Anti-Consumerism in the Contemporary West. This project will investigate contemporary critiques of Western consumption emanating from within Western societies themselves. Divided into three interconnecting research themes, the project will offer a selective review of recent media and intellectual commentary on the consequences of consumption, a brief documentation of recent ?anti-consumption? activism in Europe, North America and Australasia, and an Australian-based ethnographic exploration of h ....Anti-Consumerism in the Contemporary West. This project will investigate contemporary critiques of Western consumption emanating from within Western societies themselves. Divided into three interconnecting research themes, the project will offer a selective review of recent media and intellectual commentary on the consequences of consumption, a brief documentation of recent ?anti-consumption? activism in Europe, North America and Australasia, and an Australian-based ethnographic exploration of how people limit consumption activities within contemporary everyday life. The project will culminate in a book-length study, representing one of the first attempts to fully document how a ?Western consumerism? is currently being challenged by intellectuals, social movement activists and ?consumers? themselves.Read moreRead less
Changing approaches to gender and development in rural China. Harmonious and cooperative relations with China are crucial to Australia's economic and cultural development and to security in the region. By contributing to Australian understanding of Chinese society, this project will enhance such relations. Knowledge gained through this project will also enhance Australian development projects in China, and more generally, contribute to development projects focusing on gender and development in A ....Changing approaches to gender and development in rural China. Harmonious and cooperative relations with China are crucial to Australia's economic and cultural development and to security in the region. By contributing to Australian understanding of Chinese society, this project will enhance such relations. Knowledge gained through this project will also enhance Australian development projects in China, and more generally, contribute to development projects focusing on gender and development in Asia and elsewhere. In addition, the contributions of the project to research and postgraduate training in Chinese studies, gender studies and development studies will benefit Australia by raising the international profile of Australian institutions within these disciplines.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
Education reform and social transformation in rural China. This project will increase Australian understanding of China's transformation from a rural, agricultural nation into an urban industrialized one. It will also build a collaboration between the Australian National University and the Shandong Academy of Social Sciences, which will facilitate the ability of Australian postgraduate students to undertake field research in China.
Women's NGOs, the United Nations and expanding civil society: a feminist critique, with reference to four UN member countries. Feminist non-governmental organisations have placed women's human rights concerns on the international agenda, but they are also increasingly expected to tailor themselves both to international bureaucracy and a domestic political role by becoming primary providers of what has become known as "social capital". Human rights remain important for women, but new strategies ....Women's NGOs, the United Nations and expanding civil society: a feminist critique, with reference to four UN member countries. Feminist non-governmental organisations have placed women's human rights concerns on the international agenda, but they are also increasingly expected to tailor themselves both to international bureaucracy and a domestic political role by becoming primary providers of what has become known as "social capital". Human rights remain important for women, but new strategies are needed to ensure government accountability for transforming the rhetoric of women's rights into reality. This project will examine these issues as faced by feminist NGOs in Australia, France, Pakistan and Haïti, to identify issues in common and suggest strategies for furthering the international feminist human rights project.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
Reclaiming Child Rights: Activism, Public Inquiries and Social Change. This project aims to develop an historical sociology of activism against institutional child abuse from the 1990s to the present. It examines the reform strategies, actions and rationales of activists before, during and after the Child Abuse Royal Commission using media-rich methods, and it investigates the mobilisation of child rights discourse in Australia and internationally. The project expects to generate new insights in ....Reclaiming Child Rights: Activism, Public Inquiries and Social Change. This project aims to develop an historical sociology of activism against institutional child abuse from the 1990s to the present. It examines the reform strategies, actions and rationales of activists before, during and after the Child Abuse Royal Commission using media-rich methods, and it investigates the mobilisation of child rights discourse in Australia and internationally. The project expects to generate new insights into child rights and activism, new understandings of a globally significant Royal Commission, and new knowledge on research translation. Expected outcomes and benefits include an archive of activist stories, a digital memory project, and a new model for public engagement with sensitive topics.Read moreRead less
Mining voids and just transition: reimagining post-mining landscapes . This project aims to address the complex problem of how to deal with the long-term legacies of coal mining. Through a combination of ethnographic and Arts-Based Methods, the project will advance insight into how local communities in the Hunter Valley, NSW, experience socio-cultural impacts of environmental disturbance and mining legacies, particularly where final voids are present. It will generate new knowledge into potentia ....Mining voids and just transition: reimagining post-mining landscapes . This project aims to address the complex problem of how to deal with the long-term legacies of coal mining. Through a combination of ethnographic and Arts-Based Methods, the project will advance insight into how local communities in the Hunter Valley, NSW, experience socio-cultural impacts of environmental disturbance and mining legacies, particularly where final voids are present. It will generate new knowledge into potentials for reimagining post-mining landscapes and how such landscapes can support a just transition towards a post-mining future. Expected benefits include advancement of public discourses around mining legacies, research capacity building and theory development to support multi-stakeholder engagement and dialogue.Read moreRead less
Locating the Commonweal: Community, Environment and Local Governance Regimes in Reform Era Indonesia. The Indonesian government is currently implementing decentralisation legislation to address increasing regional discontent. In the context of political and economic crisis, these institutional reforms are intended to bring about greater popular participation in the political process and in resource management. This research will study several intersecting dimensions of reform in the local domai ....Locating the Commonweal: Community, Environment and Local Governance Regimes in Reform Era Indonesia. The Indonesian government is currently implementing decentralisation legislation to address increasing regional discontent. In the context of political and economic crisis, these institutional reforms are intended to bring about greater popular participation in the political process and in resource management. This research will study several intersecting dimensions of reform in the local domain: popular participation in decentralised governance; resource access and management by local communities; and the implications of reform for local sustainability and equity. The research will produce a comparative analysis of emerging governance patterns in the Reform Era based on locally grounded case studies spanning the Indonesian archipelago.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