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.
Australian political rhetoric: the role of public speech by elected representatives in contemporary Australian politics. What is the public benefit of the endless rituals of rhetorical claim and counter-claim performed by members of parliament? This project demonstrates that rhetoric is central to politics, through detailed case analysis of the performative side of Australian parliamentary politics. Good rhetoric, when we have it, makes for good politics.
Political normativity and the feasibility requirement. Commonsense says that claims about how social and political life ought to be arranged must not make infeasible demands. This project will investigate this piece of commonsense and explore its implications for a number of pressing issues, such as climate change, multiculturalism, political participation, inequality, historical justice, and the rules of war.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140101358
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$394,105.00
Summary
Francesco Guicciardini as a Political Theorist. This project will examine the political writings of Francesco Guicciardini (1483-1540), aiming to disseminate Guicciardini's political theory in the English-speaking world and establish his importance as one of the great thinkers of the European political tradition. Simultaneously, it will uncover and reassess a number of his highly original theoretical insights, many still relevant today (particularly for contemporary republicanism). Guicciardini' ....Francesco Guicciardini as a Political Theorist. This project will examine the political writings of Francesco Guicciardini (1483-1540), aiming to disseminate Guicciardini's political theory in the English-speaking world and establish his importance as one of the great thinkers of the European political tradition. Simultaneously, it will uncover and reassess a number of his highly original theoretical insights, many still relevant today (particularly for contemporary republicanism). Guicciardini's political theory, in sharp contrast to that of his co-citizen and friend Machiavelli, received only limited attention, as his works were published only centuries after his death. This project will result in the first full-length monograph on the topic to appear in either English or Italian.Read moreRead less
Sparking a National Conversation. This project aims to understand why some promises of a ‘national conversation’ on a policy issue seem to be mere hyperbole, while others seem more authentic. Using an evaluative framework based on the latest democratic theory, and the aims and understandings of key actors in each case, the project plans to compare three cases that claimed to spark a national conversation: the Scottish National Conversation 2007–14; debates around the Affordable Care Act in the U ....Sparking a National Conversation. This project aims to understand why some promises of a ‘national conversation’ on a policy issue seem to be mere hyperbole, while others seem more authentic. Using an evaluative framework based on the latest democratic theory, and the aims and understandings of key actors in each case, the project plans to compare three cases that claimed to spark a national conversation: the Scottish National Conversation 2007–14; debates around the Affordable Care Act in the United States, 2009; and the ongoing issue of Indigenous constitutional recognition in Australia. The project aims to identify why some real-world efforts work better than others, and draw lessons for replicating best practice in Australia. Project outcomes may provide advice to policy-makers on how to engage citizens better in the major issues of the day.Read moreRead less
An Australian dilemma: liberal democracy, cultural diversity and the quest for national identity. This project traces how liberal nationalism and its chief rival, cultural nationalism, apply to and help make sense of Australian politics and political debate. It defends liberal nationalism as the most feasible, accommodating, and just political solution to addressing the question of national identity in Australia's multicultural democracy.
Realising Democracy Amid Communicative Plenty: A Deliberative Approach. The ever-increasing volume of political communication (especially online) challenges democracy and effective policy making. The aim of this project is to examine whether, how, why, and to what effect discourse flows within and between different sites in the new politics of communicative plenty. This research applies the idea of deliberative democracy, which puts meaningful communication between citizens and policy makers at ....Realising Democracy Amid Communicative Plenty: A Deliberative Approach. The ever-increasing volume of political communication (especially online) challenges democracy and effective policy making. The aim of this project is to examine whether, how, why, and to what effect discourse flows within and between different sites in the new politics of communicative plenty. This research applies the idea of deliberative democracy, which puts meaningful communication between citizens and policy makers at the heart of effective governance. It develops a deliberative analysis of controversy surrounding coal seam gas in Australia, using qualitative and 'big data' techniques to collect information. The knowledge generated is expected to inform efforts to put deliberative democracy into practice, as well as more effective environmental governance.Read moreRead less
Democratic Leadership in Foreign Affairs. This project explores the opportunities and constraints on democratic leaders at the intersection of domestic and international politics. By undertaking a comparative study of the impact of democratic leadership on foreign affairs in ?ve advanced democracies (Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, Germany and France) it will examine how democratic norms (such as transparency, accountability and rights) and democratic institutions (governance structures, par ....Democratic Leadership in Foreign Affairs. This project explores the opportunities and constraints on democratic leaders at the intersection of domestic and international politics. By undertaking a comparative study of the impact of democratic leadership on foreign affairs in ?ve advanced democracies (Australia, the United Kingdom, USA, Germany and France) it will examine how democratic norms (such as transparency, accountability and rights) and democratic institutions (governance structures, parties, electoral cycles, the media) affect leaders’ capacities in foreign affairs. The ?ndings from the research will be published in a series of journal articles and a book with a major academic press.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL140100154
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,616,265.00
Summary
Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. In an increasingly complex world the processes of achieving fair, effective and equitable solutions to major problems are under challenge. Deliberative democratic methods, where informed citizen groups are used to make decisions, have been used in many countries to develop effective policy responses to a range of problems. This research will develop the understanding of del ....Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. Deliberative worlds: democracy, justice and a changing world. In an increasingly complex world the processes of achieving fair, effective and equitable solutions to major problems are under challenge. Deliberative democratic methods, where informed citizen groups are used to make decisions, have been used in many countries to develop effective policy responses to a range of problems. This research will develop the understanding of deliberative democratic processes and test their applicability and capacity to address issues such as global justice and environmental governance in settings of deep cultural difference. The knowledge gained will inform political theory and contribute to world-wide efforts to solve international policy problems.Read moreRead less
The law of deliberative democracy: theory and reform. Deliberation is essential to the health of electoral and representative democracy. This project will evaluate and recommend the reform of the law underpinning democratic politics in Australia, to enhance its deliberative quality.