Improving effectiveness of Australian aid to the island-Pacific. Improving the effectiveness of aid to the island Pacific so as to secure peace and prosperity within our immediate neighbourhood is in Australia's own national interest. This research investigates issues of state functioning and state failure with a view to improving the effectiveness of external interventions and of bolstering state capacity in the South Pacific. It is now widely acknowledged that ?failed states? can generate ref ....Improving effectiveness of Australian aid to the island-Pacific. Improving the effectiveness of aid to the island Pacific so as to secure peace and prosperity within our immediate neighbourhood is in Australia's own national interest. This research investigates issues of state functioning and state failure with a view to improving the effectiveness of external interventions and of bolstering state capacity in the South Pacific. It is now widely acknowledged that ?failed states? can generate refugee flows and create havens for organised crime or terrorist groups, thus becoming a threat to neighbouring states. Such cross-border spillovers have major implications for Australia's national security and have been the primary rationale for the recent interventions into Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.Read moreRead less
China and Latin America: New Challenges and Opportunities for Australia. This project examines the growing international influence and strength of one of Australia's most strategically important neighbours, the People's Republic of China. Emerging commercial and diplomatic alliances between China and Latin America pose economic and political challenges for Australia and other resource exporters. This research consolidates Australia's reputation as a leader in the field of China Studies by clarif ....China and Latin America: New Challenges and Opportunities for Australia. This project examines the growing international influence and strength of one of Australia's most strategically important neighbours, the People's Republic of China. Emerging commercial and diplomatic alliances between China and Latin America pose economic and political challenges for Australia and other resource exporters. This research consolidates Australia's reputation as a leader in the field of China Studies by clarifying the nature of these challenges over the next five to ten years. The project will produce academic seminars in Sydney, Guadalajara, and Monterrey; the exchange of Australian and Mexican scholars, and joint publications in a field of study that bears direct relevance to the national interests of both countries.Read moreRead less
Bridling Autocrats: Limiting Executive Power in Authoritarian Polities. This project will analyse the dynamics of elite politics in authoritarian polities, focusing in particular upon how members of the elite try to constrain would-be dictators. By showing the different patterns of elite politics in different types of authoritarian systems, the project will interrogate one of the most curious aspects of contemporary international politics, why so many authoritarian regimes have been able to stab ....Bridling Autocrats: Limiting Executive Power in Authoritarian Polities. This project will analyse the dynamics of elite politics in authoritarian polities, focusing in particular upon how members of the elite try to constrain would-be dictators. By showing the different patterns of elite politics in different types of authoritarian systems, the project will interrogate one of the most curious aspects of contemporary international politics, why so many authoritarian regimes have been able to stabilise themselves in an era commonly seen as being one of democratic advance. Understanding authoritarian elite politics and their implications for regime survival is of significant policy interest.Read moreRead less
Strategies for the stabilisation of authoritarian rule: Russia in comparative perspective. This project will explore why authoritarian rule has been consolidated in post-Soviet Russia. By analysing this in a comparative context, the project will also explore why so many countries are characterised by non-democratic political systems in this so-called age of democracy.
Changing East Asia's Economic and Political Regimes: What Kind of Markets? What Kind of Polities? The East Asian financial crisis in 1997 highlighted economic and political problems in the strategically pivotal region. In the wake of the crisis there was an expectation that East Asian governments and businesses would be forced to adopt 'western' political practices and economic structures. This project will demonstrate why these expectations have not been realised, and how markets and political ....Changing East Asia's Economic and Political Regimes: What Kind of Markets? What Kind of Polities? The East Asian financial crisis in 1997 highlighted economic and political problems in the strategically pivotal region. In the wake of the crisis there was an expectation that East Asian governments and businesses would be forced to adopt 'western' political practices and economic structures. This project will demonstrate why these expectations have not been realised, and how markets and political authority continue to be shaped by contingent domestic imperatives. Our explanation of the divergent outcomes will force a fundamental re-thinking of existing theoretical and policy paradigms, potentially influencing Australian policy towards the region.Read moreRead less
Crafting Authoritarian Politics. Although Russia is nominally a democracy, strong elements of authoritarianism remain dominant. This project examines how Russia has accommodated these authoritarian themes within a representative democracy and, more generally, seeks to shed new light on the process of democratization in postcommunist societies. Russia is the 8th largest country in the world by population and the 11th largest economy based on GDP; it also remains nuclear-armed. Understanding th ....Crafting Authoritarian Politics. Although Russia is nominally a democracy, strong elements of authoritarianism remain dominant. This project examines how Russia has accommodated these authoritarian themes within a representative democracy and, more generally, seeks to shed new light on the process of democratization in postcommunist societies. Russia is the 8th largest country in the world by population and the 11th largest economy based on GDP; it also remains nuclear-armed. Understanding the dynamics of democratization in Russia has implications for political stability across a large section of the world which is currently in transition from authoritarianism to democracy.Read moreRead less
Contestation or Regulation - New Politics in Southeast Asia. By providing a greater understanding of the region's polities and societies the study can enhance all forms of Australian engagement with Southeast Asia. It offers insights into differential intra-regional capacities and orientations of political systems to absorb diverse social forces into the political process. This knowledge provides a basis for strategies to promote effective governance reform and other Australian aid programs. It ....Contestation or Regulation - New Politics in Southeast Asia. By providing a greater understanding of the region's polities and societies the study can enhance all forms of Australian engagement with Southeast Asia. It offers insights into differential intra-regional capacities and orientations of political systems to absorb diverse social forces into the political process. This knowledge provides a basis for strategies to promote effective governance reform and other Australian aid programs. It will also assist policymakers seeking to influence the management of, or resolution to, conflicts threatening stability in the region. Read moreRead less
The Politics of Transition in China, 1972-1982. The project provides a new interpretation of the elite politics behind one of the most remarkable transformations within a continuing political system in the late 20th century?the crucial period of transition between the radical late Mao era and the reform program of the 1980s. It thus examines several of the least researched, in any sustained in-depth sense, and, as a consequence, poorly understood periods of elite politics in the People's Republi ....The Politics of Transition in China, 1972-1982. The project provides a new interpretation of the elite politics behind one of the most remarkable transformations within a continuing political system in the late 20th century?the crucial period of transition between the radical late Mao era and the reform program of the 1980s. It thus examines several of the least researched, in any sustained in-depth sense, and, as a consequence, poorly understood periods of elite politics in the People's Republic of China.Read moreRead less
Governing vs. opposition parties and the global financial crisis: Comparing the United Kingdom and Australia. The Australian Prime Minister has described the global financial crisis as the 'equivalent of a rolling national security crisis'. Our project, which examines the pressures upon political parties to adopt an adversarial approach to crises as an election approaches, benefits the nation by enhancing our understanding of how political systems cope with crisis. Should governing and oppositio ....Governing vs. opposition parties and the global financial crisis: Comparing the United Kingdom and Australia. The Australian Prime Minister has described the global financial crisis as the 'equivalent of a rolling national security crisis'. Our project, which examines the pressures upon political parties to adopt an adversarial approach to crises as an election approaches, benefits the nation by enhancing our understanding of how political systems cope with crisis. Should governing and opposition parties unite in order to tackle the national crisis and portray consensus to the outside world? Or should they continue to engage in routine adversary criticism, facilitating dialogue and providing a 'check' on a centralised response? Our research will help develop an understanding of Australia's capacity to respond to major economic threats.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE130101265
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$374,009.00
Summary
Asian Australian political identities and participation across communities: comparisons with the United States. The number of Asian Australians as a percentage of the Australian population is steadily rising. This project will provide the first major comprehensive study of Asian Australian political behaviour.