Network Diplomacy: Japan's Strategic Responses to the Rise of China and India. Japan's evolving strategic and economic ties with Asia's rising giants, China and India, alongside military and defence ties with the US, shape the region where Australia's economic and strategic interests are embedded. This project benefits Australia by enhancing Australian knowledge of Japan's involvement in the transformation of relations between Asia's major powers (all crucial to Australian interests) so Australi ....Network Diplomacy: Japan's Strategic Responses to the Rise of China and India. Japan's evolving strategic and economic ties with Asia's rising giants, China and India, alongside military and defence ties with the US, shape the region where Australia's economic and strategic interests are embedded. This project benefits Australia by enhancing Australian knowledge of Japan's involvement in the transformation of relations between Asia's major powers (all crucial to Australian interests) so Australia can maximise opportunities and minimise national costs. Importantly, this research also involves Australia in the production of new understandings about regional geo-strategic transformation, in order to contribute to a new international relations paradigm. Read moreRead less
The Formation and Development of Chinese Philosophy as an Academic Discipline in Twentieth Century China. It is in Australia's national interest to pay close attention to the orientation of intellectual and political currents in China and to how these currents are increasingly merging and interacting. This project will enhance our capacity to interpret and engage with our regional environment by contributing to a clearer understanding of the changing relationship between Chinese intellectual tra ....The Formation and Development of Chinese Philosophy as an Academic Discipline in Twentieth Century China. It is in Australia's national interest to pay close attention to the orientation of intellectual and political currents in China and to how these currents are increasingly merging and interacting. This project will enhance our capacity to interpret and engage with our regional environment by contributing to a clearer understanding of the changing relationship between Chinese intellectual traditions and cultural identity. A commitment to understanding what Chinese philosophy means to China's educated elite also demonstrates a willingness to foster dialogue and communication that is sensitive to the intellectual and cultural traditions which are a source of pride and identity for several of our major regional partners. Read moreRead less
Compressional Deformation and Uplift of Australia's Passive Southern Margin. The key project benefit will be to advance our understanding of the processes which cause active deformation of continental margins that are predicted by plate tectonic theory to be passive. We will analyse Australia's 'passive' southern margin because it is an ideal natural laboratory in which to investigate the causes of the deformation of 'passive' continental margins. Hydrocarbon exploration interest and investment ....Compressional Deformation and Uplift of Australia's Passive Southern Margin. The key project benefit will be to advance our understanding of the processes which cause active deformation of continental margins that are predicted by plate tectonic theory to be passive. We will analyse Australia's 'passive' southern margin because it is an ideal natural laboratory in which to investigate the causes of the deformation of 'passive' continental margins. Hydrocarbon exploration interest and investment has waned along much of Australia's southern margin because of lack of understanding of the relative age of the formation of potentially hydrocarbon-bearing structures and the timing of hydrocarbon charge. This project will clarify their relative ages.Read moreRead less
Present-Day Stress and Tectonics of Deltas and Deepwater Fold-Thrust Belts. The key benefit of the project will be to advance our understanding of the geological processes that control the development of deltas, and of the fold-thrust belts located in deepwater adjacent to deltas, by analysis of five examples worldwide. Global hydrocarbon exploration is successfully moving to deepwater fold-thrust belts. One of Australia's key under-explored frontier petroleum provinces is the Australian Bight B ....Present-Day Stress and Tectonics of Deltas and Deepwater Fold-Thrust Belts. The key benefit of the project will be to advance our understanding of the geological processes that control the development of deltas, and of the fold-thrust belts located in deepwater adjacent to deltas, by analysis of five examples worldwide. Global hydrocarbon exploration is successfully moving to deepwater fold-thrust belts. One of Australia's key under-explored frontier petroleum provinces is the Australian Bight Basin. The prospective parts of this basin comprise delta/deepwater fold-thrust belt systems and analysis of more data-rich systems worldwide will help provide the geological knowledge required to help re-invigorate exploration in the Bight Basin.Read moreRead less
Crustal Stress Field of SE Asia. The key project benefit is to advance our fundamental understanding of tectonic processes such as sedimentary basin development and continental collision. It has major implications for natural hazard assessment and resources exploration in SE Asia, consistent with Australia's participation in the APEC Energy Working Group. The project has major ancillary benefits. It will strengthen international links between Australia, SE Asia, the UK, USA and Germany. It will ....Crustal Stress Field of SE Asia. The key project benefit is to advance our fundamental understanding of tectonic processes such as sedimentary basin development and continental collision. It has major implications for natural hazard assessment and resources exploration in SE Asia, consistent with Australia's participation in the APEC Energy Working Group. The project has major ancillary benefits. It will strengthen international links between Australia, SE Asia, the UK, USA and Germany. It will provide high-quality research and training experience for the APD and PhD student involved, whom will spend time with research groups and oil companies in Australia, UK, USA and SE Asia. Finally, the project will increase the institutional capacity for contract research in SE Asia.Read moreRead less
Present-Day Crustal Stresses of NW Borneo: Neotectonics of an Active Collisional Margin. The key project benefit is to advance understanding of continental collision and the early evolution of mountain belts using a region with an unrivalled database from hydrocarbon exploration. The project will improve understanding of Australia's northern, collisional margins and petroleum exploration there, which is less advanced than in Borneo. The project has major ancillary benefits. It will strengthen in ....Present-Day Crustal Stresses of NW Borneo: Neotectonics of an Active Collisional Margin. The key project benefit is to advance understanding of continental collision and the early evolution of mountain belts using a region with an unrivalled database from hydrocarbon exploration. The project will improve understanding of Australia's northern, collisional margins and petroleum exploration there, which is less advanced than in Borneo. The project has major ancillary benefits. It will strengthen international links between Australia, Brunei, Malaysia and Germany. It will provide high quality research training for the RA and PhDs whom will spend time at the Universities of Brunei and Karlsruhe and at Shell Brunei and Shell Malaysia. Finally the project will increase the institutional capacity for contract research in SE Asia.Read moreRead less
Assessing the Role of Political and Regulatory Risks for Foreign Investors: A Multi-Country Study of Four Industry Sectors. This project will benefit Australian enterprise engaged in investment activities in Asia by providing them with the necessary methodological and analytical systems to identify, measure and assess political and regulatory risks to their investment interests. By doing so, the project will increase the investment transparency of Asia's emerging economies and thus the ability ....Assessing the Role of Political and Regulatory Risks for Foreign Investors: A Multi-Country Study of Four Industry Sectors. This project will benefit Australian enterprise engaged in investment activities in Asia by providing them with the necessary methodological and analytical systems to identify, measure and assess political and regulatory risks to their investment interests. By doing so, the project will increase the investment transparency of Asia's emerging economies and thus the ability of Australian enterprise to operate efficiently in institutionally complex and competitive offshore environments. This will benefit Australia's economy by strengthening Australia's national economic security and the safety of Australia's national savings invested in the region.Read moreRead less
Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contra ....Institutional Configurations, Religioisty and Public Influence of Religious Institutions Muslim Societies: A Comparative Study. Religious fundamentalism is a growing and important part of social change in Muslim countries. Using current religious, political, and social conditions as contrasting environments the proposed research will investigate the competing theories of Islamic fundamentalism, sociological correlates of Muslim religiosity and public influence of religious institutions in contrasting institutional configurations by focusing on the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey and Nigeria. This will be achieved through a study of random/purposive samples of respondents in the three countries using survey methodology. The objective is to develop a theoretically and empirically grounded model of social, political and religious trajectories of Muslim societies.Read moreRead less
In the shadow of Singapore: The limits of transnationalism in Insular Riau. This project will contribute to the process of safeguarding Australia, through a better understanding of our nearest neighbours. An enhanced understanding of nationalism and regionalism in Southeast Asia is central to the maintenance of effective bilateral and multilateral relations between Australia and its near neighbours. Cross-border tension between our ASEAN neighbours is potentially a problem for Australia, and thu ....In the shadow of Singapore: The limits of transnationalism in Insular Riau. This project will contribute to the process of safeguarding Australia, through a better understanding of our nearest neighbours. An enhanced understanding of nationalism and regionalism in Southeast Asia is central to the maintenance of effective bilateral and multilateral relations between Australia and its near neighbours. Cross-border tension between our ASEAN neighbours is potentially a problem for Australia, and thus of political and economic concern to all Australians.Read moreRead less
Political Risk, Institutions and Regulatory Regimes: Business, Foreign Investment and Public Administration in Asia. Rating accurately the risk environment of emerging economies has always been problematic. Insufficiently developed methodological tools and the lack of institutional and regulatory data make the process imprecise. This project overcomes this problem, developing a new industry based risk assessment system for understanding political risk to commercial activities and foreign investo ....Political Risk, Institutions and Regulatory Regimes: Business, Foreign Investment and Public Administration in Asia. Rating accurately the risk environment of emerging economies has always been problematic. Insufficiently developed methodological tools and the lack of institutional and regulatory data make the process imprecise. This project overcomes this problem, developing a new industry based risk assessment system for understanding political risk to commercial activities and foreign investors in nine of Asia's most rapidly developing economies. The study, one of the first to correlate institutional and regulatory forms to the incidence, severity and recurrence of risk, will deepen our knowledge of political and regulatory institutions in Asia and provide investors with the ability to navigate those environments successfully. Read moreRead less