Parole in crisis? Public opinion on the use of parole. Serious crimes committed by parolees in Australia have brought parole into the public eye. Without concrete evidence, governments often act on the assumption that the public holds punitive attitudes. This project is expected to develop an evidence base to inform policy on parole at a crucial time when governments are under pressure to restrict its use. Three mixed-method studies aim to assess: what public views on parole are; why the public ....Parole in crisis? Public opinion on the use of parole. Serious crimes committed by parolees in Australia have brought parole into the public eye. Without concrete evidence, governments often act on the assumption that the public holds punitive attitudes. This project is expected to develop an evidence base to inform policy on parole at a crucial time when governments are under pressure to restrict its use. Three mixed-method studies aim to assess: what public views on parole are; why the public holds these views; and what influence these views have on policy and practice. The project is expected to make contributions to: creating information strategies that properly inform the public; supporting prisoner reintegration strategies; and shaping criminal justice policies based on informed community feedback.Read moreRead less
Automated internet warnings to prevent viewing of minor-adult sex images. Since the advent of the internet and digital cameras, the market for child exploitation material (CEM) has boomed. This project aims to explore how the visual appearance of warning messages influences internet users. It plans to conduct a randomised controlled experiment with naïve participants on a real-life website to test the effectiveness of messages designed to discourage viewers of legal ‘barely legal’ pornography. I ....Automated internet warnings to prevent viewing of minor-adult sex images. Since the advent of the internet and digital cameras, the market for child exploitation material (CEM) has boomed. This project aims to explore how the visual appearance of warning messages influences internet users. It plans to conduct a randomised controlled experiment with naïve participants on a real-life website to test the effectiveness of messages designed to discourage viewers of legal ‘barely legal’ pornography. It is anticipated that results will assist policing efforts by indicating whether warnings can be used to dissuade first-time CEM viewers and whether differences exist between harm or deterrent-focused messages.Read moreRead less
Cornstalks and new chums: crime and nutritional status in settler Australia. The project will use records for 200,000 Australian-born and migrant prisoners released from Tasmanian and Victorian gaols between 1853 and 1924 to probe links between childhood well-being and the propensity to re-offend. It will explore the extent to which childhood nutrition (inferred from adult height), the timing and place of birth, and adult occupation can explain migration advantages, the impact of large cities li ....Cornstalks and new chums: crime and nutritional status in settler Australia. The project will use records for 200,000 Australian-born and migrant prisoners released from Tasmanian and Victorian gaols between 1853 and 1924 to probe links between childhood well-being and the propensity to re-offend. It will explore the extent to which childhood nutrition (inferred from adult height), the timing and place of birth, and adult occupation can explain migration advantages, the impact of large cities like Melbourne on child health, and the circumstances that gave rise to recidivism? This project will also explore changes in the composition of offenders over time and the extent to which different penal systems helped offenders to ‘go straight’.Read moreRead less
Interdependence, transnational institutions and the governance of international taxation in the 21st Century. The global financial crisis is placing national tax systems under unprecedented competitive pressures. In such an environment the need for international tax cooperation has never been greater. Using comparative analysis this project will seek to establish which transnational institutions and governance systems best support international tax cooperation. By doing so it will enhance both t ....Interdependence, transnational institutions and the governance of international taxation in the 21st Century. The global financial crisis is placing national tax systems under unprecedented competitive pressures. In such an environment the need for international tax cooperation has never been greater. Using comparative analysis this project will seek to establish which transnational institutions and governance systems best support international tax cooperation. By doing so it will enhance both the ability of state and non-state actors to develop and refine strategies for participating in such systems and the prospects for achieving cooperation in this critical aspect of world affairs.Read moreRead less
Mapping the effect of social enterprise on regional city disadvantage. This project aims to explore how social enterprises affect wellbeing and community capacity in disadvantaged areas of regional cities. Governments increasingly invest in social enterprise to benefit individuals and places. This project will use a spatial methodology to map where and how benefits are realised. To date, robust evidence about how social enterprise affects disadvantage is lacking, partly due to inadequate researc ....Mapping the effect of social enterprise on regional city disadvantage. This project aims to explore how social enterprises affect wellbeing and community capacity in disadvantaged areas of regional cities. Governments increasingly invest in social enterprise to benefit individuals and places. This project will use a spatial methodology to map where and how benefits are realised. To date, robust evidence about how social enterprise affects disadvantage is lacking, partly due to inadequate research methodology. This project expects to provide web-based design tools and applications to assist regional city communities and councils in the development of social enterprises that can help disadvantaged people and places.Read moreRead less
Co-operative intellectual property management and technology transfer for the Australian biotechnology industry. The Australian biotechnology industry rests on a framework of internationally competitive research and should be well placed to capture a significant share of expanding global markets. However, existing intellectual property (IP) management strategies do not make the most of this potential because they raise barriers to much-needed co-operation among industry players. By developing an ....Co-operative intellectual property management and technology transfer for the Australian biotechnology industry. The Australian biotechnology industry rests on a framework of internationally competitive research and should be well placed to capture a significant share of expanding global markets. However, existing intellectual property (IP) management strategies do not make the most of this potential because they raise barriers to much-needed co-operation among industry players. By developing and refining new co-operative IP management models in an Australian context, this project offers direct economic benefits (more efficient industry structures), improved social and economic benefits (better and cheaper biotechnology products and services), and an opportunity for Australia to take the lead in developing innovative approaches to IP management.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
Managing innovation with a policy-relevant framework to assess the social consequences of technological developments. A framework to assess the social consequences of new technologies will enable their benefits to be maximised and impacts lessened. By considering impacts during development and before release, design criteria can be broadened, appropriate management and mitigation measures implemented and appropriate regulatory conditions established. Interested parties can participate in discuss ....Managing innovation with a policy-relevant framework to assess the social consequences of technological developments. A framework to assess the social consequences of new technologies will enable their benefits to be maximised and impacts lessened. By considering impacts during development and before release, design criteria can be broadened, appropriate management and mitigation measures implemented and appropriate regulatory conditions established. Interested parties can participate in discussions about technology directions at an early stage, allowing technological development that is more democratic and less obstructed by conflict. Society benefits by having socially-appropriate and socially-acceptable technologies. Industry benefits from clearer technology development paths and a better understanding of potential social impacts of new technology.Read moreRead less
From words to deeds: the politics of compliance in post-crisis international tax reform. The OECD embarked on an ambitious program to limit international tax evasion as part of the G20's response to the Global Financial Crisis. This project will evaluate whether national governments have honoured their commitments to this historic agreement. These findings will make a significant contribution to our understanding of compliance in global governance.
Enabling social innovation for local climate adaptability. Climate variability and change is likely to be felt most acutely at the local scale in Australia. This is where inter/national and State policies are translated into practices to prepare for, and adapt to, anticipated impacts of heatwaves, bushfires and floods. This project will investigate tensions and potentialities between risk-based assessments by local governance agencies and innovations by local groups and Non-Government Organisati ....Enabling social innovation for local climate adaptability. Climate variability and change is likely to be felt most acutely at the local scale in Australia. This is where inter/national and State policies are translated into practices to prepare for, and adapt to, anticipated impacts of heatwaves, bushfires and floods. This project will investigate tensions and potentialities between risk-based assessments by local governance agencies and innovations by local groups and Non-Government Organisations. The research will utilise an innovative mixed-methods approach to investigate and to analyse the strategies and experiments of adaptation practices. It aims to develop new ways of identifying and implementing practical, local, adaptive responses that are contextually relevant, socially innovative and capacity building.Read moreRead less