Collaboration as a solution to wicked public policy problems: the example of regional environmental and natural resources policy in Australia. This project contributes to the water national priority by assessing two major national programs to improve Australia's land and water management through innovative collaboration models. It examines whether new collaborations between governments and NGO stakeholders, together with the creation of numerous regional bodies, are likely to achieve better outc ....Collaboration as a solution to wicked public policy problems: the example of regional environmental and natural resources policy in Australia. This project contributes to the water national priority by assessing two major national programs to improve Australia's land and water management through innovative collaboration models. It examines whether new collaborations between governments and NGO stakeholders, together with the creation of numerous regional bodies, are likely to achieve better outcomes than the previous regulatory models. The project will enhance public policy models through analysis of the strengths and limitations of the new program approach. Problems and prospects at the national, state and regional levels will be assessed including how different forms of collaboration are linked to effective and accountable institutional arrangements. Read moreRead less
The Social Sciences and the Making of Postwar Australia. This project explores the foundational significance of the social sciences in the creation of modern Australia. Using the history of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia as a focus, it will provide the first broad historical analysis of the various social scientific fields in Australia since WWII. In doing so it will highlight the previously under-examined but critical influence these fields of knowledge exerted over civil socie ....The Social Sciences and the Making of Postwar Australia. This project explores the foundational significance of the social sciences in the creation of modern Australia. Using the history of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia as a focus, it will provide the first broad historical analysis of the various social scientific fields in Australia since WWII. In doing so it will highlight the previously under-examined but critical influence these fields of knowledge exerted over civil society and public policy. Its finding will be of great significance both to our industry partner, in fulfilling its role as advocate for the social sciences, and to an understanding of the development of post-war Australian society.Read moreRead less
Regulatory design for water quality management in urban catchments. This project aims, through empirical research (i) to evaluate the effectiveness of current regulatory, quasi-regulatory and other policy strategies for water quality management in urban catchments (including total/integrated catchment management); (ii) to provide practical policy prescriptions concerning how through judicious regulatory and institutional design, those problems may be best addressed for the future; and (iii) adva ....Regulatory design for water quality management in urban catchments. This project aims, through empirical research (i) to evaluate the effectiveness of current regulatory, quasi-regulatory and other policy strategies for water quality management in urban catchments (including total/integrated catchment management); (ii) to provide practical policy prescriptions concerning how through judicious regulatory and institutional design, those problems may be best addressed for the future; and (iii) advance regulatory theory by developing a framework for understanding the relative effectiveness of different regulatory regimes in the context of urban catchment management. Its empirical focus is on the Swan-Canning river in Western Australia.Read moreRead less
Governance, Institutional capacity and regional planning: a Central Queensland case study. To coordinate development in non-metropolitan Australia, governments are creating new regional frameworks of participation and decision making that exist outside current institutional settings. The aims are to: review and explain the purpose, formation and operation of CQ: A New Millenium; compare and contrast it with other planning processes; and discover the institutional or other impediments to its suc ....Governance, Institutional capacity and regional planning: a Central Queensland case study. To coordinate development in non-metropolitan Australia, governments are creating new regional frameworks of participation and decision making that exist outside current institutional settings. The aims are to: review and explain the purpose, formation and operation of CQ: A New Millenium; compare and contrast it with other planning processes; and discover the institutional or other impediments to its success. Findings will demonstrate the place of a new regional body in local planning. Outcomes will include: clarification of the concept of regional governance; an understanding of institutional capacity; and identification of the features that promote, and inhibit, community-based action for regional sustainability.Read moreRead less
A study of flexibilities that enable workforce participation and skill development and use, and their implications for work-life outcomes in Australia. This project will examine how improved flexibility can assist the reconciliation of work and caring responsibilities, higher levels of employment participation and increasing skill development and utilisation across the Australian workforce, underpinning a more productive economy and improved well-being for Australian workers and their families.
Supporting or sabotaging sustainable development? State policy responses to environmental certification schemes. Almost everywhere, forests and fisheries are experiencing degradation and biodiversity loss. Since 1990, governments, industry and civil society organizations have expressed growing interest in market-based instruments for environmentally sustainable development. However, while states support the use of market-based instruments in general, serious problems arise with specific schemes. ....Supporting or sabotaging sustainable development? State policy responses to environmental certification schemes. Almost everywhere, forests and fisheries are experiencing degradation and biodiversity loss. Since 1990, governments, industry and civil society organizations have expressed growing interest in market-based instruments for environmentally sustainable development. However, while states support the use of market-based instruments in general, serious problems arise with specific schemes. This is particular true of environmental certification schemes, several of which have been opposed. Our study will explore the underlying factors that shape government responses to certification schemes in the forestry and fisheries sectors, thereby providing practical policy advice to ensure state institutions support rather than sabotage environmentally sustainable development.Read moreRead less