The 2004 Australian Election Study Survey: The Decline of Political Parties? Long renowned for the stability of its political party system, Australia is finally experiencing a sustained challenge to the dominance of the major parties, which is reflected in an increasing preference by voters for minor parties and independent candidates. This project will examine the implications of these developments by conducting a public-use, national sample survey of voters at the next federal election, likely ....The 2004 Australian Election Study Survey: The Decline of Political Parties? Long renowned for the stability of its political party system, Australia is finally experiencing a sustained challenge to the dominance of the major parties, which is reflected in an increasing preference by voters for minor parties and independent candidates. This project will examine the implications of these developments by conducting a public-use, national sample survey of voters at the next federal election, likely to be held in 2004. The outcomes generated by the project will enhance academic and community understanding of the nature of the changing partisan climate within the Australian electorate.Read moreRead less
The 2010 Australian election study: The dynamics of political choice. In addition to providing an in-depth understanding of general patterns of Australian voting behaviour, the 2010 Australian Election Study (AES) will provide a detailed, objective account of how and why voters made up their minds in the 2010 federal election. The 2010 AES adds to the unbroken series of national election surveys conducted after each Australian federal election since 1987. These surveys provide an unrivalled re ....The 2010 Australian election study: The dynamics of political choice. In addition to providing an in-depth understanding of general patterns of Australian voting behaviour, the 2010 Australian Election Study (AES) will provide a detailed, objective account of how and why voters made up their minds in the 2010 federal election. The 2010 AES adds to the unbroken series of national election surveys conducted after each Australian federal election since 1987. These surveys provide an unrivalled resource for moving beyond impressionistic accounts of political behaviour. The survey will enable researchers to determine what citizens think of politics and the processes that produce a government, and to understand how and why mass political attitudes have changed over a quarter of a century.Read moreRead less
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
Political party financing and democratic consolidation in Indonesia. As Australia's vast neighbour to the north, Indonesia, is of critical importance to Australian national interests. Particularly essential in this regard is the stability of Indonesia's young democracy, which is increasingly threatened by the widespread perception that party politics are contaminated by corrupt, greedy and self-centred politicians. This sentiment is largely fuelled by complaints about questionable fundraising pr ....Political party financing and democratic consolidation in Indonesia. As Australia's vast neighbour to the north, Indonesia, is of critical importance to Australian national interests. Particularly essential in this regard is the stability of Indonesia's young democracy, which is increasingly threatened by the widespread perception that party politics are contaminated by corrupt, greedy and self-centred politicians. This sentiment is largely fuelled by complaints about questionable fundraising practices of political parties. Accordingly, this study will be of great interest to Australian policy-makers, aid officials and businesses that wish to address the deficiencies in Indonesia's political system through political and economic cooperation programs.Read moreRead less
Democratic Leadership: How democracy shapes, constrains and empowers its leaders. A more profound understanding of the authority conferred, and limits imposed, by democracies on their leaders allows us to recognize what is, and is not, possible in democratic politics. It encourages a more subtle appreciation of the onerous demands of leadership, negotiating the extremes of idealism and cynical pragmatism that so often undermine confidence in politics and politicians. It gives greater insight int ....Democratic Leadership: How democracy shapes, constrains and empowers its leaders. A more profound understanding of the authority conferred, and limits imposed, by democracies on their leaders allows us to recognize what is, and is not, possible in democratic politics. It encourages a more subtle appreciation of the onerous demands of leadership, negotiating the extremes of idealism and cynical pragmatism that so often undermine confidence in politics and politicians. It gives greater insight into how democratic institutions and practices can be sustained and improved upon, both domestically, and internationally. Australia's commitment to democratisation in the region makes even more pressing the question of the type of leadership necessary in transitional states.Read moreRead less
Democrats at War: Democratic Leadership in an International Context. A more profound appreciation of what democracies can reasonably expect from their leaders in times of conflict will have significant benefits in both domestic and international arenas. In giving us greater clarity regarding what is, and is not, possible in democratic politics, especially in times of international instability, the study will provide insight into how democratic institutions and practices can be sustained and enha ....Democrats at War: Democratic Leadership in an International Context. A more profound appreciation of what democracies can reasonably expect from their leaders in times of conflict will have significant benefits in both domestic and international arenas. In giving us greater clarity regarding what is, and is not, possible in democratic politics, especially in times of international instability, the study will provide insight into how democratic institutions and practices can be sustained and enhanced. Australia's interest in regional stability, and its consequent encouragement of greater democratisation in the Pacific area, will find support in research that helps leaders in transitional states better understand and adapt to their vital role.Read moreRead less
Electronic Voting and Electoral Inclusion: Implications for South Australia. South Australia is unique in having a highly concentrated urban population, a large Aboriginal population living in remote regions, and non-compulsory voting enrolment. The voting inclusion of all South Australians therefore presents a number of challenges. The project explores the potential of electronic voting to improve voting access among residents of isolated and remote regions of South Australia. Levels and cau ....Electronic Voting and Electoral Inclusion: Implications for South Australia. South Australia is unique in having a highly concentrated urban population, a large Aboriginal population living in remote regions, and non-compulsory voting enrolment. The voting inclusion of all South Australians therefore presents a number of challenges. The project explores the potential of electronic voting to improve voting access among residents of isolated and remote regions of South Australia. Levels and causes of non-voting will be established using qualitative and quantitative research methods. Results will be assessed against a comprehensive literature analysis of the use of eVoting world-wide. Finally, recommendations for future directions will be made.Read moreRead less
Democratic Audit of Australia. The Democratic Audit of Australia is an assessment of Australia's strengths and weaknesses as a democratic society. It will examine five key areas: (i) citizenship, law and rights; (2) representative and accountable government; (3) participation and government responsiveness; (4) democracy beyond the state; and (5) democracy and federalism. The audit process was pioneered in Britain and has now been applied in ten countries including New Zealand.
The Audit aim ....Democratic Audit of Australia. The Democratic Audit of Australia is an assessment of Australia's strengths and weaknesses as a democratic society. It will examine five key areas: (i) citizenship, law and rights; (2) representative and accountable government; (3) participation and government responsiveness; (4) democracy beyond the state; and (5) democracy and federalism. The audit process was pioneered in Britain and has now been applied in ten countries including New Zealand.
The Audit aims to make a major methodological contribution to democracy assessment, as well as providing benchmark data for purposes of monitoring and international comparison. It will also promote public debate over democracy issues.Read moreRead less
Democratic Audit of Australia: The Second Wave. The Democratic Audit asks "How democratic is our country and its government?" This project will give the community a comprehensive survey of the strengths and weaknesses of Australian democracy, tracking changes since the 2004 report. It will also provide more detailed findings on major questions that confront Australian governments now like the regulation of political financing and the impact on politics of new technologies like the internet. Usin ....Democratic Audit of Australia: The Second Wave. The Democratic Audit asks "How democratic is our country and its government?" This project will give the community a comprehensive survey of the strengths and weaknesses of Australian democracy, tracking changes since the 2004 report. It will also provide more detailed findings on major questions that confront Australian governments now like the regulation of political financing and the impact on politics of new technologies like the internet. Using audit data, the project will produce a major scholarly analysis of the relationship between democratic values and the institutional choices made in Australia. Because a central objective of the Audit is to promote public debate, all Audit findings are published and placed on the Audit website.Read moreRead less
Changing East Asia's Economic and Political Regimes: What Kind of Markets? What Kind of Polities? The East Asian financial crisis in 1997 highlighted economic and political problems in the strategically pivotal region. In the wake of the crisis there was an expectation that East Asian governments and businesses would be forced to adopt 'western' political practices and economic structures. This project will demonstrate why these expectations have not been realised, and how markets and political ....Changing East Asia's Economic and Political Regimes: What Kind of Markets? What Kind of Polities? The East Asian financial crisis in 1997 highlighted economic and political problems in the strategically pivotal region. In the wake of the crisis there was an expectation that East Asian governments and businesses would be forced to adopt 'western' political practices and economic structures. This project will demonstrate why these expectations have not been realised, and how markets and political authority continue to be shaped by contingent domestic imperatives. Our explanation of the divergent outcomes will force a fundamental re-thinking of existing theoretical and policy paradigms, potentially influencing Australian policy towards the region.Read moreRead less