The globalisation of the resources sector(s) in Australian cities. This project aims to understand how and why resources-related service firms cluster in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Maintaining Australia’s competitive position in global affairs depends on delivering innovative services in established national areas such as mining, energy and agriculture. This project will approach Australian cities’ economies from a ‘global’ perspective using social network analysis, to understand ho ....The globalisation of the resources sector(s) in Australian cities. This project aims to understand how and why resources-related service firms cluster in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney. Maintaining Australia’s competitive position in global affairs depends on delivering innovative services in established national areas such as mining, energy and agriculture. This project will approach Australian cities’ economies from a ‘global’ perspective using social network analysis, to understand how local firm clusters are internationally networked through branch office and affiliate corporate linkages. This project seeks to better direct urban and economic policy by positioning these sectors to deal with the challenges of the 21st century.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
Identifying and testing the decision-making factors related to 'smart industries' choice of location. Australia is moving towards becoming the smart country. As a result industry restructuring, realignment and relocation become central concerns. This research is directed towards industry relocation with a focus on the newly emerging 'smart industries' with a test case examination of the Brisbane City Council economic region. The research will investigate, identify and test the quantitative an ....Identifying and testing the decision-making factors related to 'smart industries' choice of location. Australia is moving towards becoming the smart country. As a result industry restructuring, realignment and relocation become central concerns. This research is directed towards industry relocation with a focus on the newly emerging 'smart industries' with a test case examination of the Brisbane City Council economic region. The research will investigate, identify and test the quantitative and qualitative criteria used by 'smart industry' companies in their location decision making. Outcomes will include a Masters of Philosophy thesis, a tested and validated test instrument for industry practitioners, three seminars, a conference paper and a number of international journal articles.Read moreRead less
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
Who Benefits from the Sharing Economy? Disruption in Australian Cities. Technological disruption has created new possibilities for employment and social interaction in cities, yet comes with many associated challenges for policymakers. This project aims to formulate a critical understanding of the sharing economy as a disruptive social, economic, and political process in Australian cities. The project team will apply advanced spatial analytics and theoretical approaches to three distinct facets ....Who Benefits from the Sharing Economy? Disruption in Australian Cities. Technological disruption has created new possibilities for employment and social interaction in cities, yet comes with many associated challenges for policymakers. This project aims to formulate a critical understanding of the sharing economy as a disruptive social, economic, and political process in Australian cities. The project team will apply advanced spatial analytics and theoretical approaches to three distinct facets of the sharing economy, providing new empirical evidence to explain transformative change in cities.
It applies a geographical lens to create to new knowledge regarding who benefits from the sharing economy, and how progressive regulation can enhance the outcomes of disruptive technologies.Read moreRead less
Food, Farming and Financialisation: Agri-food Transformations in Australia. Through interviews and document analysis, this project aims to examine the ways financialisation is transforming agri-food industries in Australia. Financialisation – the growing presence of financial firms in contemporary economic relations – is an increasingly important, yet poorly understood, concept. Its application to food and farming industries is very recent. By investigating which countries and foreign firms are ....Food, Farming and Financialisation: Agri-food Transformations in Australia. Through interviews and document analysis, this project aims to examine the ways financialisation is transforming agri-food industries in Australia. Financialisation – the growing presence of financial firms in contemporary economic relations – is an increasingly important, yet poorly understood, concept. Its application to food and farming industries is very recent. By investigating which countries and foreign firms are purchasing food companies and farmlands, for what purposes, and with what outcomes, the project intends to ascertain the place of financialisation in the emergence of a third food regime and to clarify issues of ownership and control of Australia’s agri-food resources. This would provide policy-makers and the public with accurate information with which to assess whether agri-food investments strengthen national food security, provide positive benefits to rural communities, and comply with national investment guidelines.Read moreRead less
Assessing the Impact of Public Finances on the PNG-Australia Borderland. The project aims to address a vexed public policy problem of how to better manage the flow of public finances and people across our international borders. Torres Strait Islanders and Papua New Guinea (PNG) nationals living in the PNG–Australia borderland have relatively unrestricted access across the border for traditional activities, under the legal framework of the Torres Strait Treaty. The interplay of public finance exp ....Assessing the Impact of Public Finances on the PNG-Australia Borderland. The project aims to address a vexed public policy problem of how to better manage the flow of public finances and people across our international borders. Torres Strait Islanders and Papua New Guinea (PNG) nationals living in the PNG–Australia borderland have relatively unrestricted access across the border for traditional activities, under the legal framework of the Torres Strait Treaty. The interplay of public finance expenditure emanating from Australia strongly dominates the borderland economy, influencing cross-border mobility and attendant public health and security risks from disease transmission, quarantine and transnational crime. By problematising current policy framings and analysing the asymmetric socio-economic context of the region relative to other borderlands internationally, the project aims to propose alternative finance modalities that improve effectiveness across both sides of the border.Read moreRead less
The impacts of industry restructuring. This project aims to shed light on how Australia's workforce and communities will engage with the world of work in a future shaped by new business models and disruptive technologies. Using the closure of the automotive industry as a lens into this topic, the project will provide new insights into how displaced workers find work, use services, relate to others, and reshape their futures. It sheds light on the community-wide impacts of restructuring, providin ....The impacts of industry restructuring. This project aims to shed light on how Australia's workforce and communities will engage with the world of work in a future shaped by new business models and disruptive technologies. Using the closure of the automotive industry as a lens into this topic, the project will provide new insights into how displaced workers find work, use services, relate to others, and reshape their futures. It sheds light on the community-wide impacts of restructuring, providing new perspectives on how local resources and public policies best advance the process of adjustment.Read moreRead less
Farmers of the Future: the Challenges of Feminised Agriculture in India. Neoliberal economic policies are fundamentally transforming the social landscapes of rural India, causing a deep agrarian crisis. The agrarian changes accentuate the unequal consequences for poor women and men in relation to: production (labour, tenure); livelihood and food security; access to and ownership of assets such as land and water and access to agricultural innovations and institutions. This multiscalar project inv ....Farmers of the Future: the Challenges of Feminised Agriculture in India. Neoliberal economic policies are fundamentally transforming the social landscapes of rural India, causing a deep agrarian crisis. The agrarian changes accentuate the unequal consequences for poor women and men in relation to: production (labour, tenure); livelihood and food security; access to and ownership of assets such as land and water and access to agricultural innovations and institutions. This multiscalar project investigates the causes and consequences of feminisation of agriculture in India’s transitioning economy in order to understand how gender roles and relations are being re-shaped in communities and households in diverse socioeconomic and cultural contexts and agro-ecological areas.Read moreRead less