After the crisis: Nation-building challenges in East Timor. Given the substantial commitment of International Stabilisation Force intervention, nation and state building in East Timor remains a high priority for Australian policy makers. This project will examine three key nation-building agendas in post-crisis East Timor, focusing on the key areas of decentralisation of state authority, evolving relationships with traditional authorities, and post-crisis conflict resolution programs, over the p ....After the crisis: Nation-building challenges in East Timor. Given the substantial commitment of International Stabilisation Force intervention, nation and state building in East Timor remains a high priority for Australian policy makers. This project will examine three key nation-building agendas in post-crisis East Timor, focusing on the key areas of decentralisation of state authority, evolving relationships with traditional authorities, and post-crisis conflict resolution programs, over the period of 2009-11. In so doing, the project will contribute to a better understanding of antecedent factors to state failure, linking directly with recent Australian government policy concerns over 'fragile states', and their potential to destabilise the regional security environment.Read moreRead less
Women’s NGOs and gender sensitive policy change in Iran. This project aims to investigate how Iranian women’s non-governmental organisations (NGOs) work to influence gender sensitive policy change in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This project will generate new knowledge on the causal mechanisms behind NGO-driven policy change in Iran, leading to a theory of change on NGOs and gender sensitive policy change in Islamic political systems more broadly. The expected outcomes will enhance scholarly un ....Women’s NGOs and gender sensitive policy change in Iran. This project aims to investigate how Iranian women’s non-governmental organisations (NGOs) work to influence gender sensitive policy change in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This project will generate new knowledge on the causal mechanisms behind NGO-driven policy change in Iran, leading to a theory of change on NGOs and gender sensitive policy change in Islamic political systems more broadly. The expected outcomes will enhance scholarly understanding of Iranian civil society, and build the capacity of the Australian government to foster ties and invest in successful strategies for progress with Iran.Read moreRead less
Humanitarian intervention and the conflict between national and international responsibility. The project will address the question of how the Australian government can maintain its reputation as a good global citizen without compromising its ethical standing with the Australian people. It will provide valuable insights into the privatization of military force and the increasingly common use of civilian contractors, and may provide information to the Australian Defence Force on the ethically app ....Humanitarian intervention and the conflict between national and international responsibility. The project will address the question of how the Australian government can maintain its reputation as a good global citizen without compromising its ethical standing with the Australian people. It will provide valuable insights into the privatization of military force and the increasingly common use of civilian contractors, and may provide information to the Australian Defence Force on the ethically appropriate level of force protection for future humanitarian and peace-keeping missions, in addition to motivating the more efficient use of ADF resources. Finally, the project will further Australia's reputation as the source of high quality innovative research in applied philosophy, and especially military ethics.Read moreRead less
Democratizing the Middle East: implications of Washington's policies. Regime change has been justified by the coalition of willing as beneficial to the promotion of democracy and stable governance in the Middle East. It is, therefore, important to examine how effective this project has been. Australia's foreign policy towards the region resembles that of the United States, including military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. This involvement warrants an assessment of the way state building h ....Democratizing the Middle East: implications of Washington's policies. Regime change has been justified by the coalition of willing as beneficial to the promotion of democracy and stable governance in the Middle East. It is, therefore, important to examine how effective this project has been. Australia's foreign policy towards the region resembles that of the United States, including military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan. This involvement warrants an assessment of the way state building has set these two societies on a democratic trajectory, and whether they are serving as beacons of democracy in their neighbourhood. It is in Australia's national interests to have a realistic assessment of its foreign policy impact in the Middle East and Central Asia. Read moreRead less
Governance in a Shrinking, Fragmenting World. 'The End of Sovereignty?' was a well received study in which the applicants examined the need to reconceptualize the 'sovereign state' in a rapidly globalizing world. Ten years later, this new study builds on that foundation. Through careful sifting of the empirical evidence, it examines both the challenge of globalization for governance, and institutional and normative responses to that challenge. In doing so, it aims to develop a clearer interpreta ....Governance in a Shrinking, Fragmenting World. 'The End of Sovereignty?' was a well received study in which the applicants examined the need to reconceptualize the 'sovereign state' in a rapidly globalizing world. Ten years later, this new study builds on that foundation. Through careful sifting of the empirical evidence, it examines both the challenge of globalization for governance, and institutional and normative responses to that challenge. In doing so, it aims to develop a clearer interpretation of the dynamics of global social change in relation to the national state, and a framework of analysis which, with whatever qualifications prove necessary, takes us beyond the sovereignty discourse.Read moreRead less
Internal and External Sources of Political Instability in East Timor. This project is of direct relevance to Australia through its bilateral and multilateral provision of police to assist in the maintenance of East Timor's law and order, through its training of and support for the East Timor Border Patrol Unit, and its training and support of the East Timor defence force, Falintil-FDTL. The project also goes to the core of Australia's concerns with regional state maintenance (or conversely, pote ....Internal and External Sources of Political Instability in East Timor. This project is of direct relevance to Australia through its bilateral and multilateral provision of police to assist in the maintenance of East Timor's law and order, through its training of and support for the East Timor Border Patrol Unit, and its training and support of the East Timor defence force, Falintil-FDTL. The project also goes to the core of Australia's concerns with regional state maintenance (or conversely, potential state failure), direct bilateral relations with both East Timor and Indonesia, and the triangular relationship between these three states. Read moreRead less
Religious Populism, Emotions and Political Mobilisation. This project aims to investigate the main features of religious populism with a focus on emotions in Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan. Through multiple analytical methods that examine populist statements and interviews with voters, it will advance theoretical and empirical knowledge on religious populism, particularly in relation to emotive political mobilisation and polarisation. The expected outcomes are benchmark data sets and conceptual ....Religious Populism, Emotions and Political Mobilisation. This project aims to investigate the main features of religious populism with a focus on emotions in Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan. Through multiple analytical methods that examine populist statements and interviews with voters, it will advance theoretical and empirical knowledge on religious populism, particularly in relation to emotive political mobilisation and polarisation. The expected outcomes are benchmark data sets and conceptual frameworks that can be used in other contexts where religious populism poses a danger to democracy. This will help democratic governments better understand religious populism so that they can generate effective policies to deal with any potential negative effects.Read moreRead less
Elections and enhancing political participation in Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq. Democracy comprises more than elections, but they are the primary vehicle for democratic participation. Through an evaluation of the current approaches to democratisation, this project examines electoral reform in Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq, in order to understand how political participation can be enhanced during times of political transition.
Internationalisation and Democracy. This project aims to advance knowledge of how internationalisation affects the quality of democratic representation in established democracies such as Australia, the US and the UK. It expects to generate new insights into how internationalisation expands or limits the scope for democratic accountability, responsiveness and responsibility. It plans to develop and test new theories with comparative analyses that focus on economic, social and environmental polici ....Internationalisation and Democracy. This project aims to advance knowledge of how internationalisation affects the quality of democratic representation in established democracies such as Australia, the US and the UK. It expects to generate new insights into how internationalisation expands or limits the scope for democratic accountability, responsiveness and responsibility. It plans to develop and test new theories with comparative analyses that focus on economic, social and environmental policies. Expected outcomes include improved measures of internationalisation, and insights into the opportunities and challenges it poses for democratic representation. The project should provide significant benefits by countering misconceptions in current academic and public debates.Read moreRead less
Regime interplay: from conflict to integration in overlapping international regimes. This project furthers the National Research Priority of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, particularly the subsidiary goal of meeting Australia's Kyoto targets. The project will recommend ways of improving the integration of international trade and environmental regimes to enable the Australian government to tackle national environmental problems and risks, such as climate change, and encourage the "gree ....Regime interplay: from conflict to integration in overlapping international regimes. This project furthers the National Research Priority of An Environmentally Sustainable Australia, particularly the subsidiary goal of meeting Australia's Kyoto targets. The project will recommend ways of improving the integration of international trade and environmental regimes to enable the Australian government to tackle national environmental problems and risks, such as climate change, and encourage the "greening" of Australian industry without fear of retaliatory trade sanctions or unfair competitive advantages accruing to other nations. Successful national environmental policies, particularly in the complex area of climate change, are dependent upon the integration of environmental and economic policies at the international level.Read moreRead less