Nation Building and Elite Formation in Singapore, 1966-85. * The project will study elite formation, the praxis of elite governance, and the development of the relationship between elitism and nation building in Singapore from independence in late 1965 to approximately 1985.
* This study is significant because it is arguably the pivotal axis on which the Singapore experience of governance rests, and yet it has not been the subject of a dedicated study.
* It is expected that the study will prod ....Nation Building and Elite Formation in Singapore, 1966-85. * The project will study elite formation, the praxis of elite governance, and the development of the relationship between elitism and nation building in Singapore from independence in late 1965 to approximately 1985.
* This study is significant because it is arguably the pivotal axis on which the Singapore experience of governance rests, and yet it has not been the subject of a dedicated study.
* It is expected that the study will produce a series of articles and a book that will contribute to our understanding of elite formation and nation building generally, as well as specifically in Singapore.
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Redistribution and Risk in Contracting Out Government Services. Governments across Australia spend billions of dollars per year on contracting out of their services, yet there is very knowledge of the costs and benefits of contracting out. The existing research on contracting out tends to focus narrowly on issues such as cost. This research will examine a much broader range of consequences associated with contracting out including changes in the distribution of resources, changes in political ....Redistribution and Risk in Contracting Out Government Services. Governments across Australia spend billions of dollars per year on contracting out of their services, yet there is very knowledge of the costs and benefits of contracting out. The existing research on contracting out tends to focus narrowly on issues such as cost. This research will examine a much broader range of consequences associated with contracting out including changes in the distribution of resources, changes in political power between groups and changes in the nature of service delivery. The research will have three outcomes: testing of a systematic framework for evaluating contracting out, new knowledge on the impacts of contracting out across a wider range of outcomes, and an analysis of the distributive relationships associated with contracting out.Read moreRead less
Prime ministers: explaining why some succeed and others fail. Some prime ministers succeed but others fail, even though both nominally have the same powers. Why is there a difference? This project will examine their statecraft to explain how they use those powers in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Canada and with what effect.
Hierarchy to high-performance? Evaluating 30yrs of Senior Executive Service. This project aims to evaluate whether Senior Executive Service (SES) schemes, introduced in the public sector the 1980s, have enabled the delivery of superior performance. This study will examine all nine Australian jurisdictions, across time in order to identify how and why institutional frameworks changed, analyse the composition of the SES and identify their changing roles and accountabilities. The expected outcomes ....Hierarchy to high-performance? Evaluating 30yrs of Senior Executive Service. This project aims to evaluate whether Senior Executive Service (SES) schemes, introduced in the public sector the 1980s, have enabled the delivery of superior performance. This study will examine all nine Australian jurisdictions, across time in order to identify how and why institutional frameworks changed, analyse the composition of the SES and identify their changing roles and accountabilities. The expected outcomes will provide a better understanding of the profile and roles of executives who lead policy development and service delivery, and an evaluation of whether current institutional frameworks optimise their capacity to perform their role.Read moreRead less
Cabinet Government in comparative perspective. This project explores how cabinet government is, or is not, able to develop a collective will. Cabinets lie at the heart of parliamentary systems, but public and academic analyses question whether they work effectively. Using examples of majoritarian and consensus democratic regimes, this project plans to examine how cabinets work and identify the different functions cabinet plays in developing collective views of policy or political situations. The ....Cabinet Government in comparative perspective. This project explores how cabinet government is, or is not, able to develop a collective will. Cabinets lie at the heart of parliamentary systems, but public and academic analyses question whether they work effectively. Using examples of majoritarian and consensus democratic regimes, this project plans to examine how cabinets work and identify the different functions cabinet plays in developing collective views of policy or political situations. The project expects to illustrates how the different appreciations of cabinet, whether seen as constitutional or operational, or in terms of policy analysis or political contests, help define the values of cabinet and can allow us to understand in what circumstances cabinet government is important in terms of stability and sensible policy. It asks if collective cabinets like Australia's can survive in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
Westminster Transplanted and Westminster Implanted: Explanations for Political Change. Why have Westminster systems,adopted across the world, been so resilient in different environments? By exploring how different nations have adapted the core executive components of Westminster by combining local traditions with inherited practices, the project will identify what conditions provided the stability and security that often emerged. By comparing performance across nations it will explain why Westmi ....Westminster Transplanted and Westminster Implanted: Explanations for Political Change. Why have Westminster systems,adopted across the world, been so resilient in different environments? By exploring how different nations have adapted the core executive components of Westminster by combining local traditions with inherited practices, the project will identify what conditions provided the stability and security that often emerged. By comparing performance across nations it will explain why Westminster practices were so adaptable. This is the first longitudinal study seeking to explain political development in societies that inherited executive practices from the same source. It has the potential to identify how and why future constitutional transplants might succeed.Read moreRead less
Impediments to Security Sector Reform in Southeast Asia. This project investigates the impediments to security sector reform in Southeast Asia. It applies an original framework of analysis that identifies five types of impediment to security reform in four critically important regional case studies: Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines and Indonesia. Because effectively implemented security sector reform will enhance regional peace and security by creating armed forces that are democratically con ....Impediments to Security Sector Reform in Southeast Asia. This project investigates the impediments to security sector reform in Southeast Asia. It applies an original framework of analysis that identifies five types of impediment to security reform in four critically important regional case studies: Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines and Indonesia. Because effectively implemented security sector reform will enhance regional peace and security by creating armed forces that are democratically controlled, transparent and professional, understanding the impediments to reform has the potential to significantly enhance Australia's domestic and international security position. This research will provide the first theoretically informed empirical analysis of security sector reform in Southeast Asia.Read moreRead less
Sparking a National Conversation. This project aims to understand why some promises of a ‘national conversation’ on a policy issue seem to be mere hyperbole, while others seem more authentic. Using an evaluative framework based on the latest democratic theory, and the aims and understandings of key actors in each case, the project plans to compare three cases that claimed to spark a national conversation: the Scottish National Conversation 2007–14; debates around the Affordable Care Act in the U ....Sparking a National Conversation. This project aims to understand why some promises of a ‘national conversation’ on a policy issue seem to be mere hyperbole, while others seem more authentic. Using an evaluative framework based on the latest democratic theory, and the aims and understandings of key actors in each case, the project plans to compare three cases that claimed to spark a national conversation: the Scottish National Conversation 2007–14; debates around the Affordable Care Act in the United States, 2009; and the ongoing issue of Indigenous constitutional recognition in Australia. The project aims to identify why some real-world efforts work better than others, and draw lessons for replicating best practice in Australia. Project outcomes may provide advice to policy-makers on how to engage citizens better in the major issues of the day.Read moreRead less
The utilisation of social science research in policy development and program review. This project will enhance the use of evidence in social policy and improve the relevance of applied social research. It will produce new insights into factors affecting the success of evidence-based decision-making by examining social research utilisation within various agencies at federal and state levels. National and community benefits centre on how to improve the policy uptake of social research. This will c ....The utilisation of social science research in policy development and program review. This project will enhance the use of evidence in social policy and improve the relevance of applied social research. It will produce new insights into factors affecting the success of evidence-based decision-making by examining social research utilisation within various agencies at federal and state levels. National and community benefits centre on how to improve the policy uptake of social research. This will contribute to the development of improved support systems to enhance the consideration of evidence-based policy. Outcomes will be applicable to governments, policy-makers and academics in Australia and abroad. Ways to improve research partnerships between academic social scientists and public sector agencies will be identified. Read moreRead less
From postbox to policy powerhouse: The history and politics of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet 1911-2010. Understanding our national government and its development is vital if we are to know the foundations on which we build. As more and more appears to be dragged towards the centre, because of the need to coordinate the big issues such as climate change, capacity constraints, terrorism and skills shortages, so the capacity of the centre becomes more important. This longitudinal ....From postbox to policy powerhouse: The history and politics of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet 1911-2010. Understanding our national government and its development is vital if we are to know the foundations on which we build. As more and more appears to be dragged towards the centre, because of the need to coordinate the big issues such as climate change, capacity constraints, terrorism and skills shortages, so the capacity of the centre becomes more important. This longitudinal study of continuity and change in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet will provide insights into the way that governments can build for the next 100 years.Read moreRead less