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
Rebuilding Sustainable Communities: Assessing Post-Tsunami Resettlement Projects in Sri Lanka and India. It is in the interests of Australia and nations in our regions to improve strategic responses to natural disasters. In addition to their catastrophic short-term effects, disasters sharply reduce employment and output and strain limited state capacity, increasing poverty and inhibiting the prospects for longer-term economic growth and social stability. The development of measures which suppor ....Rebuilding Sustainable Communities: Assessing Post-Tsunami Resettlement Projects in Sri Lanka and India. It is in the interests of Australia and nations in our regions to improve strategic responses to natural disasters. In addition to their catastrophic short-term effects, disasters sharply reduce employment and output and strain limited state capacity, increasing poverty and inhibiting the prospects for longer-term economic growth and social stability. The development of measures which support the effective rebuilding of social structures and economic activity is key to minimising adverse outcomes. By enriching our understanding of how best to support sustainable resettlement programs, the study responds to the national research priority goal of 'Safeguarding Australia: understanding our region and the world'. Read moreRead less
New Regionalism and the Dynamics of Local Economies. The economic development of Australia's regions is of ongoing concern and importance to governments, communities and businesses. This research will provide new insights into the factors underpinning local economic growth, and the extent to which these are supported or otherwise by emerging approaches in regional policy and practice. This is especially important given the need to ensure the effectiveness regional and local development strategie ....New Regionalism and the Dynamics of Local Economies. The economic development of Australia's regions is of ongoing concern and importance to governments, communities and businesses. This research will provide new insights into the factors underpinning local economic growth, and the extent to which these are supported or otherwise by emerging approaches in regional policy and practice. This is especially important given the need to ensure the effectiveness regional and local development strategies. By analysing the dynamics of local economies in their policy context, the research will offer development strategies that will underpin economically sustainable businesses, localities and regions. This has the potential to lead to more productive and prosperous regional and local economies.Read moreRead less
Regional Economic Development and Performance: Roles of Leadership and Institutional Factors in Endogenous Growth. Contemporary regional economic development theory emphasises endogenous factors as key determinants of difference in regional economic performance. Leadership and institutional issues require special attention for analysis and in strategy formulation and implementation of regional development plans. This project develops model frameworks for analysing the impact of those endogenous ....Regional Economic Development and Performance: Roles of Leadership and Institutional Factors in Endogenous Growth. Contemporary regional economic development theory emphasises endogenous factors as key determinants of difference in regional economic performance. Leadership and institutional issues require special attention for analysis and in strategy formulation and implementation of regional development plans. This project develops model frameworks for analysing the impact of those endogenous factors on regional economic performance and develops methodologies for their incorporation into regional development strategy, using illustrative case studies. A major book on this topic will result. The collaboration is between researchers at the University of Queensland and George Mason University.Read moreRead less
Spatially Integrated Socio-Economic Analysis: Australia at the New Millennium. A new spatially integrated approach is used to analyse and evaluate the divides in Australian society at the new millennium, drawing on perspectives from three key disciplines in the social sciences - economics, human geography and sociology. Pathbreaking microsimulation and GIS based spatial modelling techniques are used to generate new synthetic variables by integrating ABS Census and survey data to enhance the unde ....Spatially Integrated Socio-Economic Analysis: Australia at the New Millennium. A new spatially integrated approach is used to analyse and evaluate the divides in Australian society at the new millennium, drawing on perspectives from three key disciplines in the social sciences - economics, human geography and sociology. Pathbreaking microsimulation and GIS based spatial modelling techniques are used to generate new synthetic variables by integrating ABS Census and survey data to enhance the understanding of patterns and improve explanation of differential outcomes in the well-being of both people and places. The new decision support systems we develop will better inform policy responses to address distributional equity, efficiency and competitiveness.Read moreRead less
Cultural Asset Mapping for Planning and Development in Regional Australia. At a time when the environmental, social and industrial bases of regional life are changing markedly, this project examines ways that many areas in Australia might revitalise their economies and communities by engaging in new approaches to the arts and creative activity. For consumers and producers alike, many non-metropolitan regions in Australia offer opportunities for enhanced cultural activity and productivity and qu ....Cultural Asset Mapping for Planning and Development in Regional Australia. At a time when the environmental, social and industrial bases of regional life are changing markedly, this project examines ways that many areas in Australia might revitalise their economies and communities by engaging in new approaches to the arts and creative activity. For consumers and producers alike, many non-metropolitan regions in Australia offer opportunities for enhanced cultural activity and productivity and quality of life. But these opportunities have not yet been thoroughly observed, described or analysed. This project addresses this serious gap in knowledge and gives policy-makers, planners and regional and rural communities crucial information they need to decide their futures.Read moreRead less
Alternative Models of Governance for Australian Local Government: Classification, Evaluation and Policy. Local government plays a central role in the lives of almost all Australians by providing essential services subject to local democratic oversight. Its smooth running is thus critical to the national interest. However, many local authorities are in dire financial straits, with services curtailed, and vital infrastructure deteriorating. Various alternative models of local governance, often inv ....Alternative Models of Governance for Australian Local Government: Classification, Evaluation and Policy. Local government plays a central role in the lives of almost all Australians by providing essential services subject to local democratic oversight. Its smooth running is thus critical to the national interest. However, many local authorities are in dire financial straits, with services curtailed, and vital infrastructure deteriorating. Various alternative models of local governance, often involving resource sharing and regional alliances, have been adopted as solutions to these problems. Unfortunately, almost no scholarly effort has been invested in this area. This project seeks overcome this neglect by identifying these models, evaluating their potential, and contributing to policy discussion and development.Read moreRead less
Conceptualizing and Measuring Regional Endogenous Growth: A Collaborative International Comparative Investigation. Policy for regional economic development in Australia is placing more emphasis on facilitating regional self-help. For the first time this project will provide an actual measure of regional endogenous performance. It identifies those features of regional economies and local populations are most important in explaining differences in the performance of regions, and it shows how inst ....Conceptualizing and Measuring Regional Endogenous Growth: A Collaborative International Comparative Investigation. Policy for regional economic development in Australia is placing more emphasis on facilitating regional self-help. For the first time this project will provide an actual measure of regional endogenous performance. It identifies those features of regional economies and local populations are most important in explaining differences in the performance of regions, and it shows how institutional arrangements and leadership can enhance or detract from regional development performance. This will help public agencies formulate better policies and mechanisms to help regions maximise their capacities to achieve enhanced endogenous growth. International comparative studies provide wider significance for policy formulation in regional development.Read moreRead less
Consuming the Urban Environment . A Study of the Factors that Influence Resource Use in Australian Cities. This project is the first study which aims to quantify how much of Australia's accelerating total consumption is designed into our cities and housing and how much is related to a household's discretionary behaviour and the sets of attitudes and values that drive it.The resulting knowledge will provide an evidence-based platform - that is currently lacking - for policy and program developmen ....Consuming the Urban Environment . A Study of the Factors that Influence Resource Use in Australian Cities. This project is the first study which aims to quantify how much of Australia's accelerating total consumption is designed into our cities and housing and how much is related to a household's discretionary behaviour and the sets of attitudes and values that drive it.The resulting knowledge will provide an evidence-based platform - that is currently lacking - for policy and program development by all tiers of government and industry to target areas where resource consumption can be effectively and equitably wound back. Key groups for influence include: individual consumers and households, housing designers (in relation to density, materials, appliances planners of urban communities(eg. public transport,level of land use mix).Read moreRead less
Improving the contribution of protected areas to quality of life in rural and regional communities. This research addresses the fundamental question of how local communities value the contribution of natural and cultural heritage, in particular in Protected Areas, to their wellbeing, and how these 'community' values differ from those of protected area managers and policy makers. It examines the role of nature based tourism as a vehicle for improving quality of life in rural communities, and how ....Improving the contribution of protected areas to quality of life in rural and regional communities. This research addresses the fundamental question of how local communities value the contribution of natural and cultural heritage, in particular in Protected Areas, to their wellbeing, and how these 'community' values differ from those of protected area managers and policy makers. It examines the role of nature based tourism as a vehicle for improving quality of life in rural communities, and how regional development strategies can be enhanced through the contributions of Protected Areas.Read moreRead less