Strengthening economic resilience in Monsoon Asia. Sharing, reciprocity and resource pooling are at the frontline of recovery and relief when economic crisis or disaster hits Monsoon Asia. This research aims to shed light on cases where these economic practices have been innovatively harnessed to diversify livelihoods and build economic resilience. Working with contemporary Asian scholars, practitioners in the disaster field and a data set gleaned from multiple sources, including mid-20th centur ....Strengthening economic resilience in Monsoon Asia. Sharing, reciprocity and resource pooling are at the frontline of recovery and relief when economic crisis or disaster hits Monsoon Asia. This research aims to shed light on cases where these economic practices have been innovatively harnessed to diversify livelihoods and build economic resilience. Working with contemporary Asian scholars, practitioners in the disaster field and a data set gleaned from multiple sources, including mid-20th century tropical geography texts, the project aims to bring to the fore a regional landscape of diverse economic practices across Monsoon Asia. A cross-regional on-line knowledge community is expected to be formed to explore how this asset base might be mobilised towards more effective local development and disaster response.Read moreRead less
Masculinities, change and conflict in global society. The rapid development of research on masculinities has enormously increased our understanding of men and gender. This has opended new perspectives for preventing violence at individual, community and international levels. To realize this potential in today's changing conditions requires field research to explore emerging patterns of masculinity in Australia and internationally, fresh theoretical work linking gender with change and conflict in ....Masculinities, change and conflict in global society. The rapid development of research on masculinities has enormously increased our understanding of men and gender. This has opended new perspectives for preventing violence at individual, community and international levels. To realize this potential in today's changing conditions requires field research to explore emerging patterns of masculinity in Australia and internationally, fresh theoretical work linking gender with change and conflict in world society, and specific case studies of how masculinities are mobilized in conflict situations and lead towards violence. This knowledge will be used to develop new practical models of violence prevention and peace-making.Read moreRead less
Social conditions of Aboriginal people in rural NSW: rethinking policy failure and future options. This project works with three rural NSW Aboriginal communities to reframe ideas for sustainable Indigenous futures in NSW. By building both academic and community understanding of economic and social change since the mid-1960s it offers a framework for action at several geographical scales to improve outcomes for rural Aboriginal communities.
Reinventing rural places? The extent and impact of festivals as regeneration strategies. This research addresses the important problem of rural decline in Australia. The project will make available new knowledge on innovation in rural places. Benefits will accrue to specific communities from insights on the possibilities and limitations of renewal through festivals. Tourism promoters and regional development policy makers will be able to make use of the online database of rural festivals. Nation ....Reinventing rural places? The extent and impact of festivals as regeneration strategies. This research addresses the important problem of rural decline in Australia. The project will make available new knowledge on innovation in rural places. Benefits will accrue to specific communities from insights on the possibilities and limitations of renewal through festivals. Tourism promoters and regional development policy makers will be able to make use of the online database of rural festivals. National benefits include greater understanding of the significance of festivals. Research will empower rural communities and advance theory on rural restructuring, post-productivism and the reciprocal relationship between place and identities. In these ways, the project seeks to strengthen the social and economic fabric of rural Australia. Read moreRead less
An Integrated Framework for Developing Credible Indicators of Deprivation and Other Distributional Markers. The existing instruments for measuring poverty have become disconnected from the life events that cause poverty and the deprivation experienced by those with low income. A new approach is needed that is focused on how low-income, deprivation and joblessness produce unacceptable outcomes, particularly for children. Community concern over the growing ?rich-poor divide? suggests that poverty ....An Integrated Framework for Developing Credible Indicators of Deprivation and Other Distributional Markers. The existing instruments for measuring poverty have become disconnected from the life events that cause poverty and the deprivation experienced by those with low income. A new approach is needed that is focused on how low-income, deprivation and joblessness produce unacceptable outcomes, particularly for children. Community concern over the growing ?rich-poor divide? suggests that poverty research must also be better integrated with issues of affluence and inequality. This innovative program will develop an integrated conceptual and empirical framework for identifying poverty, deprivation and other dimensions of inequality, and use it to derive new social monitoring instruments and policy evaluation tools.Read moreRead less
Geographies of Global Resistance. This project explores recent responses to globalisation, often termed resistance, at global, national and local scales. Institutional and non-institutional responses are explored through contrasting case studies chosen from: first, the organised labour movement in Australia; second, from new social movements involving highly publicised anti-globalisation protests in particular places; and third, other spontaneous internet-based forms of resistance known as 'cult ....Geographies of Global Resistance. This project explores recent responses to globalisation, often termed resistance, at global, national and local scales. Institutional and non-institutional responses are explored through contrasting case studies chosen from: first, the organised labour movement in Australia; second, from new social movements involving highly publicised anti-globalisation protests in particular places; and third, other spontaneous internet-based forms of resistance known as 'culture jamming'. The research will contribute to better understanding the nature of globalisation, relationships between global and local change and strategies of resistance. The research is significant in bringing together insights from new approaches in both economic and cultural geography.Read moreRead less
Reconfiguring the enterprise: shifting manufacturing culture in Australia. The project aims to explore the future for manufacturing in Australia in the context of sustainability. Concerned with the wider societal and planetary impacts of conducting business-as-usual, some innovative Australian manufacturers are reorienting their business towards social and environmental sustainability. The complexities involved in pursuing genuine sustainability call for shifts in the culture of manufacturing. T ....Reconfiguring the enterprise: shifting manufacturing culture in Australia. The project aims to explore the future for manufacturing in Australia in the context of sustainability. Concerned with the wider societal and planetary impacts of conducting business-as-usual, some innovative Australian manufacturers are reorienting their business towards social and environmental sustainability. The complexities involved in pursuing genuine sustainability call for shifts in the culture of manufacturing. This project plans to use qualitative research to explore the inner workings of 12 firms that are integrating different forms of sustainability into their core operations. It plans to develop business metrics and critical incident cases to unravel the negotiations involved in addressing social and environmental sustainability. In so doing, it expects to contribute to debates about the nature of enterprise in the 21st century.Read moreRead less
Evolving urban structure, mode choice, travel behaviour and energy consumption: A study of the Sydney planning strategy. The project will analyse the emerging Sydney Strategic Plan which is designed to address excessive car reliance that is claimed to cause inefficient energy use, congestion, adverse health and excessive greenhouse gas emissions. The Project's policy framework will contribute to of an environmentally sustainable Australia and will promote public debate. While other funding will ....Evolving urban structure, mode choice, travel behaviour and energy consumption: A study of the Sydney planning strategy. The project will analyse the emerging Sydney Strategic Plan which is designed to address excessive car reliance that is claimed to cause inefficient energy use, congestion, adverse health and excessive greenhouse gas emissions. The Project's policy framework will contribute to of an environmentally sustainable Australia and will promote public debate. While other funding will have expired, the professional academic network will continue to flourish at spatially oriented workshops and conferences which will provide the means of disseminating the analytical techniques, empirical results and policy analysis from the project, thereby enhancing the research capacities of network members.Read moreRead less
Caring for thoroughbreds: addressing social, economic and welfare issues in international horse racing. Horse racing is an economically valuable industry but visible welfare issues are challenging its future. This study addresses perceptions and the economic worth of these issues internationally. Research findings about values, and alternatives to jump racing and whipping horses, will help change the conduct of horse racing around the world.
Global production networks and worker representation in Myanmar. This project aims to assess the impact of global production networks on worker representation in Myanmar’s garment sector, which is leading the country’s integration into global supply chains at this crucial time in its economic and political development. This project’s findings will be used to theorise how complex interactions between different economic and social actors across geographic scale affect the rights and interests of g ....Global production networks and worker representation in Myanmar. This project aims to assess the impact of global production networks on worker representation in Myanmar’s garment sector, which is leading the country’s integration into global supply chains at this crucial time in its economic and political development. This project’s findings will be used to theorise how complex interactions between different economic and social actors across geographic scale affect the rights and interests of garment workers, and the quality of their employment. This will provide significant benefits that will make an important contribution to scholarly understandings of the impact of labour agency on global production networks and provide a strong evidence base for decision-making by local and international stakeholders.Read moreRead less