Life, living and livelihoods in satellite cities: new urban forms in India . This project aims to assess the success of satellite cities, conceived as possible solutions to the urgent challenge of rapid urban growth in today’s megacities. Through an ethnography of an Indian satellite city, Mahindra World City, this project aims to generate knowledge on new urban formations and the consequences of experiments in urban development for different socio-economic groups. Understanding the lived experi ....Life, living and livelihoods in satellite cities: new urban forms in India . This project aims to assess the success of satellite cities, conceived as possible solutions to the urgent challenge of rapid urban growth in today’s megacities. Through an ethnography of an Indian satellite city, Mahindra World City, this project aims to generate knowledge on new urban formations and the consequences of experiments in urban development for different socio-economic groups. Understanding the lived experiences of residents/workers in satellite cities aims to form a robust evidence base for research driven dialogue with policy makers, planners and developers. Lessons derived are expected to inform policy and practice as to how to achieve wellbeing for urban residents, while providing indications of Asia’s urban futures.Read moreRead less
The changing geographies of power, knowledge and access in Australia's financial services sector: a regional development perspective. This project investigates one of the most pressing issues in the development of regional Australia: whether the modern financial services sector acts to reinforce or remediate existing patterns of uneven development. The research focuses on two key issues: 1) how the restructuring of the banking sector has affected the availability of financial services and ventur ....The changing geographies of power, knowledge and access in Australia's financial services sector: a regional development perspective. This project investigates one of the most pressing issues in the development of regional Australia: whether the modern financial services sector acts to reinforce or remediate existing patterns of uneven development. The research focuses on two key issues: 1) how the restructuring of the banking sector has affected the availability of financial services and venture capital in rural and urban Australia; and 2) the relationship between the changing geography of financial services and financial institutions' increasing reliance upon instrumental knowledge about their customers. The research will produce a model of the role of modern financial services provision and market knowledge in regional development.Read moreRead less
Perceived Density, Social Interaction and Morale in Australian Rural Communities. The social viability of rural communities rests, to a greater or lesser degree, upon the density of the local settlement network, and residents' perceptions of it. This project will create a measure of perceived density (i.e. people's subjective interpretations of measured density) and will establish how it influences Australian rural residents' social interaction patterns and morale. The project will produce a con ....Perceived Density, Social Interaction and Morale in Australian Rural Communities. The social viability of rural communities rests, to a greater or lesser degree, upon the density of the local settlement network, and residents' perceptions of it. This project will create a measure of perceived density (i.e. people's subjective interpretations of measured density) and will establish how it influences Australian rural residents' social interaction patterns and morale. The project will produce a conceptually rigorous and concrete understanding of the density-related factors influencing rural community social viability and morale, and will aid rural communities in identifying and overcoming local social interaction constraints.Read moreRead less
Transnational seafood commodity chains and the coastal poor in the maritime frontiers of the Asia-Pacific. This research aims to understand the social mechanisms by which access to the benefits of transnational seafood commodity chains in the Asia-Pacific are gained, maintained and controlled. This project will use a conceptual framework that focuses on key social relations of gender, class and ethnicity, and the key societal changes of land-use change, migration and conservation. This project o ....Transnational seafood commodity chains and the coastal poor in the maritime frontiers of the Asia-Pacific. This research aims to understand the social mechanisms by which access to the benefits of transnational seafood commodity chains in the Asia-Pacific are gained, maintained and controlled. This project will use a conceptual framework that focuses on key social relations of gender, class and ethnicity, and the key societal changes of land-use change, migration and conservation. This project offers a novel research framework for a pressing cluster of economic, environmental and social challenges in the Asia-Pacific, and will inform research and policy for poverty reduction, economic development, environmental management and food security. Read moreRead less
Governing the blue economy in maritime Asia-Pacific. This project aims to examine the drivers, character and effects of Blue Economy governance, a highly influential agenda intended to reconcile economic growth with ocean conservation. Analysis of Blue Economy governance in China and the Philippines seeks to reveal how this agenda is represented, contested and implemented at regional, national and local scales. Expected outcomes include new knowledge concerning the influence and impacts of marit ....Governing the blue economy in maritime Asia-Pacific. This project aims to examine the drivers, character and effects of Blue Economy governance, a highly influential agenda intended to reconcile economic growth with ocean conservation. Analysis of Blue Economy governance in China and the Philippines seeks to reveal how this agenda is represented, contested and implemented at regional, national and local scales. Expected outcomes include new knowledge concerning the influence and impacts of maritime governance in the region. This project has the potential to inform more socially equitable and environmentally sustainable governance outcomes.Read moreRead less
Institutions for Food Security: Global Lessons from Rural India. Between 2006 and 2008, global progress in combating world hunger stalled. World food prices increased by 71.4% and an additional 115 million people joined the ranks of the undernourished. This is a human tragedy which has fuelled political and economic turmoil across many countries. India has 28% of the world's hungry, and is an increasingly important economic and political partner to Australia. This research will involve a team of ....Institutions for Food Security: Global Lessons from Rural India. Between 2006 and 2008, global progress in combating world hunger stalled. World food prices increased by 71.4% and an additional 115 million people joined the ranks of the undernourished. This is a human tragedy which has fuelled political and economic turmoil across many countries. India has 28% of the world's hungry, and is an increasingly important economic and political partner to Australia. This research will involve a team of Australian researchers working with Indian counterparts to develop a framework that explains what causes risk and resilience to food insecurity, and offers practical insights for policy-makers. Read moreRead less
Global arenas of knowledge: centre/periphery relations and change in knowledge production on a world scale. This research will increase our understanding of the production and exchange of organised knowledge in the global context. Combining ethnographic fieldwork, quantitative analysis and new social theory, it will provide sociological input into higher education policy and establish a new research trajectory in this emerging international field.
Motivating Employee Proactivity by Redesigning the Work Context. Self-starting and innovative employees are increasingly important in today's decentralised organisations. The central question investigated in this project via a longitudinal research design is how organisations can facilitate this type of proactive behavior amongst employees. The project also investigates the nature of employee proactivity (e.g. how it differs from other behaviors), and its consequences for employee performance, i ....Motivating Employee Proactivity by Redesigning the Work Context. Self-starting and innovative employees are increasingly important in today's decentralised organisations. The central question investigated in this project via a longitudinal research design is how organisations can facilitate this type of proactive behavior amongst employees. The project also investigates the nature of employee proactivity (e.g. how it differs from other behaviors), and its consequences for employee performance, innovation, and mental health. The project is significant because it focuses on how to promote behaviors that have often been neglected in research.Read moreRead less
Lost oceans? Threats to Pacific Island maritime claims and response options. This project aims to examine the potential impacts of a recent and major evolution in the law of the sea on the capacity of islands to generate broad maritime claims, with particular reference to the Pacific Island countries. It is the first systematic geospatial/legal analysis of maritime claims from Pacific islands in light of the recent South China Sea landmark international judicial decision. Expected outcomes inc ....Lost oceans? Threats to Pacific Island maritime claims and response options. This project aims to examine the potential impacts of a recent and major evolution in the law of the sea on the capacity of islands to generate broad maritime claims, with particular reference to the Pacific Island countries. It is the first systematic geospatial/legal analysis of maritime claims from Pacific islands in light of the recent South China Sea landmark international judicial decision. Expected outcomes include a detailed risk assessment to inform local policy-makers and an enhanced capacity to protect rights over valuable marine resources, contributing to food and regional security.Read moreRead less
Developing the compact city. This project aims to investigate the operation of the higher density multi-unit residential development sector in Australia’s largest city. The project intends to draw on theoretical approaches to understanding the political economy of urban processes and innovative fine-grain analytical techniques. Expected outcomes include a novel analysis of the developers behind the higher density transformation of urban Australia and their relationship to the land use planning s ....Developing the compact city. This project aims to investigate the operation of the higher density multi-unit residential development sector in Australia’s largest city. The project intends to draw on theoretical approaches to understanding the political economy of urban processes and innovative fine-grain analytical techniques. Expected outcomes include a novel analysis of the developers behind the higher density transformation of urban Australia and their relationship to the land use planning system that facilitates this process via value uplift. The knowledge generated is intended to benefit planning policy makers and inform wider public debates on contemporary urban change by elucidating the rationale behind the key actors’ currently driving housing supply.Read moreRead less