Crafting Authoritarian Politics. Although Russia is nominally a democracy, strong elements of authoritarianism remain dominant. This project examines how Russia has accommodated these authoritarian themes within a representative democracy and, more generally, seeks to shed new light on the process of democratization in postcommunist societies. Russia is the 8th largest country in the world by population and the 11th largest economy based on GDP; it also remains nuclear-armed. Understanding th ....Crafting Authoritarian Politics. Although Russia is nominally a democracy, strong elements of authoritarianism remain dominant. This project examines how Russia has accommodated these authoritarian themes within a representative democracy and, more generally, seeks to shed new light on the process of democratization in postcommunist societies. Russia is the 8th largest country in the world by population and the 11th largest economy based on GDP; it also remains nuclear-armed. Understanding the dynamics of democratization in Russia has implications for political stability across a large section of the world which is currently in transition from authoritarianism to democracy.Read moreRead less
Democratization, Institutional Reform and Ethnic Politics in the Asia-Pacific. The democratisation of the Asia-Pacific has significant implications for Australia. Consolidated democracies are better able to manage internal conflicts, and less likely to pose a threat to their neighbours via arms trafficking, refugee flows, and transnational terrorism. However, the initial transitional period of democratisation can be highly fraught, and many of the new democracies of the Asia-Pacific are fragile, ....Democratization, Institutional Reform and Ethnic Politics in the Asia-Pacific. The democratisation of the Asia-Pacific has significant implications for Australia. Consolidated democracies are better able to manage internal conflicts, and less likely to pose a threat to their neighbours via arms trafficking, refugee flows, and transnational terrorism. However, the initial transitional period of democratisation can be highly fraught, and many of the new democracies of the Asia-Pacific are fragile, beset by internal cleavages and conflicts. If ways can be found to manage ethnic and other cleavages within a democratic framework, the prospects for peaceful and stable governance in the region will be significantly enhanced. This has the potential to transform the security of the region and Australia's relations with it.Read moreRead less
Building Democracy and Justice after Conflict. Weak governance is a cause of terrorism. Australia is increasingly involved in nation-building projects, both in its region and internationally. This project will build Australia's expertise in the ways that international law can promote democracy and justice after conflict. It will develop guidelines for states and organisations involved in peace and nation-building. The project will thus contribute to safeguarding Australia by increasing Austra ....Building Democracy and Justice after Conflict. Weak governance is a cause of terrorism. Australia is increasingly involved in nation-building projects, both in its region and internationally. This project will build Australia's expertise in the ways that international law can promote democracy and justice after conflict. It will develop guidelines for states and organisations involved in peace and nation-building. The project will thus contribute to safeguarding Australia by increasing Australia's capacity to engage with, and interpret itself to, its neighbours and the broader international community, as well as by tackling the threat of terrorism.Read moreRead less
Building Democracy and Justice after Conflict. Weak governance is a cause of terrorism. Australia is increasingly involved in nation-building projects, both in its region and internationally. This project will build Australia's expertise in the ways that international law can promote democracy and justice after conflict. It will develop guidelines for states and organisations involved in peace and nation-building. The project will thus contribute to safeguarding Australia by increasing Austra ....Building Democracy and Justice after Conflict. Weak governance is a cause of terrorism. Australia is increasingly involved in nation-building projects, both in its region and internationally. This project will build Australia's expertise in the ways that international law can promote democracy and justice after conflict. It will develop guidelines for states and organisations involved in peace and nation-building. The project will thus contribute to safeguarding Australia by increasing Australia's capacity to engage with, and interpret itself to, its neighbours and the broader international community, as well as by tackling the threat of terrorism.Read moreRead less
Introducing China: The World's Oldest and Newest Major Power. China's weight in regional affairs is growing rapidly on all fronts, and will continue to do so into the indefinite future. China will be the largest single source of dynamism and turbulence in our region. Australia's political and business leaders will be confronted with decisions and choices with significant ramifications for our well-being into the longer term future. A deeper understanding of China's aspirations, and of the impa ....Introducing China: The World's Oldest and Newest Major Power. China's weight in regional affairs is growing rapidly on all fronts, and will continue to do so into the indefinite future. China will be the largest single source of dynamism and turbulence in our region. Australia's political and business leaders will be confronted with decisions and choices with significant ramifications for our well-being into the longer term future. A deeper understanding of China's aspirations, and of the impact that China is having on the outlook of others in the region, will improve the odds for sensible decisions and choices. It may also be the key to avoiding choices that we do not wish to make.Read moreRead less
Global Challenges, Reluctant Publics? The Role of Public Opinion in International Cooperation on Crucial Global Issues. When challenges emerge that demand international cooperation, what is the facilitating or constraining role of public opinion in states’ ability for joint action? Which factors, under what conditions, influence citizens’ attitudes? Can governments or issue activists meaningfully change public opinion about crucial issues? Human society faces a number of major challenges to its ....Global Challenges, Reluctant Publics? The Role of Public Opinion in International Cooperation on Crucial Global Issues. When challenges emerge that demand international cooperation, what is the facilitating or constraining role of public opinion in states’ ability for joint action? Which factors, under what conditions, influence citizens’ attitudes? Can governments or issue activists meaningfully change public opinion about crucial issues? Human society faces a number of major challenges to its environmental, economic, and political wellbeing that are not contained by international borders and may require international cooperation for effective action. Developing and testing new theory, this project aims to address these under-explored issues of the role of opinion in multinational cooperation, and the degree to which opinion is an independent agenda setter.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
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354865
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
Pacific Futures Network: Security, Governance and Development in the Pacific Islands Region. The proposed research network will interweave the following strands in order to create an entirely new level and quality of diagnosis, prognosis and action in Pacific-oriented research: (a) ANU and Australian expertise and knowledge base; (b) regional expertise, especially in universities, research institutes, archives and cultural institutions; (c) digital expertise; (d) existing networking capacity and ....Pacific Futures Network: Security, Governance and Development in the Pacific Islands Region. The proposed research network will interweave the following strands in order to create an entirely new level and quality of diagnosis, prognosis and action in Pacific-oriented research: (a) ANU and Australian expertise and knowledge base; (b) regional expertise, especially in universities, research institutes, archives and cultural institutions; (c) digital expertise; (d) existing networking capacity and future potential. Thematically, it will place primary emphasis on research on conventional and human security, governance, development and other issues pertaining to the condition of the polities and economies of Australia's near Pacific neighbours, including the Melanesian states characterised as 'weak' and more recently, 'failed'.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL140100154
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,616,265.00
Summary
Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. In an increasingly complex world the processes of achieving fair, effective and equitable solutions to major problems are under challenge. Deliberative democratic methods, where informed citizen groups are used to make decisions, have been used in many countries to develop effective policy responses to a range of problems. This research will develop the understanding of del ....Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. In an increasingly complex world the processes of achieving fair, effective and equitable solutions to major problems are under challenge. Deliberative democratic methods, where informed citizen groups are used to make decisions, have been used in many countries to develop effective policy responses to a range of problems. This research will develop the understanding of deliberative democratic processes and test their applicability and capacity to address issues such as global justice and environmental governance in settings of deep cultural difference. The knowledge gained will inform political theory and contribute to world-wide efforts to solve international policy problems.Read moreRead less
Advancing Genocide Forecasting: New Definition, Methods, and Forecasts. The project intends to develop a new method of forecasting to improve the international community’s and Australia's ability to anticipate and prevent genocide. The project is designed to build on work in the Atrocity Forecasting Project since 2009, and to bring together political science and computer science. To address well-known problems the project plans to reconceptualise genocide as extreme targeted mass killing, increa ....Advancing Genocide Forecasting: New Definition, Methods, and Forecasts. The project intends to develop a new method of forecasting to improve the international community’s and Australia's ability to anticipate and prevent genocide. The project is designed to build on work in the Atrocity Forecasting Project since 2009, and to bring together political science and computer science. To address well-known problems the project plans to reconceptualise genocide as extreme targeted mass killing, increasing definitional clarity and data reliability. Combining a better concept with cutting-edge computer science forecasting approaches, the project aims to produce new annual forecasts, pushing accuracy further. Expected project outcomes will provide new understanding and a better tool for genocide prevention.Read moreRead less