Meeting the challenges of constitutional comparison. This project offers a more genuinely global approach to comparative constitutional law. It will deepen understanding of the operation and underlying assumptions of systems of government in countries around the world, assisting Australia in its dealings with neighbours and strategic partners and in developing its own constitutional arrangements.
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL110100093
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,635,728.00
Summary
Making democratic governance work. The project will deepen and advance our understanding of the impact of democratic governance upon prosperity, welfare and peace in countries around the world since the late twentieth century.
What determines the political consequences of financial crises? Ideas, institutions, and society over the long run. Recent financial crises have often had powerful political consequences, including political turnover, rising polarisation and social unrest; but these consequences also vary greatly across countries and over time. In a novel investigation of the political aftermaths of financial crises over two centuries, this project will develop a comprehensive understanding of the causes of this ....What determines the political consequences of financial crises? Ideas, institutions, and society over the long run. Recent financial crises have often had powerful political consequences, including political turnover, rising polarisation and social unrest; but these consequences also vary greatly across countries and over time. In a novel investigation of the political aftermaths of financial crises over two centuries, this project will develop a comprehensive understanding of the causes of this variation. Its theoretical significance lies in its investigation of time-dependent processes that have been largely ignored by existing literature: what shapes the duration of political effects, how are societal expectations about government policy responsibilities (re)shaped by financial crises, and how do such expectations affect political and policy outcomes?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.
New models of co-operative federalism in Australia: constitutional principles and practice. This project will research the effect of intergovernmental co-operation, through bodies such as the Council of Australian Governments, on Australia's system of constitutional democracy. It will determine how federal governance can be made more effective while respecting State autonomy and maintaining parliamentary and public accountability.
Reconceiving Australian federalism: fundamental values, comparative models and constitutional interpretation. Through systematic comparison with other federal systems, this project identifies the range of fundamental principles and values that could underlie the Australian system of government, explores their application to the interpretation of the Australian Constitution and scrutinises proposed reforms to the Australian system on the basis of that analysis.
Money Politics: Patronage, Political Networks and Electoral Dynamics in Southeast Asia. How does money politics shape electoral competition and outcomes in developing democracies? This project tackles this question by focusing on pork barrelling, spoils, vote buying and related phenomena in the four most important electoral regimes of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Using methods that range from close observation of election campaigns to national surveys, the p ....Money Politics: Patronage, Political Networks and Electoral Dynamics in Southeast Asia. How does money politics shape electoral competition and outcomes in developing democracies? This project tackles this question by focusing on pork barrelling, spoils, vote buying and related phenomena in the four most important electoral regimes of Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Using methods that range from close observation of election campaigns to national surveys, the project will analyse how the distribution of material benefits via clientelist and other networks affects political dynamics. By identifying and explaining variations in patronage, the research will cast light on issues critical to the future of democracy, governance and political stability in Southeast Asia and beyond.Read moreRead less
Constructing ethnic politics in Indonesia. Exploring political dynamics in provincial Indonesia, this project will address fundamental questions about how ethnicity becomes important in political affairs, and about why political actors choose to emphasise some ethnic identities but not others. It will also help identify the conditions which lead to inter-ethnic cooperation rather than conflict.
The new politics of ethnicity in regional Indonesia. By examining the role played by ethnicity in local politics in Indonesia, this project will address broad questions about how ethnic identities become mobilised politically and about the conditions that enable inter-ethnic harmony rather than conflict. It will also greatly enhance our understanding of politics in the new democratic Indonesia.