A study of Australia's ability to train soldiers to be effective and ethical. This project addresses the ARC's priority goals Protecting Australia from Terrorism and Crime and Transformational Defence Technologies. In the fight against terrorism and as defence technologies evolve it is crucial to uphold the Australian military's ethical commitments and international reputation. Australian soldiers must be responsive to rapidly changing threats in ways that maintain the military's core ethical co ....A study of Australia's ability to train soldiers to be effective and ethical. This project addresses the ARC's priority goals Protecting Australia from Terrorism and Crime and Transformational Defence Technologies. In the fight against terrorism and as defence technologies evolve it is crucial to uphold the Australian military's ethical commitments and international reputation. Australian soldiers must be responsive to rapidly changing threats in ways that maintain the military's core ethical commitments. By assessing current military practices in light of these commitments this project enhances the military's ability to train soldiers to be effective and ethical fighters. The internationally important outcomes of this project will also enhance Australia's high standing in the area of applied ethics.Read moreRead less
Humanitarian intervention and the conflict between national and international responsibility. The project will address the question of how the Australian government can maintain its reputation as a good global citizen without compromising its ethical standing with the Australian people. It will provide valuable insights into the privatization of military force and the increasingly common use of civilian contractors, and may provide information to the Australian Defence Force on the ethically app ....Humanitarian intervention and the conflict between national and international responsibility. The project will address the question of how the Australian government can maintain its reputation as a good global citizen without compromising its ethical standing with the Australian people. It will provide valuable insights into the privatization of military force and the increasingly common use of civilian contractors, and may provide information to the Australian Defence Force on the ethically appropriate level of force protection for future humanitarian and peace-keeping missions, in addition to motivating the more efficient use of ADF resources. Finally, the project will further Australia's reputation as the source of high quality innovative research in applied philosophy, and especially military ethics.Read moreRead less
Fearing going home: Australia's return of rejected asylum seekers, temporary refugees and others from refugee-like situations. Recent changes in government policy, combined with international political developments, mean that increasing numbers of asylum seekers and temporary refugees are being deemed ineligible for protection and removed from Australia or from Australian-run facilities. Notwithstanding the government's assessment that such people do not have protection needs, many live in acute ....Fearing going home: Australia's return of rejected asylum seekers, temporary refugees and others from refugee-like situations. Recent changes in government policy, combined with international political developments, mean that increasing numbers of asylum seekers and temporary refugees are being deemed ineligible for protection and removed from Australia or from Australian-run facilities. Notwithstanding the government's assessment that such people do not have protection needs, many live in acute fear of their pending return. They may indeed be returned to situations of danger, deprivation and desperate poverty. This project aims to research and document the plight of 'returnees' as they face the prospect of repatriation and then, to the extent possible, after they have been repatriated.Read moreRead less
The Politics of Rights: Australia in Comparative Perspective. Australia tends to be left out of comparative rights studies, and accounts of rights protection tend to be focused upon courts and legal rights. There is no comparative study available that shows how well Australia protects rights, nor does there exist a detailed national study that shows how rights are protected in Australia by parliamentary means and the political mediation of international rights norms. This project will deliver bo ....The Politics of Rights: Australia in Comparative Perspective. Australia tends to be left out of comparative rights studies, and accounts of rights protection tend to be focused upon courts and legal rights. There is no comparative study available that shows how well Australia protects rights, nor does there exist a detailed national study that shows how rights are protected in Australia by parliamentary means and the political mediation of international rights norms. This project will deliver both, enabling a fuller understanding of Australian rights protection. It will also boost comparative knowledge of rights protection via political means. Read moreRead less
What determines the political consequences of financial crises? Ideas, institutions, and society over the long run. Recent financial crises have often had powerful political consequences, including political turnover, rising polarisation and social unrest; but these consequences also vary greatly across countries and over time. In a novel investigation of the political aftermaths of financial crises over two centuries, this project will develop a comprehensive understanding of the causes of this ....What determines the political consequences of financial crises? Ideas, institutions, and society over the long run. Recent financial crises have often had powerful political consequences, including political turnover, rising polarisation and social unrest; but these consequences also vary greatly across countries and over time. In a novel investigation of the political aftermaths of financial crises over two centuries, this project will develop a comprehensive understanding of the causes of this variation. Its theoretical significance lies in its investigation of time-dependent processes that have been largely ignored by existing literature: what shapes the duration of political effects, how are societal expectations about government policy responsibilities (re)shaped by financial crises, and how do such expectations affect political and policy outcomes?Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130100325
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,931.00
Summary
Revisiting the foundations of mainstream economics: a cooperative account of wellbeing and moral improvement. This study presents a major theoretical challenge to the individualistic definition of wellbeing that defines mainstream economics. It does so by advancing an alternative paradigm for understanding individual wellbeing as co-dependent on the wellbeing of others, exploring intersubjective attitudes that facilitate cooperative economic behaviour.
Representing Children in Australian Political Controversies. This project intends to expand Australian knowledge and understanding about how children appear in politics, thus shaping public discussions about key social, cultural, health and national security policies. The project plans to investigate how children are represented in Australian political controversies: specifically, the 2008 Northern Territory Emergency Response and the ongoing debates about children in immigration detention. Thro ....Representing Children in Australian Political Controversies. This project intends to expand Australian knowledge and understanding about how children appear in politics, thus shaping public discussions about key social, cultural, health and national security policies. The project plans to investigate how children are represented in Australian political controversies: specifically, the 2008 Northern Territory Emergency Response and the ongoing debates about children in immigration detention. Through this, the project intends to demonstrate how politics is transformed by representative claims about children. By examining these claims and their impact on political decisions, this project seeks to develop an explicitly political account of childhood and explore its implications for Australian policy-making.Read moreRead less
Slicing India: a new perspective for understanding contemporary India. This project exploits techniques of slice history, pioneered in AUSTRALIANS: A HISTORICAL LIBRARY. Using the 12-yearly religious festival, the Kumbh Mela, to define its slice years, the study compares over time the extent to which men and women were involved with, or divorced from, the ideas of an Indian nation, political decision-making and institutions, religious practices, a wider economy and the ecology of their dwelling ....Slicing India: a new perspective for understanding contemporary India. This project exploits techniques of slice history, pioneered in AUSTRALIANS: A HISTORICAL LIBRARY. Using the 12-yearly religious festival, the Kumbh Mela, to define its slice years, the study compares over time the extent to which men and women were involved with, or divorced from, the ideas of an Indian nation, political decision-making and institutions, religious practices, a wider economy and the ecology of their dwelling places. The Project aims to identify neglected aspects of politics and society in modern India and thus sharpen understanding of India's current condition and potential.Read moreRead less
Trade Unions, Globalisation, and Networked Computers. This project undertakes a qualitative study of Australian unionists' usage of networked computers and their potential for increasing trade union membership and participation, and promoting productive diversity in workplaces. At a time of declining unionisation, these issues have become urgent and give rise to key research questions about email and the Internet in trade union organisation and communication with members. The project promises to ....Trade Unions, Globalisation, and Networked Computers. This project undertakes a qualitative study of Australian unionists' usage of networked computers and their potential for increasing trade union membership and participation, and promoting productive diversity in workplaces. At a time of declining unionisation, these issues have become urgent and give rise to key research questions about email and the Internet in trade union organisation and communication with members. The project promises to provide broader theoretical insights into union responses to deregulated labour markets and the globalisation of the economy. The results will be useful to other political and social organisations, as well as government policy makers.
Read moreRead less
The Jihadi, Revolutionary and Anti-war Fiction in Afghanistan, 1978-2007. Afghanistan is a key area of global security concerns. An analysis of three decades of jihadi, revolutionary and anti-war literature (1978-2007) will provide an understanding of how different political groups, particularly the jihadis, utilised literature to further their interests. Australia needs to understand the underlying cultural debates that persist in Afghanistan in order to engage effectively with regional securit ....The Jihadi, Revolutionary and Anti-war Fiction in Afghanistan, 1978-2007. Afghanistan is a key area of global security concerns. An analysis of three decades of jihadi, revolutionary and anti-war literature (1978-2007) will provide an understanding of how different political groups, particularly the jihadis, utilised literature to further their interests. Australia needs to understand the underlying cultural debates that persist in Afghanistan in order to engage effectively with regional security and counter-terrorism. Despite media controls, the jihadis promoted their cause through published literary sources, imitating the growing Islamic literature of the Middle East. Literature, with its compelling metaphors and allusions, remains one of the main forms of furthering or opposing Islamist goals in Afghanistan.Read moreRead less