Trade union futures: purposes, capacities and organisation towards a green transition. What is the future of trade unions? They face uncertain futures especially in the traditional industrial communities. While unions are aware of these challenges it is unclear how they will renew themselves to meet the new conditions. The research will show how unions can contribute to an environmentally sustainable world.
Marital separation and divorce: social correlates, gender differences and initiation. For most couples, although not all, separation and divorce eventually lead to more positive life experiences and outcomes, even so for all couples marriage breakdown has significant social, emotional and financial consequences (at least in the short term). Billions of dollars in direct (i.e. social security, family court system) and indirect costs (i.e. ill health, absenteeism) are incurred by the Australian c ....Marital separation and divorce: social correlates, gender differences and initiation. For most couples, although not all, separation and divorce eventually lead to more positive life experiences and outcomes, even so for all couples marriage breakdown has significant social, emotional and financial consequences (at least in the short term). Billions of dollars in direct (i.e. social security, family court system) and indirect costs (i.e. ill health, absenteeism) are incurred by the Australian community each year due to marriage breakdown. This research will help us to understand why some marriages breakdown while others remain intact, and in doing so, will add to the evidence base that informs policies concerning marriage and divorce.Read moreRead less
Agency and Change in Institutionalised Organisations: The role of volunteers as institutional agents in the non-profit sector. This project intends to test recent developments in neoinstitutional organisational theory. The theoretical model developed is designed to address two questions bedvilling the genre: the role of human agency in institutional processes, and understanding institutional change. These questions are addressed in two ways: first, it takes voluntarism as an example of agency ....Agency and Change in Institutionalised Organisations: The role of volunteers as institutional agents in the non-profit sector. This project intends to test recent developments in neoinstitutional organisational theory. The theoretical model developed is designed to address two questions bedvilling the genre: the role of human agency in institutional processes, and understanding institutional change. These questions are addressed in two ways: first, it takes voluntarism as an example of agency in action; and second, it is located in the non-profit sector, an organisational field undergoing significant change. The project employs a micro-sociological methodological orientation rarely used in neoinstitutional research; that of non-participant observation and conversation analysis.Read moreRead less
Understanding gender inequality in the post-pandemic future of work. This project examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis on the working futures of young women and men in three advanced market economies where the pandemic hit with varying degrees of severity. Young people have experienced the greatest upheaval of all workers, and the impact has been gendered. Recovery strategies will have lasting consequences for women’s and men’s working futures. The project will produc ....Understanding gender inequality in the post-pandemic future of work. This project examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis on the working futures of young women and men in three advanced market economies where the pandemic hit with varying degrees of severity. Young people have experienced the greatest upheaval of all workers, and the impact has been gendered. Recovery strategies will have lasting consequences for women’s and men’s working futures. The project will produce macro-level mapping of post-pandemic national work/care regimes, and micro-level survey data on young people’s experience of and attitudes to the future of work in Australia, the UK and Japan, to deliver insights on the gendered economic and social impact of the pandemic and inform a more inclusive global recovery.Read moreRead less
Living With Uncertainty: Creating the Postmodern Self in Contemporary Australia. Life in postmodernity is marked by rapid change and uncertainty. Increasingly, as tradition is worn away, individuals must create new scripts to give life meaning and structure. Through a case study of gays and lesbians, this project will investigate how a group of Australians are creating postmodern selves. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it traces the relationship between discursive and psychological accounts of t ....Living With Uncertainty: Creating the Postmodern Self in Contemporary Australia. Life in postmodernity is marked by rapid change and uncertainty. Increasingly, as tradition is worn away, individuals must create new scripts to give life meaning and structure. Through a case study of gays and lesbians, this project will investigate how a group of Australians are creating postmodern selves. Drawing on in-depth interviews, it traces the relationship between discursive and psychological accounts of the postmodern self and their political effects. With a particular interest in emotional life, this study will provide critical information on how individuals and communities can manage creatively the uncertain conditions of postmodernity.Read moreRead less
In it to win it: an interdisciplinary investigation of sports betting. This project aims to better understand how young adults use, communicate about and experience mobile phone sports betting applications. Gambling generates significant health and social harms in Australia. Yet there is little research on the use of betting apps, even though sports betting is the fastest growing segment of the gambling market. This project intends to examine how use of sports betting apps is becoming establishe ....In it to win it: an interdisciplinary investigation of sports betting. This project aims to better understand how young adults use, communicate about and experience mobile phone sports betting applications. Gambling generates significant health and social harms in Australia. Yet there is little research on the use of betting apps, even though sports betting is the fastest growing segment of the gambling market. This project intends to examine how use of sports betting apps is becoming established as everyday social practice normalising problem gambling. The findings will enhance understanding of the social contexts of sports betting, and inform gambling policy and programs leading to better health and social outcomes.Read moreRead less
Enhancing sleep and wellbeing in working families. This project aims to investigate the role of sleep on individuals’ health by measuring Australians' sleep patterns relative to work and family demands. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the sociology of sleep using innovative data collection bringing together cross-national, nationally representative, longitudinal and physiological data on Australians’ sleep patterns. Expected outcomes of this project are to identify the social a ....Enhancing sleep and wellbeing in working families. This project aims to investigate the role of sleep on individuals’ health by measuring Australians' sleep patterns relative to work and family demands. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the sociology of sleep using innovative data collection bringing together cross-national, nationally representative, longitudinal and physiological data on Australians’ sleep patterns. Expected outcomes of this project are to identify the social and biological determinants of sleep and their links with health, family and economic policy recommendations.Read moreRead less
Globalisation and the global income distribution in times of stability and in times of crisis. Australia is one of the countries most affected by globalisation and the rise of Asia. Moreover, the large income disparities between Australia and its neighbours put many burdens on Australia to manage immigration, accommodate refugees, and provide support to regional governments. This study uses data from around the world to model how global and regional economic integration is changing over time. Of ....Globalisation and the global income distribution in times of stability and in times of crisis. Australia is one of the countries most affected by globalisation and the rise of Asia. Moreover, the large income disparities between Australia and its neighbours put many burdens on Australia to manage immigration, accommodate refugees, and provide support to regional governments. This study uses data from around the world to model how global and regional economic integration is changing over time. Of special importance for Australia is this study's focus on the robustness of national and regional boundaries in times of crisis. The study will use innovative statistical techniques to help us better understand Australia's place in the world-economy, its relationship to the Asia-Pacific region, and the region's connections to the wider world.Read moreRead less
Young hospitality workers and value creation in the service economy. This project aims to investigate how labour performed by young people in the hospitality industry contributes to the creation of economic value. The project intends to examine the specific practices through which hospitality workers create value as well as the personal capacities and forms of identity that allow young people to become a successful part of the hospitality labour force. The knowledge gained in this project will i ....Young hospitality workers and value creation in the service economy. This project aims to investigate how labour performed by young people in the hospitality industry contributes to the creation of economic value. The project intends to examine the specific practices through which hospitality workers create value as well as the personal capacities and forms of identity that allow young people to become a successful part of the hospitality labour force. The knowledge gained in this project will inform current social and political debate about working conditions, wages and penalty rates in the service economy. This project will enhance growth and job creation within the service sector together with the quality of Australia’s service workforce.Read moreRead less
Knowledge-making in Australian society: sociology and its social impact. This project aims to reveal how Australians, over several generations, have sought to make sense of society in an organised way. The project intends to draw from interviews with key scholars, archival and citation data to ascertain how sociological knowledge has been shaped by a context of post-colonialism, multiculturalism and global capitalism as well as the extent to which these ideas have contributed to, and been influe ....Knowledge-making in Australian society: sociology and its social impact. This project aims to reveal how Australians, over several generations, have sought to make sense of society in an organised way. The project intends to draw from interviews with key scholars, archival and citation data to ascertain how sociological knowledge has been shaped by a context of post-colonialism, multiculturalism and global capitalism as well as the extent to which these ideas have contributed to, and been influenced by, policy, legislation and public debate. Expected outcomes include new evidence about the role of disciplines and contribute to the international research effort in this emerging field.Read moreRead less