The science of welfare: Adam Smith's political thought. Understanding Adam Smith's political thought helps us to understand how liberal subjects live and are governed today. Little has been written about Smith's political thought, therefore this project offers the first complete account of his politics and his unique science- and welfare-based approach to statecraft.
Is Compulsory Voting Defensible? If it can be demonstrated that, under the right conditions, compulsory voting is an acceptable solution to the escalating problem of declining turnout in industrialised, voluntary-voting systems, then the Australian regime will provide the ideal starting point from which to produce guidelines for the successful adoption and management of compulsory voting. Since Australia has, arguably, the best managed and tolerated compulsory voting regime in the world, the pro ....Is Compulsory Voting Defensible? If it can be demonstrated that, under the right conditions, compulsory voting is an acceptable solution to the escalating problem of declining turnout in industrialised, voluntary-voting systems, then the Australian regime will provide the ideal starting point from which to produce guidelines for the successful adoption and management of compulsory voting. Since Australia has, arguably, the best managed and tolerated compulsory voting regime in the world, the project has potentially enormous national significance in terms of publicising, promoting and exporting our electoral expertise. The project will also position Australian scholarship at the forefront of rapidly expanding global interest in the practice.Read moreRead less
An Intellectual History of Political Corruption. The project will bring expert historical and conceptual knowledge to bear on the shortcomings of current policy debates, thereby suggesting new possibilities for re-defining and clarifying the problem of corruption and the meaning of good governance.
Forgiveness in conflict resolution and peacebuilding: international dimensions. In an age in which ongoing conflicts and tensions have very real ramifications for international and regional security, finding new and more effective ways to resolve international disputes is critical to ensuring Australia's ongoing security. This project will therefore benefit Australia by 'enhancing our nation's understanding of social, political, and cultural issues' associated with the resolution of conflict in ....Forgiveness in conflict resolution and peacebuilding: international dimensions. In an age in which ongoing conflicts and tensions have very real ramifications for international and regional security, finding new and more effective ways to resolve international disputes is critical to ensuring Australia's ongoing security. This project will therefore benefit Australia by 'enhancing our nation's understanding of social, political, and cultural issues' associated with the resolution of conflict in the Asia Pacific region. By helping to develop an alternative peacebuilding tool, it will also assist those engaged in the practical delivery of peacebulding initiatives in the region.Read moreRead less
Regulatory Federalism and Public Policy: The Transformation of Australian Intergovernmental Relations. Intergovernmental relations impinge upon most aspects of Australia's public sector, from public finance to policy development, from economic investment to public service delivery. They shape the capacity of government to produce good policies and services- from childcare to aged care, from schools to power stations, from business regulation to environmental management, from workplace safety to ....Regulatory Federalism and Public Policy: The Transformation of Australian Intergovernmental Relations. Intergovernmental relations impinge upon most aspects of Australia's public sector, from public finance to policy development, from economic investment to public service delivery. They shape the capacity of government to produce good policies and services- from childcare to aged care, from schools to power stations, from business regulation to environmental management, from workplace safety to highway maintenance. A better understanding of the changing federal system is essential for improving the benefits - better policies, more efficient programs and more responsive decisions - that Australians expect from their governments.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
The First 'Liberals': Stoicism in the Enlightenment. This project will provide the first systematic study of the profound yet hitherto under-appreciated influence of classical Stoicism on the political thought of the European Enlightenment, particularly liberal thought. It will show that the Stoics provided the first properly developed theory of personal rights and were the first to successfully promulgate the values of universalism, impartiality, egalitarianism, tolerance and cosmopolitanism. I ....The First 'Liberals': Stoicism in the Enlightenment. This project will provide the first systematic study of the profound yet hitherto under-appreciated influence of classical Stoicism on the political thought of the European Enlightenment, particularly liberal thought. It will show that the Stoics provided the first properly developed theory of personal rights and were the first to successfully promulgate the values of universalism, impartiality, egalitarianism, tolerance and cosmopolitanism. It will then trace the transmission and interpretation of such values in early modern thought and demonstrate the manner in which Enlightenment figures like Locke, Smith, Wollstonecraft, Kant and Jefferson were directly influenced by the emancipatory political thought of the Stoics. Read moreRead less
The High Court of Australia: A Biographical Study. The High Court of Australia has shaped the legal, political and social landscapes of Australia. Yet despite its wide-ranging importance the Court has largely been the subject of a legal inquiry focusing on its substantial case law. This project seeks to fill a significant gap in the literature with the publication of an institutional history of the Court. Central to this project is a commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach that explores the ....The High Court of Australia: A Biographical Study. The High Court of Australia has shaped the legal, political and social landscapes of Australia. Yet despite its wide-ranging importance the Court has largely been the subject of a legal inquiry focusing on its substantial case law. This project seeks to fill a significant gap in the literature with the publication of an institutional history of the Court. Central to this project is a commitment to a multi-disciplinary approach that explores the Court beyond a merely legal paradigm. The outcomes of this project will be publications that situate the law, the judiciary and Australian history within a single explanatory narrative.Read moreRead less
Global Security, Strategic Paradox and Limited War: The Politics and Ethics of Force. This project will provide detailed empirical research results plus conceptual innovations in the areas of peace and conflict studies. These will contribute to better understanding of contemporary threats and the effects of using force, and will enable the development of more effective policy options. The project will contribute strongly to the ARC's research priority 4, 'safeguarding Australia', by providing im ....Global Security, Strategic Paradox and Limited War: The Politics and Ethics of Force. This project will provide detailed empirical research results plus conceptual innovations in the areas of peace and conflict studies. These will contribute to better understanding of contemporary threats and the effects of using force, and will enable the development of more effective policy options. The project will contribute strongly to the ARC's research priority 4, 'safeguarding Australia', by providing important studies, analytical tools and policy recommendations that will strengthen Australia's national security, contribute to reducing conflict, and help us shape the regional and global security environment in our interests.Read moreRead less
Problem gambling: development and application of a new conceptual framework for aetiology and treatment. Around 470,000 Australians (3.3% of the adult population) are estimated to have 'significant' or 'severe' gambling problems. This project responds to the call for a new framework for theorising and researching problem gambling (Productivity Commission, 1999). Currently, the research literature is characterised by disagreement about definition, causes, and treatment. At the community level, di ....Problem gambling: development and application of a new conceptual framework for aetiology and treatment. Around 470,000 Australians (3.3% of the adult population) are estimated to have 'significant' or 'severe' gambling problems. This project responds to the call for a new framework for theorising and researching problem gambling (Productivity Commission, 1999). Currently, the research literature is characterised by disagreement about definition, causes, and treatment. At the community level, different stakeholder constructions of problem gambling have deadlocked debate. There is a clear need to re-think existing approaches. This project applies an innovative, social-scientific methodology specifically designed to analyse complex, real-world social problems in order to develop a new conceptual framework for understanding and treating problem gambling.Read moreRead less