China’s Belt and Road Initiative: A New Model of Economic Governance? China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) involves thousands of projects in the world, with a combined value over USD 1 trillion. Under the BRI, China is constructing new norms and legal institutions to govern international economic activity. But the opacity of the BRI means that little is known about the details of these arrangements or their operation in practice. This socio-legal project will examine how the BRI is changing th ....China’s Belt and Road Initiative: A New Model of Economic Governance? China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) involves thousands of projects in the world, with a combined value over USD 1 trillion. Under the BRI, China is constructing new norms and legal institutions to govern international economic activity. But the opacity of the BRI means that little is known about the details of these arrangements or their operation in practice. This socio-legal project will examine how the BRI is changing the way that cross-border economic interactions are governed, and explore the implications of these changes for how power and authority are exercised in the global economy. The project’s findings will equip Australian policymakers, businesses and publics to navigate more astutely the changes that the BRI is advancing.Read moreRead less
Debt-for-development Exchanges as a Means to Enhance the Security of Australia and the Region. When Australia currently cancels debts owed to it by poor countries it has little control over how the money saved will be spent. Debt-for-development exchanges offer Australia this control while preserving the sovereignty of the recipient countries. Yet Australia has never undertaken an exchange.
Seven other nations have used this technique effectively to achieve developmental ends. We will analy ....Debt-for-development Exchanges as a Means to Enhance the Security of Australia and the Region. When Australia currently cancels debts owed to it by poor countries it has little control over how the money saved will be spent. Debt-for-development exchanges offer Australia this control while preserving the sovereignty of the recipient countries. Yet Australia has never undertaken an exchange.
Seven other nations have used this technique effectively to achieve developmental ends. We will analyse their experiences to provide a road map for Australia to use this technique to achieve security-enhancing and developmental outcomes.
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Systemic responses to global financial instability: new thinking and measures by which Australia can address the challenges of globalised capital. This project explores and models new systemic responses Australia, our region and the world could adopt to counter the instability generated by globalised capital. These include a financial transactions tax, financial activity tax, levies on bank balance sheets and other new responses to too-big-to-fail problems.
Building an intellectual property system: The Indonesian experience. This project aims to provide an independent assessment of the development of the Indonesian intellectual property system over the past 30 years. Economic theory suggests pathways to innovation and ‘tipping points’ in intellectual property (IP) development. This project plans to explore the introduction and operation of IP in Indonesia as a typical example for middle-income developing countries. It plans to analyse hundreds of c ....Building an intellectual property system: The Indonesian experience. This project aims to provide an independent assessment of the development of the Indonesian intellectual property system over the past 30 years. Economic theory suggests pathways to innovation and ‘tipping points’ in intellectual property (IP) development. This project plans to explore the introduction and operation of IP in Indonesia as a typical example for middle-income developing countries. It plans to analyse hundreds of court decisions that have recently become available, as well as the implementing laws and institutions supporting IP. It aims to show the bargaining processes about the future of the system between the government and foreign investors as well as citizens and between different institutions, thereby providing valuable information to Australian businesses and the government.Read moreRead less
Models of contract law: are broad principles better than detailed rules? Empirical confirmation that broad principles work better than detailed rules could lead to many economic and social benefits- it would supply a key to simplifying the law; contracts would be shorter and simpler, reducing the costs of doing business; contract disputes and litigation would be reduced, saving public and private expense; decision-making would be more accountable and transparent, improving the quality of justice ....Models of contract law: are broad principles better than detailed rules? Empirical confirmation that broad principles work better than detailed rules could lead to many economic and social benefits- it would supply a key to simplifying the law; contracts would be shorter and simpler, reducing the costs of doing business; contract disputes and litigation would be reduced, saving public and private expense; decision-making would be more accountable and transparent, improving the quality of justice; codifying the law would be more feasible; and harmonising Australian contract law with that of our international trade partners would be facilitated. The project thus has the potential to contribute to strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric (Priority Goal 4 of National Research Priority 2).Read moreRead less