of regional institutional leadership will provide insights into the importance of international organisations and their potential to augment or limit state leadership. Finally, the mapping of the sites of leadership in developing states will allow Australia to see how to best invest in aid and regional security through programs that focus on education as a foundation for future leadership.Read moreRead less