Scaling-up the impact of voluntary sustainability standards. How can global sustainability regulators, such as Fairtrade or the Rainforest Alliance, more effectively tackle large-scale regulatory problems of deforestation, land use conflict and recurring labour rights violations? This project will address this question by analysing and evaluating innovative regulatory schemes that were designed to have broad, sector- or jurisdiction-wide impacts on critical social and environmental problems in S ....Scaling-up the impact of voluntary sustainability standards. How can global sustainability regulators, such as Fairtrade or the Rainforest Alliance, more effectively tackle large-scale regulatory problems of deforestation, land use conflict and recurring labour rights violations? This project will address this question by analysing and evaluating innovative regulatory schemes that were designed to have broad, sector- or jurisdiction-wide impacts on critical social and environmental problems in South-East Asia and Latin America. A new framework will be developed to strengthen the effectiveness and accountability of sustainability regulation - benefiting workers, businesses and the environment and enabling the Australian public to participate in more sustainable systems of production and consumption.Read moreRead less
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
What makes a climate leader? Developed countries' responsibilities under the international climate regime. This project seeks to elucidate the conditions and possibilities for climate leadership by developed states under the international climate regime. The project will generate insights into how and why climate leaders emerge, how they manage domestic and international political demands, and the conditions under which climate leadership is possible.
Rethinking climate justice in an age of adaptation: capabilities, local variation, and public deliberation. This project aims to produce recommendations, designed by citizens and stakeholders, for climate adaptation policies in three regions of Australia. These recommendations will be based on a definition of climate justice that incorporates basic needs and resources to be protected, as identified by potentially impacted communities.
Transnational environmental crime: applying network theory to an investigation of illegal trade, criminal activity and law enforcement responses. This project investigates illegal environmental trade, one of the fastest growing areas of transnational crime, and explores how governments and other actors can best develop effective law enforcement responses. It will expand our understanding of an under-researched field and strengthen the regulatory capacity of Australian government agencies.
New Environmental Policy Instruments and Government-Industry Strategies in Queensland. This study will examine the hypothesized benefits of environmental policy instruments such as voluntary agreements, taxes and incentives, which augment or supplant traditional regulatory approaches. It will focus on a State experiencing economic prosperity by exporting resources, and designing new institutional responses to the challenges of creating a sustainable society. The anticipated outcomes are to pro ....New Environmental Policy Instruments and Government-Industry Strategies in Queensland. This study will examine the hypothesized benefits of environmental policy instruments such as voluntary agreements, taxes and incentives, which augment or supplant traditional regulatory approaches. It will focus on a State experiencing economic prosperity by exporting resources, and designing new institutional responses to the challenges of creating a sustainable society. The anticipated outcomes are to provide research perspectives to central State government agencies that offer strategic policy advice and coordination, and concepts for understanding and influencing changes aimed at balancing the imperatives for economic development and environmental protection as well as redefining the relationship between government and industry.Read moreRead less
The New Environmentalism of Everyday Life: Sustainability, Material Flows, and the Evolution of Environmental Movements. In recent years, a whole range of environmental groups have developed with a focus not on environmental policy at the state or national level, but instead on the development of new and more sustainable practices relating to food, energy, transport, and a range of other basic needs. This project will examine the array of newly developing practices, movements, and institutions; ....The New Environmentalism of Everyday Life: Sustainability, Material Flows, and the Evolution of Environmental Movements. In recent years, a whole range of environmental groups have developed with a focus not on environmental policy at the state or national level, but instead on the development of new and more sustainable practices relating to food, energy, transport, and a range of other basic needs. This project will examine the array of newly developing practices, movements, and institutions; draw connections between a seemingly disparate set of foci and movement groups; and design and apply a new, broad analytical framework to explain such developments in environmental action and practice. Significantly, the goal is a major new theory about the structure, foci, and strategies of a range of new environmental movements.Read moreRead less
Global Warming, Iraq, and the Washington Consensus: Three Case Studies on the Role of Specialist Advice in Policy Making. This project will provide a deeper understanding of critical global policy debates and Australia's role in such debates. Its analytical framework will suggest ways in which Australian engagement in this discourse can become more effective by focusing on the role of specialist advice in policymaking and the question of how the political process influences its interpretation an ....Global Warming, Iraq, and the Washington Consensus: Three Case Studies on the Role of Specialist Advice in Policy Making. This project will provide a deeper understanding of critical global policy debates and Australia's role in such debates. Its analytical framework will suggest ways in which Australian engagement in this discourse can become more effective by focusing on the role of specialist advice in policymaking and the question of how the political process influences its interpretation and use by policy makers. The successful completion of this project ultimately will contribute to the development of more consistent and better quality policy outcomes.Read moreRead less