Smart Grids, Messy Society? An evaluation of the implementation of smart grids in Australia. New information technologies allow utility infrastructures to operate as smart grids, with the promise of multiple economic and environmental benefits. Utility infrastructures are largely unaltered since first installed 100 years ago, and smart grids have the potential to catalyse significant innovation. This project aims to investigate the societal drivers for, and implications of, smart grids and asses ....Smart Grids, Messy Society? An evaluation of the implementation of smart grids in Australia. New information technologies allow utility infrastructures to operate as smart grids, with the promise of multiple economic and environmental benefits. Utility infrastructures are largely unaltered since first installed 100 years ago, and smart grids have the potential to catalyse significant innovation. This project aims to investigate the societal drivers for, and implications of, smart grids and assess how these grid implementations vary from place to place. It will assess the implications of this for theory and practices of innovation and learning. This project also aims to provide new insights into the messy, complex societal reaction to smart grids in Australia; a country at the forefront of smart grid implementation.Read moreRead less
Arab/Muslim Australian Social Movements since the 1970s: a hidden history. This project will be the first study of a neglected but constitutive part of Australia’s social movement history: Arab/Muslim Australian social justice activism. It aims to recover previously untapped oral histories and rare archival collections of Arab/Muslim Australian activists working in anti-racism, anti-war and feminist social movements from the 1970s to date. Expected outcomes include new knowledge about how this a ....Arab/Muslim Australian Social Movements since the 1970s: a hidden history. This project will be the first study of a neglected but constitutive part of Australia’s social movement history: Arab/Muslim Australian social justice activism. It aims to recover previously untapped oral histories and rare archival collections of Arab/Muslim Australian activists working in anti-racism, anti-war and feminist social movements from the 1970s to date. Expected outcomes include new knowledge about how this activist community has struggled against external systems and internal conflicts to build a socially just future in multicultural Australia. Anticipated social and cultural benefits include a greater understanding of the transformative activism of communities whose movement work is often relegated to the margins. Read moreRead less
Governing Climate Futures: The Social and Political Ramifications of Climate Modification. In light of the slow progress of international climate negotiations momentum has been developing behind a range of proposed strategies for manipulating climatic systems. Collectively referred to as ‘geoengineering’, current projects include technologies designed to reflect sunlight away from the Earth and techniques for directly removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Though these techniques may prove ....Governing Climate Futures: The Social and Political Ramifications of Climate Modification. In light of the slow progress of international climate negotiations momentum has been developing behind a range of proposed strategies for manipulating climatic systems. Collectively referred to as ‘geoengineering’, current projects include technologies designed to reflect sunlight away from the Earth and techniques for directly removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Though these techniques may prove to be a cost effective response to global warming, the deployment of these technologies will pose significant social, political and diplomatic challenges. This project will document the international development of geoengineering and will provide critical insights into the wider social and political ramifications of these developments.Read moreRead less
Epigenetic models of plasticity in the global south. This project aims to investigate how epigenetics, the science of how environmental factors switch genes on or off, is reshaping notions of the body, heredity and biological plasticity in the global South., Using case studies in Australia, India and South Africa this project comparatively analyses how epigenetics is mobilised in public debates on responsibility, risk and the amelioration of disadvantage. This project expects to ensure the polic ....Epigenetic models of plasticity in the global south. This project aims to investigate how epigenetics, the science of how environmental factors switch genes on or off, is reshaping notions of the body, heredity and biological plasticity in the global South., Using case studies in Australia, India and South Africa this project comparatively analyses how epigenetics is mobilised in public debates on responsibility, risk and the amelioration of disadvantage. This project expects to ensure the policy translation of epigenetics maximises social benefits and reduces risks of social harm, particularly to vulnerable minority groups.Read moreRead less
City Living: Urban consolidation and the social sustainability of cities. This project will investigate the dynamic tensions that arise in cities between individual and communal rights and requirements through a detailed examination of the lived experiences of urban apartment residents and owners. It will provide ground-breaking data on the influence of socio-economic mix on the governance and management of apartment buildings, residents’ perceptions of home and the broader implications for the ....City Living: Urban consolidation and the social sustainability of cities. This project will investigate the dynamic tensions that arise in cities between individual and communal rights and requirements through a detailed examination of the lived experiences of urban apartment residents and owners. It will provide ground-breaking data on the influence of socio-economic mix on the governance and management of apartment buildings, residents’ perceptions of home and the broader implications for the social sustainability of cities and will further current academic debates on these issues. It will open new opportunities for inter-disciplinary and international collaboration and provide evidence to inform planning and urban development policy nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Young Workers and the Future of Service Employment. This project aims to understand how the social and political relations of service employment are transforming, and how workers' participation can support the future viability of the service economy. It explores how young service workers negotiate their status, conditions and working relationships, and how service employment facilitates or limits their social and political participation. This evidence base supports efforts to improve the resilie ....Young Workers and the Future of Service Employment. This project aims to understand how the social and political relations of service employment are transforming, and how workers' participation can support the future viability of the service economy. It explores how young service workers negotiate their status, conditions and working relationships, and how service employment facilitates or limits their social and political participation. This evidence base supports efforts to improve the resilience and productivity of the service economy and enhance the social relations of service labour at a time of economic crisis. It will benefit policymakers, employers and worker representatives aiming to engage and support this diverse labour force.Read moreRead less
Home helper robots: Understanding our future lives with human-like AI. This fellowship aims to understand and plan for the social effects of embedding ‘cute’ home helper robots into people’s everyday lives. The project is expected to generate new knowledge and resources to understand and respond to the emerging opportunities and risks associated with home helper robots, including their ability to support household tasks, and to provide child and aged care and companionship. Expected outcomes inc ....Home helper robots: Understanding our future lives with human-like AI. This fellowship aims to understand and plan for the social effects of embedding ‘cute’ home helper robots into people’s everyday lives. The project is expected to generate new knowledge and resources to understand and respond to the emerging opportunities and risks associated with home helper robots, including their ability to support household tasks, and to provide child and aged care and companionship. Expected outcomes include an improved understanding of anthropomorphised robots in everyday life and innovation in home helper robot theory and imaginaries. This should provide benefits such as informing robot design and policy to improve social outcomes, consumer protections and human-robot relationships.Read moreRead less
Transforming charity to reduce persistent poverty. This project aims to produce empirical knowledge to assist charities to reduce persistent poverty in Australia. In Australia people in poverty use charity to subsidise limited incomes and survive on a day-to-day basis. Recently charities are expected to assist in disrupting poverty in addition to poverty relief. However there is limited knowledge about how charities work with people who are poor and how they can change to work better. This proje ....Transforming charity to reduce persistent poverty. This project aims to produce empirical knowledge to assist charities to reduce persistent poverty in Australia. In Australia people in poverty use charity to subsidise limited incomes and survive on a day-to-day basis. Recently charities are expected to assist in disrupting poverty in addition to poverty relief. However there is limited knowledge about how charities work with people who are poor and how they can change to work better. This project expects to provide knowledge that governments, social service providers, and charities can use to transform their work with people in poverty. Read moreRead less
Building social infrastructure in settings of locational disadvantage. This project will generate improved understanding the ways in which locational disadvantage influence residents’ social networks. A national study will generate an evidence-base for understanding the extent and contours of place-based social exclusion, and inform effective policies, programs and processes targeting locational disadvantage.
Young people and social inclusion in the multicultural city. This project investigates the ways young people cultivate cohesion and inclusion in multicultural communities. It will provide insights into their civic practices to assist policy makers and service providers develop effective means to maximise social inclusion, civic participation and community cohesion in culturally diverse societies.