Assessing the harms of online speech. This project aims to clarify the ways in which online speech can inflict harm. It is accepted in speech-act theory that speech is conduct that is capable of inflicting harm. This project aims to map and compare legal cases in which there was disagreement over the nature of the speech at issue because it occurred online. It will assess the harms of that speech from the perspective of speech-act theory, and the findings will be applied to the democratic argume ....Assessing the harms of online speech. This project aims to clarify the ways in which online speech can inflict harm. It is accepted in speech-act theory that speech is conduct that is capable of inflicting harm. This project aims to map and compare legal cases in which there was disagreement over the nature of the speech at issue because it occurred online. It will assess the harms of that speech from the perspective of speech-act theory, and the findings will be applied to the democratic argument in favour of free speech. This project should lead to societal benefits in reducing expressive harms, and cultural benefits in enhancing all users' ability to participate in important, legitimating deliberation online.Read moreRead less
The Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy. This project links the theory of deliberative democracy to institutional innovation, to benefit both, through comparative case analyses of democratic innovations in different countries. It is hypothesized that particular kinds of institutional innovation (such as consensus conferences, policy dialogues, dialogical networks) will work out quite differently in different political contexts. If so, then the emphasis of almost all democratic theory o ....The Theory and Practice of Deliberative Democracy. This project links the theory of deliberative democracy to institutional innovation, to benefit both, through comparative case analyses of democratic innovations in different countries. It is hypothesized that particular kinds of institutional innovation (such as consensus conferences, policy dialogues, dialogical networks) will work out quite differently in different political contexts. If so, then the emphasis of almost all democratic theory on models of democracy is misplaced: instead, theorists should attend to processes of democratization in particular contexts. The results of the comparative case analyses will be used to reflect back upon, and reformulate, deliberative democratic theory.Read moreRead less
Reconstructing Parliamentary Oppposition. This project reconstructs theories of parliamentary opposition in democratic regimes, blending conceptual analysis with empirical investigation of predominately Australian patterns of parliamentary opposition. Debates over conventional models of 'responsible opposition' reveal the international importance of Australia as a valuable test-case of opposition possibilities. Accordingly, this project uses the Australian experience for heuristic purposes to re ....Reconstructing Parliamentary Oppposition. This project reconstructs theories of parliamentary opposition in democratic regimes, blending conceptual analysis with empirical investigation of predominately Australian patterns of parliamentary opposition. Debates over conventional models of 'responsible opposition' reveal the international importance of Australia as a valuable test-case of opposition possibilities. Accordingly, this project uses the Australian experience for heuristic purposes to reformulate and strengthen theories of parliamentary opposition, drawing on parliamentary history and interviews, in addition to conceptual and comparative analysis.
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Religious Populism, Emotions and Political Mobilisation. This project aims to investigate the main features of religious populism with a focus on emotions in Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan. Through multiple analytical methods that examine populist statements and interviews with voters, it will advance theoretical and empirical knowledge on religious populism, particularly in relation to emotive political mobilisation and polarisation. The expected outcomes are benchmark data sets and conceptual ....Religious Populism, Emotions and Political Mobilisation. This project aims to investigate the main features of religious populism with a focus on emotions in Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan. Through multiple analytical methods that examine populist statements and interviews with voters, it will advance theoretical and empirical knowledge on religious populism, particularly in relation to emotive political mobilisation and polarisation. The expected outcomes are benchmark data sets and conceptual frameworks that can be used in other contexts where religious populism poses a danger to democracy. This will help democratic governments better understand religious populism so that they can generate effective policies to deal with any potential negative effects.Read moreRead less
Elections and enhancing political participation in Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq. Democracy comprises more than elections, but they are the primary vehicle for democratic participation. Through an evaluation of the current approaches to democratisation, this project examines electoral reform in Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq, in order to understand how political participation can be enhanced during times of political transition.
The Micropolitics of Deliberation. This project will show how deliberative mechanisms can be designed and employed in Australia's system of governance (and in other countries), thereby improving the quality of citizen participation in Australian democracy and indicating more effective means of public consultation in policy making. The project will develop applied expertise on these issues, which can be put to use in the context of widespread current interest in deliberative consultation in gove ....The Micropolitics of Deliberation. This project will show how deliberative mechanisms can be designed and employed in Australia's system of governance (and in other countries), thereby improving the quality of citizen participation in Australian democracy and indicating more effective means of public consultation in policy making. The project will develop applied expertise on these issues, which can be put to use in the context of widespread current interest in deliberative consultation in government (especially in natural resource management).Read moreRead less
Political party financing and democratic consolidation in Indonesia. As Australia's vast neighbour to the north, Indonesia, is of critical importance to Australian national interests. Particularly essential in this regard is the stability of Indonesia's young democracy, which is increasingly threatened by the widespread perception that party politics are contaminated by corrupt, greedy and self-centred politicians. This sentiment is largely fuelled by complaints about questionable fundraising pr ....Political party financing and democratic consolidation in Indonesia. As Australia's vast neighbour to the north, Indonesia, is of critical importance to Australian national interests. Particularly essential in this regard is the stability of Indonesia's young democracy, which is increasingly threatened by the widespread perception that party politics are contaminated by corrupt, greedy and self-centred politicians. This sentiment is largely fuelled by complaints about questionable fundraising practices of political parties. Accordingly, this study will be of great interest to Australian policy-makers, aid officials and businesses that wish to address the deficiencies in Indonesia's political system through political and economic cooperation programs.Read moreRead less
Democratic Leadership: How democracy shapes, constrains and empowers its leaders. A more profound understanding of the authority conferred, and limits imposed, by democracies on their leaders allows us to recognize what is, and is not, possible in democratic politics. It encourages a more subtle appreciation of the onerous demands of leadership, negotiating the extremes of idealism and cynical pragmatism that so often undermine confidence in politics and politicians. It gives greater insight int ....Democratic Leadership: How democracy shapes, constrains and empowers its leaders. A more profound understanding of the authority conferred, and limits imposed, by democracies on their leaders allows us to recognize what is, and is not, possible in democratic politics. It encourages a more subtle appreciation of the onerous demands of leadership, negotiating the extremes of idealism and cynical pragmatism that so often undermine confidence in politics and politicians. It gives greater insight into how democratic institutions and practices can be sustained and improved upon, both domestically, and internationally. Australia's commitment to democratisation in the region makes even more pressing the question of the type of leadership necessary in transitional states.Read moreRead less
Imagining globalisation: The world and nation in Chinese Communist Party ideology. Since the late 1990s, there has been intense interest in globalisation among leaders and theorists of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). These debates on globalisation represent an important development in the Party's ideology and provide an insight into the way in which it formulates its claim to legitimacy. This project will analyse these debates in the context of the Party's ideological history, and from the pe ....Imagining globalisation: The world and nation in Chinese Communist Party ideology. Since the late 1990s, there has been intense interest in globalisation among leaders and theorists of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). These debates on globalisation represent an important development in the Party's ideology and provide an insight into the way in which it formulates its claim to legitimacy. This project will analyse these debates in the context of the Party's ideological history, and from the perspective of Western globalisation theory. The project will be of benefit to those institutions and individuals needing to understand changes in China's political elite's perception of the world and the Chinese nation's position within it.Read moreRead less
Islam, Nationalism and Secession in Aceh, Indonesia. This project will produce the first in-depth analysis of the secessionist movement in Aceh, Indonesia, and of attempts to resolve the long-running violent conflict in that territory. By doing so, it will contribute to our understanding of processes of national disintegration and reintegration in Indonesia. The project will also contribute to broader theoretical debates in political science and related disciplines about the genesis and developm ....Islam, Nationalism and Secession in Aceh, Indonesia. This project will produce the first in-depth analysis of the secessionist movement in Aceh, Indonesia, and of attempts to resolve the long-running violent conflict in that territory. By doing so, it will contribute to our understanding of processes of national disintegration and reintegration in Indonesia. The project will also contribute to broader theoretical debates in political science and related disciplines about the genesis and development of nationalism, especially in Islamic societies, and on how national identity and violent separatist conflicts may be transformed by peace processes and autonomy arrangements.Read moreRead less